Admittedly, the internet is pretty much the greatest invention of all time. However, I'd argue that social media is the worst invention to appear in this internet era. It seems to me that despite being 'in contact' with more and more people, we are in fact losing contact – meaningful contact – with most people in our lives.
aBeyond question, we're less comfortable in social settings than we once were. Sadly, we have all sat around a table where no one is really talking as they skim through their social media. Research by Ofcom has found that 51% of adults and 65% of teenagers have used their smartphone while socializing. Frankly, this is going to have a negative impact on our relationships. In fact, in some countries, groups of friends now have a rule – if you check your phone during dinner in a restaurant, then you have to pay for everyone. Are we really in a position where we need to fine people to get them to pay attention to us?
bUnfortunately, it's not just affecting how we interact but it is also making us feel worse, not better. Naturally, constant communication transforms how you feel, especially if you monitor emails, text messages and status updates. There is even an acronym for this phenomenon: FOMO – 'fear of missing out'. cAs I see it, anything social should make us feel involved but social media is clearly making some people feel left out rather than part of something.
Social media should be renamed anti-social media. dIn an already isolated world, social media is cutting us off from the world around us even further.
From my perspective, social media has undoubtedly enhanced our relationships with others. It is true that not all of our online relationships are as close as our face-to-face connections but, on the other hand, it has allowed us to reconnect with lost friends, maintain connections and build new ones.
eFrom my point of view, modern life had already made us all fairly isolated individuals. We work long hours. We commute long distances. We move to cities where we know nobody, just for work. Our families all move around, not just in the country we live in, but also to different countries. I'm sure that social media has simply emerged from the pressures of modern life and our desire to connect with others despite these obstacles.
Apparently, we are giving up face-to-face relationships with people in favor of less personal social media ones. In all honesty, I don't think this could be further from the truth. According to research by Marketing Charts using data from Nielsen, in the space of five years, TV viewing by 18–24 year olds has fallen from 25 hours a week to merely 12. Those aged over 50 still watch over 40 hours a week and this figure isn't declining. Young people are clearly giving up anti-social activities in favor of other ways of interacting.
People who argue that social media has made us less interactive with the world around us clearly have the image in their mind of people on a train with their heads down looking at their phones. These people aren't choosing to be antisocial. fFar from it – they are choosing to interact with the people they deem important in their own lives.
💡 The letters a–f mark the sentences you'll need for Exercise 5 (Identify Assumptions).