In 2004, at the young age of 20, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, along with three of his roommates sought to create a platform online, in which users could simply share pictures, posts and communicate within seconds of logging on to the web (Biography). This website became known as Facebook and by the end of 2004, it had reached over 1 million users. Unbeknownst to Zuckerberg was the vast effect this website would create in the world of social media, good and bad. Facebook is seen as the “original” as far as social networking sites go, and a recent study conducted just this past year by Smart Insights found that over 54% of the urbanized global population uses some form of social media at least once a day (Chaffey). What happens when that 54% of the world is so engrossed in their technology and social media use that it begins to negatively affect their lives? It is a common theme; people so intrigued by their phones that they miss the conversation at the dinner table, misinterpret a text, in turn, leading to an argument or experience that all too familiar feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out), based on a picture someone else posted. Social media has become a serious distraction that poses a threat to everyone who partakes in its over-usage. Social media has a negative effect on one’s ability to communicate with the people around them because of the amount of time it consumes in one’s everyday life, the way it disrupts the ability to decipher real time emotion, and the relationship between technological addictions and true social connectedness.

In order to understand Social media and its negative effects on its users, one must understand just how much time it occupies. Social media is any form of networking including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, and even text messaging, and the affect these websites have on the current population is extensive. With half of the global population engaged in social media, it is easy for people to fall into a routine of excessive use. Excessive can be defined as more than is necessary, and based on research conducted by Ray Williams of Psychology Today, the average person checks their phone 180 times a day. If following the rule of being awake 15 hours in a day, that is checking one’s phone 12 times in only one hour. Another study conducted by Williams, found that twenty one percent of young people between the ages of eight and 18 consume at least 16 hours of social media per day (Williams). If social media is taking up 16 hours of our lives a day, what viable parts of life and communication are people neglecting? A representative from BrightSparks, a business networking site explains, “these various social platforms have now become so integrated into our personal lives to such an extent that they cannot help but have an impact on our existence” (BrightSparks). But what kind of impact? Any activity taking up a majority of one’s life such as social media has, will inevitably have a lasting effect on its user and is worthy of critical observation. Social media’s ability to engulf so much of its user’s life has a lasting and negative impact on their communication skills, interpersonal relationships and leaves their self-esteem suffering.

Social media may seem as a simple way to communicate with friends and family, but it is vastly different from communicating interpersonally. Social media provides an instant availability of information and communication, creating barriers for those who use it. While some social media sites like Snapchat and Vine rely on video communication, most networks rely on typed posts for its users to decipher in their own way, which can lead to massive miscommunication on both ends. According to Albert Mehrabian, a Professor of Psychology at UCLA, 7% of our communication is based on actual verbal and written word, leaving an overwhelming 93% based on body language (Tardanico). While being unable to process body language through social media, users are led to misinterpret a large majority of their social interaction, leading to miscommunication. In order to experience this first hand, research was conducted in order to see how this miscommunication effected my fellow peers. Two polls were created posing the research question, “Have you ever sent a text that created conflict with someone because the intended recipient misunderstood your message?”. In the first poll, as seen in Figure 1, out of 84 responses, 75 people answered yes while 9 people answered no. In the second poll, as seen in figure 2, which received 79 votes, 73 participants answered yes and 6 answered no. The reasoning behind taking two polls, was the first poll only included people aged 30-50 years old, while the second poll contained those aged 16-25 years old. These findings were very surprising because it was expected that adults would be much less affected by social media, and the younger test group would experience more of the communication barrier, however the findings turned out to be almost equal. This demonstrates just how simple it is to fall into the pit of miscommunication that is social media, even though adults have had less exposure to social media over the years as opposed to the younger age group who have communicated through social media the majority of their lives. No matter one’s age, the negative effects of social media are inescapable, and this miscommunication is not only unique to text messaging. Nicholas C. Burbules, Department of Education Policy at the University of Illinois makes a wonderful comparison explaining, “the more things that get shared, and then re-shared on the internet, the more likely it is (as in the game of “Telephone”) that the inferred meanings and significance of what one has to say will move further and further away from any original intent” (Burbules). It is impossible to infer the true intent behind any message on social media, which proves to be a serious stressor for its user. Social media, which is a tool intended to communicate, can actually unintentionally miscommunicate with its intended recipients. 

