The Effects of Social Media on Interpersonal Relationships

How does social media affect our relationship with others? Many believe that social media deals more damage than good to our lives, while others argue that it brings a lot of conveniences and helps lighten up our world. What are the unrevealing effects of social media? This article will discuss this matter using four different perspectives.

First and foremost, social media can lead to FOMO(fear of missing out). According to Elizabeth Scout, “FOMO, refers to the feeling or perception that others are having more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than you are. It involves a deep sense of envy and affects self-esteem.” This is predictable since what people normally post on social media are the best moments of their lives, or at least it is what appears to be so. Both envy and low self-esteem can take a severe toll on relationships. FOMO leads to the fact that users pay far more attention to other people, rather than their lives of themselves. Which came from and resulted in social media addiction, generating a vicious cycle.

Second, users of social media may feel isolated. With the help of chatting apps, people no longer have to meet up, or even call each other to stay in touch. This convenient feature, however, can be dangerous. Through their chatting box, most people have scattered, discontinuous conversations. This kind of small talk appears to be fine since this is how friends greet each other on a daily basis. Nevertheless, forming a solid relationship takes time, understanding, and deep conversations, which is comparably

hard to obtain in online messages. Therefore, a sense of isolation appears.

Third, social media can be helpful when it comes to knowing new people. Confined to distance, national boundaries, social status, etc. Most of us have limited social circles. Social media, however, breaks this boundary. With the help of Facebook or Instagram, people get to know someone they haven’t got the chance to meet, talk to an author they admire, or even befriend someone on the other side of the earth.

Lastly, if used well, social media can be a good way of maintaining friendships. Whilst people make plans for the future, no one can predict the sudden changes. A childhood friend can move to a different city without notice, a family member might accept a job offer that is far away from home. Social media made it possible for them to share their daily lives with those they care about.

Social media might be handy, but it takes more than simply saying hi to knit a tight relationship, just like the real world. It has a variety of effects on us. In order to enjoy the positive effects and shun the negative ones, use them wisely.

References

Scott, E (2022,Novmenber,16). How to Deal With FOMO in Your Life,The Origin of FOMO and How It Affects Our Health. verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cope-with-fomo

4174664#:~:text=The%20fear%20of%20missing%20out,envy%20and%20affects%20self%2Destee