Photo credit: Jarvee
Suberu Salamah
Can you remember the last time you had dinner with your family members or friends without a single phone on the table? Or the last time you conversed with someone without checking your social media notifications? Or even the last time you attended a class without making a post on your WhatsApp status, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media platform you are conversant with? To be candid, I don’t even remember the time I had dinner with my family. Most of the time, I dish my food, zoom off to my room and go dine with my phone. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had a conversation with my friends without intermittently checking my phone.
However, I decided to take a break today from the internet world. I switched off my data, looked around my environment, at people and I realised something astonishing. I realised that a whole lot of people, especially the youth are locked up in the digital world without being aware of it. We spend the majority of our day on social media platforms chatting, posting memes, ranting, connecting with people while being disconnected from the people in reality. This makes me wonder, has social media become a threat to our interpersonal relationship?
Interpersonal relationship refers to a social connection or interaction between two or more persons. Interpersonal relationships include your connections with your partner, loved ones, close friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and every other person you interact with in life. Since the emergence of social media, there have been both positive and negative changes in how we interact with people.
Social media has “made it easier for people to connect with each other, regardless of geographical boundaries. It has allowed people to stay in touch with friends and family members who live far away, and it has also facilitated the creation of new friendships and relationships. Social media has also made it easier for people to find and join communities of like minded individuals who share common interests, hobbies, and goals.”
Furthermore, social media has provided a platform for people to boldly express themselves and share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences with others. This has helped in fostering greater empathy and understanding among people.
However, just like a double edged sword, social media has its negative effects on our relationships with people. According to an article by Medical News Today, substituting social media interactions for face-to-face communication may impact not only existing relationships but also the ability to form new relationships.For example, it is possible for people suffering from social anxiety to experience continued functional impairments —-for instance, being uncomfortable or unable to form and engage in face-to-face conversation with people —- when they replace in-person interactions with social media use.
In a 2021 study at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, researchers discovered that more than half (59%) of the 300 participants who reported a prolonged use of social media had their social interactions impacted negatively thus affecting family relationships and friendships while also making face-to-face communication more strenuous
Also, excessive social media use can negatively impact quality time, create conflict and also reduce relationship satisfaction—- be it a romantic relationship or not. In this 2021 research work, researchers used Instagram and the app’s time-tracking capability to learn more about the connection between social media and relationship satisfaction. They discovered that an increase in Instagram usage led to a decrease in relationship satisfaction likewise an increase in conflict and negative outcomes. The resulting effect of these dissatisfaction, conflicts and negative outcomes, was an addictive use of Instagram.
Studies have also shown that an excessive use of social media can lead to feelings of loneliness, depression and isolation as people may prioritize their online connections over their real-life relationships. A study at the University of Pennsylvania found that high usage of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram increases, rather than decreases the feelings of loneliness. The reason is not far-fetched. The majority of people invest totally on their virtual world and relationships while forging their real-life relationships. When these investments do not yield the expected and much anticipated dividend, it births negative emotions and feelings.
Social media can also create unrealistic expectations about what a “perfect” relationship — whether romantic or platonic —should look like and this can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem among users because you think and feel like your peers are doing way better than you and that you are not good enough. This can negatively affect the way you feel about yourself and also the way you relate with people physically.
In conclusion, social media has significantly helped our interpersonal relationships and has brought about positive changes but social media has also created new challenges and concerns regarding how we relate with people. As the popular saying goes, “too much of everything is bad.” Excessive use of social media has negative effects on our relationships with others. It is incumbent that individuals take an adequate dose of social media. People should practice digital detoxes by prioritizing real-life relationships over online connections.