Is Social Media Making us More or Less Social?

By DeMornay Harper
Blog Content Contributor

Social media is our way of life. Its existence affects every aspect of our society from business to communication, even the way we conduct our presidential elections is heavily swayed by the presence of social media. With every great movement comes its caveats and the social movement was no exception. Many feel that regardless of the fact, social media is supposed to connect us. However, I feel as though we are disconnected more than ever. They feel as if it is hindering our ability to communicate face to face and the only way we feel comfortable is with a phone screen between us. Despite many people’s qualms about whether our social media lifestyles are hindering our social skills, I believe that the society we live in today is making us generally much more social.

Social Media has inspired globalization like the Internet alone never could. We are connected cross-culturally with a click on Instagram and because of this the world seems bigger and smaller than ever. Bigger because we are exposed to what is out there and smaller because, through photography and videography, we are able to witness these vast and otherwise unknown corners of the world for ourselves. This causes us to be more culturally aware and connected than ever. There are teenage girls in Brazil, Southeast Asia and France all trying to emulate Kylie Jenner because they are one of her 97.5 million Instagram followers and they see what she does on a daily basis. They are inspired by her and want to emulate her look and lifestyle. This creates a need for certain products on a global scale.

Aside from global social abilities, communication on a personal level has certainly increased. We have the ability to stay connected with friends in real time on multiple social platforms. We stay constantly updated on people’s lives that we might otherwise have no idea about. People meet best friends and even spouses on social media! People that they wouldn’t even know existed they are now sharing their lives with as a direct result of our digital age.

So many people feel like they don’t belong in their physical community and can’t seem to relate to the people in their lives. Social media allows many to find where they feel they belong. It has inspired us to see so much more of our magnificent world and connected us with best friends and great loves. It gives us the ability to see other people’s lives through their lens and on their terms. It is a beautiful thing that has made our great planet as small as the screen on our smartphone.

Featured image by Brooke Adams.