Introduction
The rapid development of technology has initiated new methods of communicating. One form that has remained a mainstay in the recent past is the use of social media. Some of the common social media platforms used today include Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat among others. The impact of social networking varies from good to bad. On the positive end, the social media sites identified support new methods of interpersonal interaction. It not only enhances communication but has a role in sustaining relationships and creating new friends. On the contrary, a different view has shown that spending an immense amount of time on social media accounts hampers the much-important face-to-face interaction (Cohen, 2017). Both scholarly and non-scholarly articles have played a fundamental role in contributing to this polarizing debate. I will present the findings from research articles on how they have contributed to the debate on social media and its impact on interpersonal relationship.
Presentation of an Argument That Social Media Enhances Interpersonal Relationships
The research study was conducted by Orben and Dunbar (2017). The research took the form of a longitudinal study. A total of 243 participants were used in the research. The method of data collection utilized for the study was a Qualtrics survey. The research sought to find out how social media posts impacted interpersonal relationships among individuals. The study concluded that the use of social media could improve intimacy, valence, and mutual relations among individuals. The premises provided in the research article can be summarized as follows:
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Premise 1: Through social media platforms, individuals can enhance their self-disclosure attributes through the posts they make. Self-disclosure reveals inner attitudes, feelings, thoughts, and the expectations that people have in life. Based on the similarities of these self-disclosures between individuals, social relations can improve due to the culture of sharing.
Premise 2: Posts that are deemed appropriate can hinder friendship and intimacy. The posts can have a significant impact on an individual thereby asserting a feeling of homophily among individuals.
Premise 3: The social media platforms come with rules and social norms that need to be followed to the latter. There is a general feeling that individuals who abide by others’ social norms and behave as required are more likely to be liked by others. The authors conclude by asserting that this is possible “because shared expectations are a key constituent of culture” (Orben & Dunbar, 2017).
Premise 4: If the self-disclosure in the social media platform is perceived as appropriate, the tendency of homophily increases. The perceived homophily increased the attractiveness of the target as reported by the authors. Therefore, social networking sites have an important role in emphasizing homophily. People are more likely to form social ties with individuals who are like them.
Premise 5: The social media posts can increase valence between two individuals. Valence is the strength of the relationship between two individuals. Intimate posts made on social media can positively impact the relationship between two individuals. This is because it has positive effects on how homophily and overall perspective an individual has about others.
The longitudinal study presented in the article has an important role not only in complementing but also extending the previous research that has focused on this subject matter. The findings of the study support the previous research that the self-disclosure in the social media platform helps in increasing valence and intimacy between individuals. As such, it has an impact on relationship development. The research has practical implications for social media users because it focuses on how social media platforms can improve meaningful relationships. The research further shows that increased positivity in social media platforms could increase the way people relate with one another. On the flipside, the increased negativity, on the other hand, could have detrimental effects on relationships. The study has also played a fundamental role in bridging the gap between passive communication in social media and the offline communication that people use in their daily interactions. Whereas previous research has pointed out the presence of immense difference, this research debunks the assertion asserting that both passive and offline communications have the same impact on relationships. In emphasizing so, the authors conclude by saying, “Our results thus seem to negate the claim that social media fundamentally changes the psychology and methodology of human communication” (Orben & Dunbar, 2017).
The authors also take cognizance of the possibility of limitations given the fact they overemphasized on the positive posts rather than assessing the impact of the negative ones too. For instance, when comparing the effects of valence, the focus was placed on purely positive posts. No session involved the use of negative posts alone. Appropriate conditions would have demanded the assessment of negative posts and the significant effects they had on intimacy and valence in the social media platforms. Despite this inefficiency, the research adequately assessed the impact of social media and relationships.
Presentation That Social Media Hinders Interpersonal Relationship
In assessing the negative impacts that social media has on interpersonal relationship, research was conducted by Joo et al. 2017. The type of research that was employed in this research was an online survey. The research was performed on a volunteer basis with a questionnaire comprising of 28 questions divided into four different parts. The study focused on one Facebook user with 217 friends. The questionnaires were distributed to each of the 217 friends aged between 18 and 24. The focus of the study was to find out how the use of social media impacted human communication and the establishment of relationships. More emphasis was placed on social unity and behavioral change. The following premises were obtained from the research:
Premise 1: The use of social media outlets in communication and interaction has limited the much-desired face-to-face communication. As a result, more people are likely to suffer from the effects of loneliness and depression. Such a condition only works to limit human interaction between individuals.
