Are Social Media Really Social?

The word social is commonly defined as, relating to or involving activities in which
people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other. The word
media is defined as the main means of mass communication.The word social media is a complete
misnomer. While it does communicate ideas to the masses, there is nothing social about it.
Over time, social media has completely changed the way people live their lives every
day. While it is a great way to communicate with long lost friends, relatives and people who live
long distance, it has dominated todays culture. Instead of face-to-face communication, there is
now Facebook-to-Facebook communication.
Instead of people enjoying friends and family who are actually present, they are
obsessing over who posted the most outrageous Instagram selfie. While there is interaction via
social media, there is nothing social about it. People are more willing to send a message, or post
on somebodys wall, than they are to pick up a phone or even pay a visit to talk to a friend. While
social media has its advantages, it definitely leaves something to be desired.
Social media is often linked with adolescents who have ADD and ADHD. It is believed
that because using social media provides constant stimulation, young teens are finding it difficult
to concentrate in the real world (McMillan, 2015). Studies show that social media gives people a
constant hit of dopamine, which is one of the chemical signals that pass through the brain. It is
the constant instant gratification in the palm of your hand, which becomes addictive (Crowell,
2015). Why bother wasting time with real live people when it is better to communicate via social
media, where thousands of people at one time can see what a person has posted? Do the math,
its simple, social media is the preferred form of communication. People would rather save

their breath than tell a story that has already been posted online. People often interrupt their
friends mid-story and say: oh yeah, I saw that on your Facebook. It is no longer necessary to
communicate in real life because the virtual one reaches the masses so much more effectively.
So whats the problem? Author, Craig Hodges once wrote: A fixation with connecting
with friends online comes with the risk of disconnection with friends waiting for you to be
present in the offline world. What ever happened to getting together after school with friends,
and throwing around a football? Where did the days of late night talks at sleepovers disappear
to? There is no kind of social interaction among people in real life any more because why
bother?
According to studies done by Pew Research Center, as of December 2012, approximately
two-thirds of American cults used social networking sites. A whopping 83 percent of 18-29-yearolds were shown to avidly use social media (McIntyre, 2014). CNBC news reported that the
United States used 121 billion minutes on social media in just July 2012 alone. That is 230,060
years. Overall, in the United States the average person spends about 20 percent of their time
daily on social media on their desktop computers, and an additional 30 percent of their time on
their phones and handheld devices. That is 50 percent of the day that the average person in the
United States spends using social media. Half the day is spent staring at a screen, not taking
advantage of what actual communication has to offer (CNBC).
Good communication skills are essential for any kind of career. While it is important to
be digitally literate, it is important not to forget the importance of being able to make good eye
contact, deliver a message, use an assertive tone of voice, hold a conversation in real life and
have a good presence. Social media has opened many doors for many people and has definitely

been a great asset to society. But it is extremely overused. Because people are constantly
communicating via the internet, and only staring at a screen, there is no longer a need to use
actual social skills. This proves to be extremely difficult when facing real-life situations, like job
interviews.
Social media addicts will argue that there is definitely a need for communication skills
via social media. A person must understand how to develop a conversation, and it is easy to do
that via social media. In fact, according to these social media connoisseurs, many an important
discussion has been had on social networking sites.
While there is communication involved in social media, there is not the need to make eye
contact. Online, there is also not a need to respond immediately. Part of communicating
effectively in real-life situations includes being able to think on your toes and respond to people
in a timely manner. On social media, there is no need to respond right away. You are allotted the
extra time to sit and plan what will be said.
A journal article written by researchers at Swinburne University of Technology shows a
study in which they compared narcissism in adolescents, and the number of Facebook friends
they had. The more Facebook friends the person had, the better they felt about themselves (La
Sala, 2014). Of course more time is going to be spent on social media, when it appears that it is
easier to be liked virtually, than it is to be listened to in the real world.
More research conducted by a professor at KIIT University shows that the abuse of social
media actually has a negative impact on relationships with people. This further proves the fact
that social media is most definitely not social, because it affects real life relationships. This study
showed that 80 percent of divorce lawyers use statuses posted on social networking sites to

develop their case. One of the number one reasons people get a divorce in the first place is
because of inappropriate conversations being had on social media (Biswajit).
Poetry slam champion Marshall Soulful Jones performed a poem at a competition
entitled Touchscreen. Throughout his intense, and upbeat rap poem, he uses the rigid
movements of a robot to symbolize how we as humans, have become computers ourselves. He
stresses how people have a constant need to be on social media and technology in general. Jones
mentions how it used to be that friends once formed clicks, but now it is even more difficult
because clicks (from a mouse or phone) form friends. From the garden of Eden, to the branches
of Macintosh, Apple picking has always come at a great costiPhone, iMessage, iChat, I can do
all of these things without making eye contact.
The poem is an extremely well-written, deep analysis of how backwards todays society
is, and how we live behind a screen instead of communicating with those around us. It is
amazing how far technology has advanced and how much we have progressed as a society. The
only question left now is if technology is advanced enough to make us human again? When will
we stop going backwards in our abilities to communicate and actually take part in what the nonvirtual world has to offer?

References
Das, D., & Sahoo, J. (n.d.). Social Networking Sites A Critical Analysis of I ts Impact on
Personal and S ocial L ife. International Journal of Business and Science, 2(14).
Touchscreen [Motion picture]. (2011). United States.

La Sala, L. (n.d.). Personality Traits and Facebook Use: The Combined/Interactive Effect of
Extraversion, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. Social Networking, 3, 211-219.
McIntyre, K. (2014). The Journal of Social Media in Society. The Evolution of Social Media
from 1969 to 2013: A Change in Competition and a Trend Toward Complementary,
Niche Sites, 3(2).
McMillan, A. (2015). Internet Addiction Linked to ADHD, depression in teens. Retrieved April
20, 2015, from
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/05/depression.adhd.internet.addiction/index.htm
l?eref
Popkin, H. (2012, December 4). How Much Time Did We Spend on Social Media in One
Month? Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.cnbc.com/id/100275798