How Does Social Media Affect Human Communication?

Social media is something that the majority of us use on a regular, day to day basis. It allows us to instantly and easily connect with others to share opinions or ideas. The term social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue (Baruah, 2012). We use it casually and professionally, and it has become an important tool for human interaction and communication. Social media is also a relatively new form of communication, beginning roughly 16 years ago. We have yet to determine the long term effects of social media on human communication, but some have theorized that social media is actually detracting from our ability to communicate effectively outside of digital space. However, social media is not hindering our ability to communicate in real life, but rather it is changing the ways we prefer to communicate with one another.

Those who speak out against social media claim that it’s simply a trend, or that it’s a bastion for cyber pullies and those that would prey on naive children (Drago, 2015) (Edwards & Wang, 2016). Drago (2015) explains that mobile technology, which is very often used for social media, has …show more content…
It builds upon the foundations of how we communicated prior to the advent of social media and allows us to expand our abilities to interact with each other. It allows us to learn and develop crucial social and interpersonal skills at a young age, allowing us to step into any social situation comfortably. It teaches us how to better interpret and handle other people and enables us to share ideas on a much larger scale and with much more depth and detail. No, social media does not hinder our ability to communicate in real life. Rather, it compliments face to face communication by allowing us to continue our relationships, whether they be professional or personal, even after that wave