Globally, billions of people use social media on a daily basis. In fact, the number is expected to increase to 2.44 billion people by the end of this year, as stated in a report published by the World Economic Forum. While it is allowing people to stay connected, a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine states that people who use social media often feel more socially isolated.
Is social media all that bad? We take a look at international studies and speak to readers from different age groups to find out how they feel.
Teenagers
Research conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services states that seven in ten teenagers use more than one social media platform. While there are many benefits, such as communicating with peers, finding learning opportunities and even becoming engaged in social causes, excessive usage can be linked to social isolation and even depression.
She used to have an Instagram account, which she used actively, sharing pictures and videos. Apart from that, she also used Snapchat to do the same and even messaged her friends and family. But, then her grades started dropping because she was spending too much time on social media.
She said: “All my friends were on social media, so I joined, too. But, I realised that I couldn’t keep my phone away for more than one hour. It was very distracting. I took the decision to deactivate my account.”
In the beginning, she was reluctant to let go. It was a lot of fun being constantly connected with her friends. But, it wasn’t worth it.
She said: “It could break families apart as people are spending more time on their devices. Adults still know how to manage their time. But, teenagers and children may not know what’s right and wrong. Anything is good as long as it isn’t misused.”
For Krishna, social media is a tool that is allowing people to express themselves and talk to others with ease.
She said: “It could be a distraction if you use it too much. But, most importantly, it helps us connect to our families.”
She uses the same platforms that Nair gave up, Instagram and Snapchat. She believes they have made it much easier for her to send pictures and even look through other people’s images with an easy swipe. She is now connected with old friends, who she found online, and uses social media to make plans and meet them.
People in their 20s
She said: “People are less interested in interactions and face-to-face communications and instead prefer to socialise virtually, which I feel affects their personality. When you lose contact with people around you, you’re losing an important part of your day-to-day skills, which help you progress in your career.”
Direct communication is a tool that will open doors for you, she believes. And as people switch over to digital communication, they are losing out on many opportunities. She thinks that many teenagers are unable to hold a conversation for too long without looking at their phones.
She said: “I’m not saying it’s all bad. If social media is used sensibly it can ease your life, too. But, even if we are reconnecting with people on Facebook, for example, it’s not the same. I’m connected with so many high school friends, but we never meet or chat. It’s a virtual connection with no value.”
While she places no importance on such connections, Nestor G., a Filipino IT specialist based in Sharjah, disagrees with her thoughts. He uses Facebook to connect with old friends and family. In fact, he recently happened to find a high school friend of his on the social media platform after 13 years.
He said: “It depends on how you use it. I am a member of several groups and on one of them, I noticed my old friend posting a comment. I messaged him and now we talk every day! He is based in Abu Dhabi, so we haven’t had the chance to meet. But, social media brought us back in touch.”
He also follows pages by news organisations, such as Gulf News, and social media allows him to stay updated about world events.
With 4,500 friends on his Facebook account alone, he manages to stay completely updated on the events and celebrations.
He said: “I’ve also created a private account, with around 400 close friends, and I stay in touch with them regularly. Many of them are in different countries and it isn’t possible to meet often. I get to know what is going on in their lives.”
In the end, it all depends on whether people are actively posting and chatting with friends, or passively scrolling through the timeline.
People in their 40s
After several years of not being in touch, Babitha Vasanth, a homemaker based in Dubai, reconnected with an old friend who had moved away. During the 1980s, when they were both in school, Vasanth and her friend, Indu Francis, lost touch because the latter left the UAE with her family.
She said: “She was my best friend since childhood. I looked for her in my native place through phone directories when on vacation. I didn’t get a contact, but found out she was in Oman, working for a hospital. But, through Facebook, we got in touch! It was not easy because of a name change and how we look. But, now we are constantly in touch.”
She doesn’t think it’s a distraction or cause for social isolation. It all depends on “how we use it”. She does, however, urge people to not let digital devices affect family time.
She said: “We should limit the use of devices. If we want to use it when around family, there should be a valuable reason.”
She said: “I don’t accept friend requests from all students. But, social media has allowed us to share necessary information with those on our friend list. I post things related to our environmental group, which they check every day.”
Now very active on twitter, Hasan has followers from other schools who interact with her about their environmental activities. She finds it to be the best platform to showcase their work.
She said: “Even when Gulf News shared my community report on Facebook, a lot of people reached out to me. However, one thing I am completely against, is people sharing personal and intimate photos for everyone to see.”
People who are 55+
Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and above has nearly doubled since 2010, as stated by US-based Pew Research Centre. It seems like the older users are enthusiastic about embracing new networking tools, as it gives them an opportunity to connect easily with their children and grandchildren. Is this an end to social isolation?
She said: “I started my own community service on Facebook and to advertise events for the nursery I work for online, too.”
She finds it extremely easy to connect with her children and grandchildren, who live in different countries. She is able to share pictures with them, send them constant updates about her and her husband’s lives and even does livestreaming from her events to show them how she is doing. They respond with images of their own homes and families.
She said: “How else do people connect with each other? This is a great tool and an end to social isolation. For work events, when I go live on Facebook, more people come to attend the event as they weren’t aware of it till then.”
He said: “I use it on a daily basis to talk to people. But, it all depends on how one person spends his or her time on all these platforms.”
Conclusion
Technology has changed rapidly in the past two decades, with the emergence of social media being one of the key factors. It is estimated that there are currently 1.96 billion social media users worldwide. On Facebook alone, users have shared over 250 billion photos . Several international institutes have studied its usage and the effect it has on people, their communication skills and health. While many studies reflect on its disadvantages, which include social isolation, distraction and loss of inter-personal communication skills, others focus on its ability to connect people in two different corners of the world. Our readers are also divided when it comes to deciding whether it is a distraction or a tool of communication. Too much of something is never good for an individual and the same principle probably applies in this case, too.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Share your views at readers@gulfnews.com.
