Since its creation, the Internet has proven to be a valuable resource for billions of its users.  More recently, social media, a variety of Internet links aimed at keeping people connected across the globe, has exploded in popularity over the last decade.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2011 75.6 percent of households reported having a computer, compared with only 8.2 percent in 1984, the first year that the Census Bureau asked about computer ownership (census.gov).  People are accessing the Internet, namely social media sites, at an increasingly high rate.  Although these networks were developed to benefit their account holders, there have been serious repercussions because of the reliance people have placed on them for communication.  Social media is diminishing the social skills of this generation's adolescents by replacing traditional methods of interaction with texts and tweets. This can be seen through understanding its history, the role each category of social media plays, the negative behaviors that result from it, and personal accounts from professionals.

The rise of social media to the top of the Internet world was a slow one.  The idea of communicating with one another via the computer was not initially a popular one.  An article written by Gordon Goble entitled "The History of Social Media" discusses how people were not originally interested in finding new friends online, but rather old friends they had hoped to reconnect with (Goble).  Classmates.com was the first virtual reunion for old classmates looking to rekindle their friendship.   This website was an initial success, but the same could not be said for its predecessor, SixDegrees.com.  SixDegrees.com was developed in 1997 and got its name from the theory that no person is separated by more than six degrees of one another.  It was the first to allow its users to create profiles, invite friends, organize groups, and surf other user profiles (Goble).  Unfortunately, after complaints of excessive amounts of spam, the site folded completely before 2000.  Just a few years later, social media reemerged in the form of Friendster and LinkedIn.  Both promoted online communities that not only allowed for people to reconnect, but network with existing users.  This idea took off with professionals in the business world looking to make connections across the world.  It was not until 2003 that adolescents jumped on the scene with the immergence of MySpace.  MySpace became popular for its innovative profiles that allowed its users to apply pictures, music, and different background designs.  Eventually Facebook became the more appealing alternate to MySpace when it first became available to the public in 2006.  According to a statistic found by Tech Crunch, by 2009 Facebook had 80 billion monthly page views in December versus 43 billion for MySpace.  Just six months previous the two sites had been about the same size (Arrington).  Facebook utilized unique features, such as the "like" button, which started a cultural revolution among its users.  More recently Twitter took off through similar variations of the "like" button, "favorites" and "retweets."

Now social media is a vital part of our daily lives and has defined this generation.  Digital communication has become so popular that even the United States Post Office has had to account for the decrease in letters sent throughout the year.  According to the Bloomberg report, total mail volume decreased 20% from 2006 to 2010 (Leonard).  In addition, common courtesies have had to be altered to account for cell phones.  No longer it is implied that you should not take your phone out during the school day, at work, during presentations, or even when others are speaking.  Even thank-you notes have become a thing of the past as people are finding it more and more acceptable to replace these traditional forms of gratitude with a text.  With so many methods of communication available to us, our outdated skills are evolving to fit the mold of the new, technology-based generation.

Since the creation of Facebook and Twitter, social media has broadened its horizons in terms of its capabilities.  A whole new level of communication evolved when Microsoft introduced its video chat program, Skype.  Skype erased the stigma of social media replacing face-to-face communication because Skype is face-to-face communication.  By use of a microphone and webcam, people around the world could now look into the eyes of those they were speaking with at the push of a button.   This allowed for family members across the country to interact and even businesses to conduct interviews across the world.  Kay Kinsella addresses how Skype positively benefits small businesses in her article "Benefits of Skype for Business".   A few benefits include cutting costs, improved customer service, and conference calls between multiple people.  In a case study conducted by Kinsella she discusses John McCarthy, founder of IT management and services company, DWC Consulting.  McCarthy sees Skype as an integral part of his company and its success.  "'I do business all over the world and I use Skype to contact everywhere, with extremely high quality lines,'" says McCarthy (Kinsella).

