Introduction
Social media have changed people’s perception of reality and behavior around the globe. It affected their attitudes and the way they think and interact with others. The article chosen to explore social media effects on interpersonal communication is Exploring the effects of social media on interpersonal communication among family members by Lopez and Cuarteros. It elaborately explains the influence of such technologies on users. Social media’s impact on interpersonal communication is destructive: it distances close people, evoking confusion and reducing a desire for real interpersonal contact.
The Impact of Social Media on Users
Due to the deception of being socialized and around people, they are now less likely to spend time face-to-face with one another, preferring online communication. Such technologies eased human lives at first glance; however, they made real communication and interactions much harder. Furthermore, being distanced and in isolation is difficult to understand the other person. Such technologies may lead close people to misconceptions and confusion because it is hard to understand one another without real communication and seeing other human emotions and intentions. Many humans tend to avoid any social interactions due to having a replacement of that in their phones. However, such technologies made reaching another person easier and allowed people to negotiate and agree on something faster and more efficiently.
The article shows that the effect of the new technologies is mainly destructive and decreases people’s ability to communicate appropriately. People who use social media strive to restrict their interpersonal communication nowadays, even with family members. However, such social media as Facebook may alleviate anxiety and help set connections for people who have social anxiety or other related issues (Lopez & Cuarteros, 2020). Despite that, it is crucial to devote more time to close people offline, especially teenagers, who may have various problems at their age. Users must learn to disengage from social media and spend more time in the real world. Offline communication will help avoid confusion and establish a more profound connection with loved ones.
The article is useful because it shows the issue from different angles, explores it elaborately and explains social media’s effects on families’ interpersonal communication, teenagers, and other users. The authors claim that such technologies may lead to confusion, a feeling of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and other related problems. It may distance close people and reduce their personal meetings (Lopez & Cuarteros, 2020). Some of the teenagers who are rejected by their families escape from reality to Facebook so it can be a safe place for them. However, such a way of coping with problems is not secure and effective and can lead to addiction or other mental disorders.
The article consists of reviews of different investigations on the topic and has fundamental conclusions from them. It explains the various effects of social media on people and the way they communicate nowadays. Furthermore, it describes a study conducted by the authors, which aimed to understand the impact of social media on family members. The article impacts the professionals within the discipline by making them adjust their work policies to the conclusions drawn from it. It has to make them reduce the risk of users getting traumatized due to social media and encourage them to remember offline communication. All the information from it has to be considered and used to the advantage of people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the impact of social media on users is deplorable. It may lead to confusion between close people because it is difficult to understand others at a distance without seeing the real emotions of each other. Furthermore, such a technology gradually makes people less socialized, reduces the desire to connect with one another in real life, and exaggerates social anxiety in users. People have to spend more time offline and learn how to establish healthy relationships without social media.
Reference
Lopez, A., & Cuarteros K. (2020). Exploring the effects of social media on interpersonal communication among family members. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, 12(1), 66-80. Web.