SOCIAL SKILLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACTS ON FRIENDSHIPS IN 2030

SOCIAL SKILLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

AND IMPACTS ON FRIENDSHIPS IN 2030

Written by: Valéria Santos

On previous posts, we’ve discussed about some challenges of interpersonal communication on social media such as the lack of non-verbal cues and how this affects the forming of relationships, we’ve made connections between the lack of cues on social media and conflicts, discussed empathy and how it affects adjusting behaviour and talked about how social media can help more introverted people interact and make friends online.

On this post, we will explore how social media affects our social skills and impacts the forming of meaningful friendship.

We believe that social media is a very popular and convenient means of communicating and interacting with other people. However, when we think of the quality and how meaningful the connections we make are, we see that something is being left out.  Hanke (2018) suggests that social media “changes our ability to interact with others on a meaningful level” (para 2). As I think about it, I have to agree that. Sentences have become shorter.  Video chats don’t substitute eye to eye contact, and when I communicate on social media, the feeling is not the same as in a face-to-face conversation.

Social skills or the skills we use to communicate and interact are learned through personal interactions. We’ve been spending more and more time connecting through social media, and because of that, we haven’t been developing social skills which are essential to forming relationships. Hake states that the results of a survey showed that while social media facilitated communication, “interpersonal communication skills declined” (para 4). As a result, we tend to form weak ties with those who we interact with on social media and we don’t feel as personally connected to them (Keller, 2013). So, is it going to be the new normal? Are we going to just let such important skills that allow us to interact positively and respectfully, to cooperate, to “read” other people’s feelings without any words said and to sustain friendships just fade off?

When we speculate on what is going to be like in 2030, we believe things tend to get worse. People are getting more and more addicted to using technology and some aspects of communication that lead to the forming of strong friendships will continue to be missing out. People will rely more on communication through social media than in in-person communication. We hope we are wrong, and we find our way to get what is being left out back. We hope we can use interpersonal skills on social media too and make meaningful connections and friendships. 

I’d love to hear about your opinion on this topic too. What else do you think will impact the forming of friendships on social media in 2030. Let us know by leaving your comment.

References:

Hanke, S. (2018). How Social Media Affects Our Ability to Communicate. Retrieved from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-social-media-affects-our-ability-to-communicate/

Keller, M. (2013). Social Media and Interpersonal Communication. Retrieved from https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/051313p10.shtml