Premise 2: The rise in the use of Facebook has acted as a consolation for people who would have otherwise found it difficult to interact on the actual social arena (Farrugia, 2013). Therefore, it could be concluded that social media platforms could play a significant role in the increase in introverts and individuals with antisocial behavior.
Premise 3: Facebook and social media, in general, have had a negative effect on their impact on family ties. With the rise of an alternative method of reaching out to one another, family members have felt close enough so long as they can interact using these platforms. However, the reality is that it breaks family ties and the strong bonds that once existed between them.
Premise 4: The overdependence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter also raises another significant challenge. People have no time left to interact physically with their loved ones. It is possible to enter a house and find people glued to their phones. From the outlook, they appear close to one another, but the reality is that they are far away mentally.
Premise 5: The communications that people have on the social media platforms remove the critical verbal and non-verbal cues which are the basis of interaction. People behave like robots rather than humans in their communications (Sanchez, 2014).
The research has three fundamental sections of immense significance to the overall outcome of the study. The first section provides a literature review where the authors assess how the impact of social media on the interpersonal relationship has been covered by different authors. Although specific positive attributes of social media have been identified including the interaction and a wide scope of friendship, the general consensus is that it has significantly hurt interpersonal relationships as identified in the five premises above. The second part focused on theoretical perspectives that explain the negative influence of social media on interaction, behavioral change, and communication. The third part of the study was the methodology where actual research was conducted with keen interest being placed on Facebook. The article adequately covered the subject matter, therefore, making it appropriate for use. The premises are strong and massively contribute to the overall thesis that social media hampers social interaction. The advent of technology will continue to mitigate the importance of face-to-face communication. As a result, a new crop of antisocial people will emerge that will redefine the way people relate to one another. Most importantly, it will lead to loneliness, depression, and introverted personalities among individuals.
Evaluation of Arguments
Both of the articles used apply some degree of evidence in their work. They have come up with a conclusion that has taken keen consideration of literature review and scientific studies. On the other hand, the non-scholarly sources make claims that are not only superficial but lack a basis for support. In some instances, they appear partisan in their arguments. For instance, the article "The Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal relations" by Tan, (2018) presents a strong argument on both the positive and negative effects of social media on human relations. However, it has significantly been impacted by the fact that it does not cite any research. As such, it is at an increased risk of making a logical fallacy. The author, for instance, makes the statement, "social media has the capability to impact interpersonal relationships in a positive way, however only if used accordingly, carefully, and timely" (Tan, 2018). Such a statement is vague and requires more vivid descriptions and empirical evidence to ensure that the audience grasps and contextualizes the information. Non-scholarly articles have important, but once their ethos and credibility are put into question, they can hardly be of any use especially in a polarizing debate as this one.
On the other hand, it is evident that even scholarly articles can differ on a specific topic or research question. The first research by Orben and Dunbar, (2017) uses scientific means to prove that social media improves interpersonal relationships based on the self-disclosure which has a positive impact on valence and intimacy. The second research by Joo et al. (2017) contradicts this using multiple premises previously identified. It is, therefore, proof that even scholarly and non-scholarly articles can contradict one another. However, the articles can be harmonized because each author remains alive to the fact that the impact of social media can go either way in impacting relationships. The non-scholarly articles are meant for casual reading in newspapers and cannot be used for a scientific audience. It is illogical to assert that social media will improve relationships without giving examples.
Conclusion
Assessing the issue of social media on both sides have been not only enlightening but also entertaining. It has significantly engaged my thought process as I cruised through different articles. Many emerging topics today such as social media and marijuana legalization are very polarizing. Therefore, looking at the issue from different perspectives will help an individual come up with a plausible conclusion. I believe this will shape how I conduct my future research.
References
Cohen, C. (2017). The Negative Effects Social Media Can Have On Relationships. https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/negative-effects-social-media-can-relationships/
Farrugia, R. C. (2013). Facebook and relationships: A study of how social media use is affecting long-term relationships. https://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1033&context=theses
Joo, T. M., & Teng, C. E. (2017). Impacts of Social Media (Facebook) on Human Communication and Relationships: A View on Behavioral Change and Social Unity. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 7(4), 27-50.
Orben, A. C., & Dunbar, R. I. (2017). Social media and relationship development: The effect of valence and intimacy of posts. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 489-498.
Sanchez, A. (2014). Social Media Use and Intimate Relationships. Unpublished master thesis). California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, California. Retrieved from https://www. csustan. Edu/sites/default/files/groups/University% 20Honors% 20Program/Journals/adalberto_sanchez. Pdf.
Tan, C. (2018). The Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal Relationships. https://jarvee.com/impact-social-media-interpersonal-relationships-2/
