The Negative Impact of Social Media on Relationships
The social media platforms have reshaped many aspects of society. Everyone who owns a laptop or any electronic device with the ability to access the internet cannot resist the temptation of social media. The social media networking platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat, Myspace, and Facebook have changed the manner in which people relate and interact. It is common to go into a room full of youths and note that they are not talking to one another. Instead, they are busy with phones trying to communicate with friends that they barely know (Walton). The problems of social media do affect not only the youths but also the adults in society. Every old individual would strive to keep young by maintaining a chain of friends on the different platforms. As such, social media has impacted negatively on society because it has worsened the way people relate and interact. Therefore, it is essential to look at the negative effects of social media on personal lives, school lives, and workplaces.
The Problem of Addiction to Social Media
One of the dangers that come with social media is addiction. When Zuckerberg invented the Facebook platform, every youth thought that they had found a haven and an end to the problem of connection had been seen (Walton). However, today tables have turned on the youths because they cannot get their eyes off their electronic devices because they want to keep the chat going. Back in college, it is common to come across that one student who will always use his or her phone even if lectures are going on (Walton). We all have to agree that the social media platforms are getting better each day and the danger is that the more improved they are, the more addicted individuals will be. Social media addiction has messed with different aspects of users’ lives.
The Negative Impact on School Life and Workplaces
Organizations have lost their customers because the people in the customers’ service are social media addicts (Usmani 77). Talking about addiction in respect to school life, students have, in several occasions, disregarded their studies because of their love for the social media platforms; the result of such addiction is predictable, failure. It is often hard to deal with the addiction. Once you start, you never stop.
The Decline of Interpersonal Relationships
With the rising influence of social media platforms, interpersonal relationships are at stake. In ancient times, probably when people hardly knew anything about social media platforms, families and friends would gather and share great moments through interaction (Usmani 87). They would talk about some of the fascinating experiences they had in the past. As such, it was easy for people to bond and improve their interpersonal ties (Perloff 363). However, with the invention of social media platforms, the relationship is dying.
The Impact on College Interpersonal Relationships
College students are comfortable having their phones all the time and chatting with distance friends that they barely know. One would be puzzled when he or she finds the students in a location with some free Wi-Fi. What goes on in the wireless zones is an untold story of people streaming live feeds from YouTube. College students do not have time for one another. They feel so safe communicating with the imagery friends who often crowd their inboxes and flattering them on how good they look. It is so sad that this is the new normal as far as college interpersonal relationship is concerned.
The Negative Impact on Marriages
The negative redefinition of interpersonal relationships is not limited to the youths only. Today, it is common to come across a man in his late 50s chatting with people on these media platforms and disregarding the families. A story is told of a man who had a poor relationship with his family, especially the children, because he would get back from work and sit back with his smartphone talking to these imagery friends, as others would call them. To the extremes, cases have been reported of people who have lost their jobs because they could not attend to the customer's reason being the social media addiction. They just failed to maintain proper interpersonal relationships with the customers.
The Negative Impact on Business
In the business context, especially those that carry out online transactions, cases of low production have been reported. The online business platforms work in such a manner that the clients have to communicate with the service providers (Serrecchia 14). Instead of focusing more on business, different the service providers attempt to extend the relationship and talk indulge on matters that do not relate to business. In turn, the service providers overlook the other customers in the queues and do not attend to their needs. The result is low productivity. A manager may be marveled by the busy state of the workers behind the computers not knowing that what goes on is unnecessary chats rather than the real business.
The Failure of Relationships Formed on Social Media
Lately, there is an inherent belief that the social media networks have been able to foster relationships. Well, this could be the truth only that most of the links that have been fostered are the negative ones. A great gap exists between the relationships that have been successful and those that have failed. The highest being the ones that have failed (Serrecchia 22). Most of the social media platforms have areas where people have one-to-one communication. They can be able to chat and share photos hoping that a relationship may exist. At the beginning of most of these relationships, people think that there is a spark and they can have a relationship that will end into marriage. The notion is, however, misguided because it is not the case. These relationships have failed tremendously.
The Illusion of Relationships Created on Social Media
Talking about relationships, there should be a spark that links two people together. It cannot exist without face-to-face interaction. Social media creates a relationship illusion that never works in the end. After dating for a while, the two individuals may realize that they lack so much in common and they have no option but to call it quits. Think about the amount of time wasted on the 'relationship' all because of believing that love exists on social media platforms. However, before we dig deeper into the relationships that are made on these networking sites, we have to understand that rarely do these people have single mates.
