Human beings always long for connection and a sense of belonging. Several studies show that social relationships are linked to good mental health. Social media is the leading reason for internet use. The number of people using social media platforms is constantly increasing. As of January 2020, approximately 3.80 billion individuals were using social media platforms. There is no doubt that the invention of the internet has provided many convenient ways of reconnecting and rekindling relationships. However, a discourse on whether social media use has a positive or negative impact on the ability of people to create and maintain meaningful relationships is on the rise. Should people be worried about a pattern towards creating online relationships instead of the traditional face-to-face way of establishing and nurturing connections? Although social networks provide opportunities for people to connect, its use has made human beings less able to develop and sustain meaningful social interactions.
Research Evidence
According to Curry (2013), most social media users do not provide an accurate representation of who they really are. People on social media platforms tend to show the images they want to send about themselves through their activities on social media platforms (Curry, 2013). Curry (2013) found that most social media users present the positive/best aspects of their lives or who they are on these platforms. This can negatively affect the ability to develop and maintain meaningful relationships because the parties involved may not be transparent and honest in their representations (Curry, 2013). Similar observations were made by Quinn (2016) in their study in which privacy issues in online relationships were identified. According to Quinn (2016), there are four concerns related to privacy on social sites. These concerns are information control, loss of power, loss of identity, and the possibility of experiencing harm. As a result, creating meaningful relationships becomes difficult.
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According to Ellison et al. (2010), social media platforms have different ways that support the development and maintenance of social relationships. They provide systems that are particularly made to enable management of relationships, allow people to develop rich profiles, locate partners, associate with each other, and use relational links in different ways (Ellison et al., 2010). These links support the development and maintenance of social relationships. Through frequent reciprocation of activities such as liking posts or photos, online relationships are maintained and become stronger and closer with time. According to (Butler & Matook, 2015), when given an opportunity, human beings create relationships with people who are in most ways like them, and social media offers them the opportunity to connect with those similar to them.
Critical Evaluation
With the rise of social media use, the process of knowing another person is expedited; hence relationships can be developed easily and fall quickly. Although there is evidence that supports that social media does not affect the ability of people to form and maintain meaningful social relationships, they also acknowledge that social media has negative effects on such relationships. There exists strong evidence that supports that social media strongly affects the ability to create and sustain meaningful relationships. It argues that people tend to portray the best about themselves during interactions on social media platforms. Aspects such as emotional weakness and feelings of insecurity, among others, are, in most cases, hidden or reduced on social media sites. Therefore, it becomes impossible to disclose the aspects that characterize deep and meaningful relationships. The fact that people on social media sites have privacy concerns indicate that relationships cannot be deep and real. The use of profiles, which are not verified, leads to the formation of fake relationships that are based on dishonesty and lies. Social media platforms are only effective in strengthening offline relationships limited by different factors such as geography. The use of links such as likes and sharing may only reinforce relationships that are based on profiles and representations that are not real. Although some studies argue that social media users are able to develop meaningful relationships through interacting with people with similar characteristics such as beliefs, representations that are not real are still a critical issue in such relationships.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Although they may offer a great deal, social media relationships cannot substitute or supplement offline relationships that occur in real life. There is strong evidence indicating that the rise of social media has reduced the ability of people to create and maintain meaningful social relationships. Although geographical boundaries do not limit social media interaction, the relationships formed are, in most cases, not meaningful because most users portray representations that are not true. It is therefore recommended that social media users use these platforms to strengthen relationships already developed in real life/offline contexts. Offline interactions allow the development of meaningful interactions, and social media platforms can be used to overcome geographical limitations. When used on their own, relationships formed on social media platforms may cause loneliness and depression because they lack intimate and deep connections.
References
Butler, B. S., & Matook, S. (2015). Social media and relationships. The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society , 1 12. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118767771.wbiedcs097
Curry, O., Roberts, S. G. B., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2013). Altruism in social networks: Evidence for a 637 “kinship premium.” British Journal of Psychology, 104 (2), 283–295. 638 http://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.2012.02119 .
Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., Steinfield, C., & Vitak, J. (2010). With a little help from my friends: How social network sites affect social capital processes. In Z. Papacharissi (Ed.), A networked self: Identity, community, and culture on social network sites (pp. 124 145).New York, NY: Routledge
Quinn, K. (2016). Why we share: A uses and gratifications approach to privacy regulation in social media use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 60 (1), 61-86. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1127245
