Social Media and Loss of Social Skills Technology Essay

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Technology: Social Media and Loss of Social Skills

Social Media and Loss of Social Skills: Technology

Technology has changed our lives in numerous ways. Today, people can keep in touch by sending messages on Facebook or Twitter, without necessarily having to travel long distances. Psychologists are, however, raising concern that this loss of physical touch is driving individuals to lose their social skills. This text demonstrates why this is so.

Social Media and the Loss of Social Skills

It is not very uncommon today to encounter a group of friends sitting around a table supposedly catching up or enjoying a meal together, yet everyone is on their phones, tablets or other mobile devices. In reality, no one is talking or interacting, all eyes are focused on the gadgets before them, and everyone is busy tweeting, face-booking, chatting or texting. Research evidence shows that approximately 93% of college students in America today have a Facebook account. It is no surprise, therefore, that a professor in a modern class will find himself having to call out more than one student who is staring blankly onto their lap during a lecture, and laughing at something that is obviously not their lecture notes. Well, thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, students such as these may have found an opportunity to connect, at the touch of a button, with a close relative who lives miles away, or a childhood friend whose family moved to another state due to work-related commitments. These are the norm in the modern-day setting, and one is more likely to speak with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, or whatsapp than face-to-face. Well, this obviously has its advantages; however, concern is being raised that increased indulgence in such sites is destroying our interpersonal social skills. A number of weighty arguments have been raised both in favor of, and against this ideology. This text interacts with the arguments presented by both sides of the divide with the aim of testing the hypothesis that more use of online social networks has an adverse effect on individuals' social skills.

Hypothesis: more use of online social media and less interpersonal communication results in a lack of social skills

Arguments for One of the core arguments that have been put forth in support of the hypothesis stated in the preceding section is that increased online communication at the expense of face-to-face interactions causes people to have a decreased sensitivity to emotional cues (Wolpert). Studies have shown that being sensitive to other people's emotional cues is a key social skill in the formation and maintenance of physical relationships, and it is built and developed through physical interactions (Uhls et al., 2014). In their 2014 study, Uhls and his colleagues (388) were able to show that children who were able to understand the emotions of others were generally able to maintain friends longer than those who lacked such abilities. This clearly portrays the importance of emotional sensitivity as a social skill in communication and relationship maintenance. Research has, however, shown that over-engagement in online communication thwarts people's abilities to develop their abilities to understand others emotions', particularly because it does not provide as much intimacy as face-to-face interactions, and does not allow for physical connectedness between people.

In their study, Uhls and his colleagues selected 105 sixth grade pupils from the same school and divided them into two groups. The first group (the test group), consisting of 54 pupils was sent to n nature camp, where they were denied access to electronic gadgets and were required to only communicate physically among themselves. The other group stayed at home and continued with their usual interactions and communications online. After five days, both groups were tested for their ability to recognize emotions in videos and photos displayed to them. They were shown images of people and asked to identify which emotions the people there were displaying -- the results showed that pupils from the test group were better at correctly identifying emotions than their counterparts who had unrestricted access to online communication and social media. The researchers thus concluded that face-to-face communication and interactions are crucial in helping people learn to understand others' emotions, and skills in reading such emotion could be diminished if face-to-face interactions are replaced by computer-mediated communication.

Another argument that has been put forth by those in support of the negative correlation between social media engagement and social skills is that such engagement impedes on our ability to identify with and accept the views of others, and this affects our ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships.

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On social media, people tend to follow and identify with people who share the same interests (Keller 10). They have the option of 'un-friending' or 'unfollowing' anyone whose interests or views do not match theirs. This breeds a culture of not being ready to listen to and consider the views of others. In real-life interpersonal relationships, this culture is an ingredient for poor interpersonal skills and an inability to form and maintain healthy relationships with people.

A third argument that tends to support this hypothesis has to do with the issue of relationship strength. On social media, people tend to place more emphasis on the number of friends or followers they have (the size of their network) as opposed to the quality of the relationships formed thereof. People are regarded as being social based on the number of friends they have, and not based on the intimacy or closeness inherent in their networks. This focus on quantity at the expense of quality breeds a culture where people are not so much concerned about taking measures to strengthen their relationships (Keller 10). As a result, their social skills are ruined, and their ability to maintain long-term relationships in both the physical and the virtual setting is affected.

Empathy is a crucial skill in social interactions. If one is able to empathize with others, they stand better chances of building healthier and stronger relationships. Empathy breeds trust and connectedness, both of which help people to relate better with others. There is concern, however, that an increased engagement in social media could kill this crucial skill, making it difficult for individuals to connect with, and maintain healthy social relations. Allen and his colleagues conducted a study to determine the degree to which friends on Facebook share supportive compliments or words of encouragement such as 'I am so sorry for your loss', 'you are my greatest inspiration', and so on. The results showed that the more the number of friends one had, the lower the frequency with which they posted supportive compliments (Allen et al. 54). This could be interpreted to mean that the more one engages with social media, the less intense their sense of empathy, and the lower their propensity to show emotional support. These elements could make it difficult for such a person to cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships.

Arguments against

Three crucial arguments have been raised against the hypothesis in question. Some researchers have argued that contrary to popular beliefs more use of social media builds social skills because people who are less socially adept such as those with self-esteem issues can effectively use the same as a form of social compensation (Subrahmanyam and Smahel 90; Ahn 1490). This argument is based on the social compensation hypothesis -- for introverted individuals, social media platforms provide ample opportunities to make friends and self-disclose in ways that may never have been possible in face-to-face interactions (Subrahmanyam and Smahel 91). Allen and his colleagues (55) make reference to the popular cartoon for The New Yorker, where a dog standing in front of a computer says to another dog, "on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog." In our case, this could be translated to mean that on the internet, one is able to behave like the dog they are, and this gives less socially adept persons the right to feel more comfortable building social networks.

The second argument is based on the 'rich get richer' hypothesis, which suggests that people only use online social media to reinforce relationships that they had already formed and keep in touch with long-distance associates; as such, social media networks do not reduce the time spent on physical relationships, and neither does it ruin individuals' social skills (Honeycutt and Brian 304). In their study seeking to compare the quality of relationships built on social networking sites vis-a-vis those built through physical interaction, Allen and his colleagues were able to show that the amount of time spent on Facebook by college students correlated positively with their face-to-face involvement in the community (Allen et al. 48). This relationship supported the argument that Facebook/social media did not take away the time spent in face-to-face interactions; rather, it was used to enhance social communication (Allen et al. 48).

Additionally, social media breaks down the geographical barriers that once restricted communication between friends, relatives and associates. People are now able to communicate and interact virtually with others from diverse….....

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