How is this unintentional miscommunication really affecting relationships? At a recent TEDXTALK presented by digital marketer Bailey Parnell, she discusses the effects of social media and summarizes the isolating impact. A study conducted in 2001 found that the average person had around 10 “close” friends, or people they socialized with on a regular basis. The study was conducted again in 2016 found that the average person’s number of “close” friends had been reduced to only two (Parnell). Of course, who is to say that social media is responsible for this sudden behavioral isolation among the average person? Dr. Mustafa Savci of Firat University in Turkey conducted a study this year to discover the connection between technological addictions and true social connectedness. The study included a group of 201 students aged 14-18 years old, who had been using social media continually for at least one year. Dr. Savci summarized that the prolonged use of social media produced symptoms similar to that of withdrawal including increased anxiety, irritability and sadness in the participants. Students also recalled feeling low self-esteem, increased impulsivity, increased loneliness and even a disrupted sleep pattern. Dr. Savci explains, that as people continue using social media, they begin to develop a more introverted personality, because of a lack of social environment. He explains, “technological use causes the deterioration of intimate relations of the individual... (causing) the individual to have arguments and conflicts in interpersonal relations and to develop deceptive behaviors in interpersonal relations” (Savci 211). Social media is not reality, but an environment created to only display people’s most exciting vacation photos, or only the most airbrushed selfies. Of course, no one would want to post anything to make their followers think otherwise. Social media operates on a currency of likes and comments that people begin to base their self-worth on. As soon as the quota of likes or comments is not reached, the user is left feeling undesirable and unimportant. This is so dangerous, because the entire idea of social currency is a figment of one’s imagination. It is impossible to base one’s self-worth on the reaction a posted picture receives. As more people choose to socialize in a virtual realm, their entire ability to communicate interpersonally suffers, but most of all, they are left with a shattered confidence and the desire to continue seeking self-validation through likes and comments.

While there is research providing evidence that social media negatively impacts the ability for its users to communicate outside of the technological realm, many people still believe that social media is actually a vital part to remaining globally connected. Even Dr. Ferda Aysan, who accompanied Dr. Savci with his research study believed prior to his findings that, “communication technologies in particular have a critical importance in the development and maintenance of social connectedness” and that “internet and digital technologies connect people living in different regions of the world”. Of course, social media in moderation can be a useful tool in connecting with people around the world that one may not otherwise communicate with. However, it can be so easy to rely on social media too much, and the effects can be dangerous. Many people view social media as an innocent way to merely connect online with family and friends, but it is all too simple to devote too much time and energy into the world of social media. So, what can people do to prevent the tumultuous effects of social media? Brian Harke, Dean of Students in the University of Southern California and contributor of Huffington Post shares his top checklist for reducing effects of social media:

“1.  Don’t put your phone (or elbows) on the table. If your phone is in sight, you are likely to check it.

2. Get your head out of the web. You need to spend face-to-face time with people. You don’t gain social skills by hiding behind a keyboard.

3. Turn off your phone from time to time and relax. I bet you will find this the hardest tip of all. I have (Harke)”.

Reducing one’s social media footprint is not an easy task, but it is surely worth it. Unless one’s use and amount of time is monitored, the user can suffer and their ability to communicate will also suffer inevitably. By taking simple action one can unplug from technology and be capable of fully engaging in family, friends and most importantly, themselves. By simply reducing the time spent online, and remembering that what is online is not necessarily reality, social media can be utilized in a positive way. Thus, the miscommunication that is imminent when overusing social media can be avoided, and can save not only one’s interpersonal relationships, but the user as well.