The Impact on Marriage and Infidelity
The effects of social media networks on relationships have a close similarity with the impacts on marriage. The most significant threat to marriage today is social media. In the past, it was difficult to cover infidelity, and people barely thought of cheating on their marriage partners. Well, the trust is gone all because of social media (Serrecchia 34). Most of the cheating partners have found a way of hiding their infidelity faces. A married man would tell a 'side dish,' as they call them, to communicate through one of the channels only to prevent the wife from knowing what is going on. It is vital to note that the female characters in marriage cannot also opt for such. In the end, these people have other families that are hidden and are only disclosed when matters get the worst. It will be so difficult to explain to a husband or a wife that social media is good if he or she has gone through such an ordeal.
The Impact of Social Media on Family Time
The other way in which social media has broken marriages is because of a lack of time. As stated, married people would want to remain relevant in their social media pages. Cutting the ties with the imagery friend is at times difficult (Pennstate). Therefore, they tend to spend most of their time posting and waiting for comments. They do all these at the expense of their family. Within a period, the married couple complains that either of the partners lacks time for the other. As the disagreements continue, the love that used to exist slowly fades and the marriage is broken. It is amusing to find married couples using their phones late in the night yet they have one another.
Morality and Privacy Concerns
Some of the content posted on these networking platforms leaves a lot to be desired as far as morality is concerned. Facebook, for example, is composed of people who do not care about the content of what they post. One thing remains for a fact that social platforms do not limit people from registering based on age (Pennstate). A newborn child can as well have an Instagram page. Therefore, it means that children are exposed to a lot of danger when they read some of the contents of the social media platforms. As a child continues to watch and read these explicit contents in the media networks, he or she is tempted to try them out. The result is a society that has people whose morality is compromised. A parent is expected to be cautious about what their children watch to reduce the chances of moral decay in their children at tender ages.
The Lack of Privacy on Social Media
The other disadvantage that comes with social media is a lack of privacy. An individual would want to keep his or her life as private as possible, and by the way, it pays to be private. The only danger that comes in is that third parties may decide to post information about the people who want to make their lives private without their consent (Pennstate). An example is seen in the lives of the greatest artist and other public figures. In case of a breakup, bloggers will quickly rush to the media platforms and post the information about the issues without their permission. I am sure that I may be angry if an individual decides to make a funny video of me and post it online. Most of the people breach the privacy policy, especially if they have identified that there is a downfall.
Cyberbullying and Its Impact on Relationships
Cyberbullying has been a problem and continues to be a problem as far as relations and interactions are concerned in the social media platforms. Some of the social media networks are set in such a way that an individual can hide his or her identity (Pennstate). Once an individual remains anonymous, it is very easy for them to troll and post demeaning information on one's wall. Different individuals have narrated how they became victims of cyberbullying and the amount of shame that it brought to their families (Pennstate). They had a difficult time convincing the close friends and associates that it was cyberbullying. The cases of cyberbullying are spreading like a bushfire, and it is a matter of time before it becomes a norm. The ease with which people create anonymous accounts leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of keeping off social media, most of the youths will continue being victims of the bullying (Perloff 373). They will pursue legal actions, but by the end of the day, their public image shall have been at stake.
Conclusion
In as much as there are advantages to social media, the disadvantages make it difficult for people to interact and relate properly. People are supposed to view social media differently. It can serve its purpose even if an individual logs in once a day and checks what had been trending during the day. The disadvantages that are skewed towards marriage are quite detrimental because they affect the spouses and the children. Interpersonal relationships are vital. College students have to find a way of changing relating to the people they have around them rather than focusing on their phones and other electronic devices at their disposal. Finally, none would want to be a social media addict. Most people have sought help from psychiatrists to be able to quit social media, and in some cases, it has failed. People have to be cautious with the time they allocate for social networking sites.
Works Cited
Penn state. "Social Media And The Negative Impact On Individuals | Applied Social Psychology (ASP)." Sites.Psu.Edu, 2018, http://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/11/16/social-media-and-the-negative-impact-on-individuals/.
Perloff, Richard M. "Social media effects on young women’s body image concerns: Theoretical perspectives and an agenda for research." Sex Roles 71.11-12 (2014): 363-377.
Serrecchia, Alexa. The Negative Effects That Increased Social Media and Technology Usage Have on Interpersonal Communication Skills, Stress Levels, and Relationships: An Honors Thesis. , 2014.
Usmani, Sheikh J. An Investigation into the Negative Effects of Social Media: Information Technology and Management Geospatial Technology. Saarbrücken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2015.
Walton, Alice. "Forbes Welcome." Forbes.Com, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#5ce1bd992e5a.