Another innovative idea in the social media world was the application of filters.  With the immergence of the "selfie," sites like Instagram took off for their ability to edit pictures with ease.  The digital filters appeal to the younger, "selfie" generation looking to gain as many "likes" on their pictures as possible.  But what appeals most to adolescents are the applications that allow them to form online communities.  Tumblr and Pinterest are two of the most common community-based networks.  Through these websites they can form online niches and associate with others that share their interests.  It is for reasons like this that adolescents have strayed away from traditional means of communication to relying on the Internet for social interaction.

Although social media was created to strengthen social behavior, it has done so in the wrong way.  Numerous problems have arisen because of it, such as cyber bullying and catfishing.  Cyber bullying has become one of the biggest concerns regarding adolescents on the Internet.  Over 25% of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet (Gallagher).  Places like Twitter and Facebook are breading grounds for cyber bullies.  The Internet puts a whole new spin on traditional bullying because it enables the bully to work 24/7.  Bullying use to end when the victim was separated from the bully, but now the bully has the ability to harass the victim regardless of time or location (Fiorella).  In essence, bullying has become almost convenient thanks to social media.  This negative form of socialization has caused a small percentage of adolescents to think it is acceptable to post their thoughts, without regards to feelings, because they have the ability to hide behind their computer, tablet, or cell phone.  With undeveloped social skills, the bullies thrive off the attention of making someone else miserable instead of forming genuine relationships with others, and the victims do not know how to properly report the situation.

In other instances, adolescents expose themselves to illegitimate relationships.  Lacking the social skills to approach peers in person and having a heightened reliance on social media to make friends, some adolescents risk meeting people on the internet who are not who they say they are.  The term "catfish" came about from a 2010 documentary in which a man became romantically involved with a person via the Internet whom he thought to be a young woman, but it turned out to be an older woman almost twice his age.  This situation occurs so commonly that MTV created a "Catfish" television show showcasing people's experiences with online relationships between people who have never met before.  Online, adolescents have a naive sense of security about whom they are speaking with, but they are so desperate for the social interaction that it is a risk they are willing to take.  In extreme cases this can lead to abductions.  Child predators hide behind fake usernames and draw in minors by offering their friendship.  These relationships evolve to the point where both parties agree to meet.  Little does the adolescent know that they are about to enter the home of someone looking to harm them rather than come to their aid.  According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, 26% of online sex offenders used the victim's social networking site to gain information about the victim's whereabouts at a specific time (Mitchell).  This shows the severity associated with how willing adolescents are to share personal information online.

Social media has had such a profound effect on adolescents that it has created a way of life.  A new moto has developed as a result of the Internet revolution, "If it wasn't posted online, then it didn't happen."  This comes from the assumption that teens post almost every aspect of their lives on the Internet.  Whether it is a milestone, such as a graduation, or the daily weather, they constantly have a picture or opinion they want to share with the world.  Social media also dictates how we perceive one another.  Since social media can be used to find new friends or potential relationships, people want to present themselves in a way that highlights their personality.  Girls especially look to post pictures from events they have dressed up for because they look their best.  Taking pictures has become a routine part of socializing in public.  Cell phone cameras have replaced digital cameras for convenience.  People are now able to snap a picture, edit it, and upload it to the Internet with just one device.  Additionally, popularity is no longer determined by how many classmates you converse with at school, but how many followers you have on Twitter.  This has spurred a competition amongst individuals to acquire as many "likes" as possible.  The amount of "likes" a picture receives determines whether or not that picture is seen favorably in the eyes of one's peers.

