Conversations that now happen through social media and have taken the place of traditional interactions is causing people to leave their houses less and less since they do not need to leave to communicate with others. This can lead to social isolation. Essentially, instead of spending time in person with friends, we just call, text, instant message them or send a 10 second snapchat. In some extreme cases, some people only lead lives in the virtual world in which they have even gotten married in online video games such as Second Life. Second life is a virtual world where avatars do the kind of stuff that real people do in life, however some players even choose to get married online via this game.
Moreover, using apps and social media allows one to portray an image that they want the world to see, not being true to who they really are. Not many people will post about their bad days, however there will be lots of posts online about travelling and how thankful they are and how great their life is. Technology in this way can cause relationships not only to be strained with others, but can also cause your relationship with your self to spiral downwards. Seeing what others are constantly achieving causes you to examine your life and often leaves you feeling as if you are not good enough when you are not posting on social media, or that other’s lives are better than your own. In this way technology affects your relationship with yourself.
These methods of connecting, although entertaining and the new way of adaption, still do not and will not incorporate all aspects of face-to-face interaction; because as most of us forget, physical face-to-face interactions is one of the most important determinants for our bodies to keeping us happy as well as for our mental health. It’s something essential and irreplaceable, creating the bond between relationships that one can trust and hold on to which you cannot get by simply conversing overs social media. Continuing to interact in person allows us to focus on the other person and truly learn about whom they are. Furthermore, one should not be surprised that a human contact is proven to bring us a sense of relaxation and well being to our bodies. Not only that but face-to-face interactions build trust, find out hidden gems that one would not want to talk over social media about as well as are able to enjoy and make memories with that you can look back on.
So, next time you text a friend, why not ask them to hang out and grab a coffee instead of communicating to them through our online devices.