You see them everywhere: people with their eyes constantly glued to their cell phones practically fused to their hands as they walk, talk, sit, stand, eat, and even sleep. Technology today has made it possible to talk to virtually anyone, anywhere and at any time from the palm of our hands. Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Tumblr, YouTube, MySpace have all changed society’s way of communicating with one another. It’s crazy to think that these social media devices that we treasure so much didn’t even exist 20 years ago. The ease and constant access of social media has drastically changed the way people relate to each other, in a not-always-positive way.
I think the biggest problem facing social media today is that people hardly ever communicate face-to-face anymore. It’s easier and faster to just send someone a text, call them or message them on Facebook than it is to drive and meet them. People like to take advantage of this when it comes to being more confrontational; they use their technology to hide and they feel free to say pretty much anything they want. They feel they’re able to do so now because, before the new wave in technology, that screen wasn’t there for them to hide behind so people were more reserved with what they had to say. People say things they wouldn’t normally say in person because they feel more protected by the screen on their phone.
People also use social media as a way to be more open to people, also because they can hide and not have to risk being embarrassed or worry about the person’s reaction to what they said. It makes lying about who they really are easier, too. People get nervous or upset when someone they’re talking to doesn’t respond right away or at all, especially if they see that person is talking to someone else on their Facebook wall. How did we become so dependent on this fast way of communicating that we get upset because we don’t hear back from someone for five minutes? Social media has negatively changed social relationships quite a bit over the past decade or so because technology has made it easier to cheat, lie, criticize, or exploit other people. Back when our grandparents and even parents were our age, they would maybe call each other at night, go out every now and then and actually see and spend time together and talk to one another. Nowadays, people just text or tweet at each other, maybe hang out on the weekends. We’re losing our skills of verbal communication, not to mention good grammar or spelling. Who knows, maybe our kids will live in a world where they have no human interaction whatsoever other than through social media and texting. Good God.
Not only are relationships with friends and family altered, but intimate relationships are also in danger. As I mentioned before, technology today makes cheating easier and a lot more secretive. People in relationships feel jealous when someone of the same sex likes or comments on an attractive photo of their boyfriend or girlfriend. If people see anyone of the same sex even talking to their significant other, they get jealous, and it’s because they know technology has made it possible for people to lie so easily, so trust becomes a huge issue in relationships. Relationships today don’t seem to last as long as they used to either. People take the easy way out and break up over text or phone which I find extremely stupid and childish. They’re too afraid to face the person and discuss things face-to-face, and I think technology definitely ruined that.
I wouldn’t say that I think social media sites shouldn’t exist; I can’t, because I use them, too. I can say that I wish that people today didn’t rely on technology for absolutely every aspect of their lives, especially communicating with other people. People are everywhere, and we shouldn’t have to use mechanical devices to talk to them. I think relationships, intimate or not, need genuine, face-to-face communication, or they will not work out very well. I think people need to put their phones down for five seconds and sit down and talk with someone. Facebook can wait.
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