Communication Skills
Neustaedter, Harrison, and Sellen (2013) define communication skills as the transmission and sharing of knowledge between individuals.
Communication and Relationships
According to sociologists, man is a social being who can create and maintain relationships through effective communication media. Proper communication, for example, binds and unites communities, fosters various types of friendships, and bridges the differences produced by geographical borders, distances, and time between and among individuals. As a result, according to Ravelli and Webber (2014), "how people communicate influences not only the environment in which they live but also how they interact within it." The paper examines how communication through social media, texting, and blogging influences the manner in which individuals perceive the world.
Social Media as a Communication Platform
The social media influences communication because it is the most preferred platform that drives communication among people (Neustaedter, Harrison, & Sellen, 2013). Through taking advantage of the technological advancements including the internet of things, social media attracts a greater multitude of people through using the internet to connect people to social websites including Facebook, Twitter, and Voice over the internet protocol and electronic mails. In so doing, people who share certain interests share information, which they find of benefit to their needs. Thus, individuals being able to share information from one point and interact promptly without barriers such as geographical boundaries, time and distance perceive the world as a small village where they are able to get whatever piece of information they deem necessary at a given time.
Influence of New Communication Systems
Nonetheless, Ravelli and Webber (2014) note that new communication systems have changed the nature of individual relationships. For instance, it is in their opinion that virtually every individual in the world virtually has access to a cell phone and Facebook profile. The aforementioned two communication systems highly use texts and multimedia messages to exchange information both locally and internationally. Individuals are able to text and inform their concerned parties of the live events taking place while others opt to capture short video versions and send them to their respective friends. Hence, they are able to share messages, moments, and events in real time. Blogging, on the other hand, is often preferred under situations that a series of information concerning a given subject or an individual is to be followed and delivered to the interested people (Neustaedter, Harrison, & Sellen, 2013). As such, the world is perceived by individuals to be accessible and that every piece of information about a given person or subject is readily available.
Negative Influences of Social Media
On the other hand, social media as a communication platform has negatively influenced the populace. For example, with social websites such as Facebook and blogging sites, relationships have been destroyed. These stem from individuals accessing other people's accounts and disseminating pieces of information to unintended people. In simple terms, breaching social media security terms results in breaking the communication flow, hence misunderstandings often arise. Similarly, texting versions such as the use of shortcuts hinder communication among people of different generations (Neustaedter, Harrison, & Sellen, 2013). In such a case, there can be the misinterpretation of the intended message resulting in poor communication with lots of consequences encompassing damaging relationships, delivering the right information to the wrong person, and locking out people who are opposed to social media and would prefer face-to-face interactions.
Conclusion
Concisely, communication through social media, texting, and blogging has both negative and positive influences regarding an individual's perception of the world. Thus, it is upon an individual to make informed decisions in the event that they consider using either of them. Most importantly, it is essential to be aware of cybercrime because most of the communications take place over the internet.
References
Neustaedter, C., Harrison, S., & Sellen, A. J. (2013). Connecting families: The impact of new communication technologies on domestic life. London: Springer.
Ravelli, B., & Webber, M. (2014). Exploring sociology: A Canadian perspective.