Adolescence is a crucial time for social development.  These days children are acquiring phones earlier in life.  An American Life Project study revealed that 75% of kids ages 12-17 own a cell phone.  Sixty-six percent of those kids got their phone before their 14th birthday.  None of the 17-year-olds polled received phones before they turned 10, but nearly 30 percent of the 12-year-olds did (Lucio).  Kids are learning to communicate through phones and computer screens more than face-to-face.  This lack of physical socialization has had a direct effect on their social skills.  No longer do they have the patience or ability to hold meaningful conversations with multiple topics because they are accustom to having time between text messages to compose their thoughts.  Having things to talk about becomes increasingly difficult when every life event has already been documented on Twitter for everyone to read.  In addition, they lack the personality traits necessary to step outside of their comfort zone and pick up conversations with random people in the presence of those they do not know.  Instead they avoid the situation all together and look to their phone to get them through any potentially awkward interaction.  Some would even go as far as to prefer pretending to text in order to avoid making conversation with the person next to them.  Social media has even lead to the adoption of a new language.  Phrases such as "bff" and "lol" have been assimilated into their everyday vocabulary.  Although this may be appropriate for the Internet, it has no place in professional writing or conversation with a potential employer.  Teachers throughout the country come across social media lingo in students' formal writing, a sign that adolescents are too reliant on the acronym-based language.  Social networks have not only defined our generation, they have altered it, and maybe not for the better.

Science shows that social media is in fact diminishing the social skills of the current adolescent generation.  Psychologist and sociologist Sherry Turkle wrote a book in 2011 entitled, "Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other."  In it she discusses how technology is beginning to define human interaction.  In February of 2012 she conducted "Connected, but alone?" a TED talk about the research she published in her book.   In the presentation, Turkle covers five main points accessible in her book. 1. The communication technologies not only change what people do, but also changes who they are. 2. People are developing problems in relating to each other, relating to themselves, and their capacity for self-reflection. 3. People using these devices excessively expect more from technology and less from each other. Technologies are being designed that will give people the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. 4. The capacity for being alone is not being cultivated. Being alone seems to be interpreted as an illness that needs to be cured rather than a comfortable state of solitude with many uses. 5. Traditional conversation has given way to mediated connection, leading to the loss of valuable interpersonal skills (Turkle).  Turkle brings up numerous concerns that have developed in today's world as a result of technology.  The "illness" of being alone keeps people from eating without others or even using the restroom without being accompanied by a friend or two.  Actions that once requested privacy are now considered socially awkward if done alone.  Ironically, even though we desire the comfort of others all the time, our social skills are actually digressing because we are not socializing through traditional means.  These faceless forms of communication are destroying this generation's social skills and they are losing touch with one another while desperately trying to stay in contact at all times. Turkle's research proves that our social skills have been negatively affected by technology, specifically social media.

Melissa Ortega, a child psychologist at New York's Child Mind Institute, says kids these days cannot handle conflict face-to-face.  This is because conversation takes practice and they lack experience making small talk.  In an article written by Katherine Bindley, Ortega discusses how she sees these situations clinically in her office every day, children lacking the ability to hold a conversation with her because they are too busy checking their phone every two minutes (Bindley).  Cris Rowan, a pediatric occupational therapist, has a different outlook on the topic.  He says that why children have become so reliant on social media is more important than how they became so reliant on it.  According to Rowan, children are receiving devices to comfort and entertain them at far too young an age and they are first and foremost missing out on that connection with their parents.  From there they develop a habit of choosing the device over the person and never recover (Bindley).  Adolescents have started to become exposed to technology too early in life and have begun to use their social media applications as an outlet.  Twitter and Facebook are an online diary for some and when they choose to put their emotions on display for everyone to see, they neglect to form a human relationship with a person who can help them through the situation.  As time goes on, they continuously rely on the Internet to listen to their problems and lose confidence in their ability to socialize with others.

Social media has gone through an extensive process to get to where it is today.  Sites similar to Facebook were not initially online juggernauts and actually failed before becoming a part of the culture.  Video chat applications like Skype even revolutionized the business world.  But with online power has come online responsibility and social media has been abused to that point that it has had a direct effect on adolescents' social skill development.  With such a high dependence on these social networks for socialization, people are neglecting to practice traditional methods of communication.  Adolescents are receiving phones at much earlier ages and soon the art of conversation could become a thing of the past.
