Online social networking has undoubtedly changed the way people communicate and has made online interaction with others easier and increasingly effortless. The success of innovative advances in communication has always depended on the increased ease they provide in facilitating communication with each other. Online social networking is no different and social networking websites have taken this ease to an unprecedented level in a relatively short space of time.
Despite their popularity and the extent to which social networking websites have been embraced worldwide, criticism centred on their privacy (or lack of) is on the rise. As a result, critics of this have been sufficiently vocal to prompt U-turns in privacy policy by the likes of Facebook. Cyberbullying has also increased with social networking websites providing a further conduit for this. Notwithstanding the benefits, online social networking has certainly presented some challenges. One such challenge that is typically overlooked is the impact of online social networking on the wider way we communicate with each other.
The easier it becomes to communicate with each other, the less thought is given to what we actually communicate. Social networking websites provide the ability to communicate with the world, not just our ‘friends’ or ‘followers’. Yet, this is with such ease that many status updates or tweets are clearly posted as the result of an unfiltered thought process. Some people clearly have no qualms about sharing the first thing that comes into their head, no matter how irrelevant, offensive or just plain stupid it might be. Not to mention, when it comes to communicating with real friends (not the Facebook type) via social networking websites, our communication often has less substance than it might have once had in a letter or even an email. Therefore will the erosion of meaningful communication be a legacy of online social networking?
Technology will always change the way we communicate. The advent of text messages brought a simple way to communicate via short, succinct messages – ideal while on the go or in situations where it isn’t practical to have a telephone conversation. Yet the instant approach it brought also made it a somewhat disposable mode of communication. This was exacerbated as mobile phone companies provided phone plans that included unlimited text messages or an amount of inclusive text messages that effectively offered just that.
As many teachers will attest, text messaging, and latterly messaging services such as Blackberry Messenger, has also led to the infiltration of so-called ‘text speak’ in what should otherwise be formal written English in schools and beyond. Unless schools are now requiring students’ written answers to be within 160 characters, there really is no argument that justifies this.
Similarly, the instant and disposable nature of some modern communication has meant paragraphs and punctuation are lost on some people who see nothing wrong with never-ending sentences and a wall of text.
Social networking websites are no different from text messaging and instant messenger services in having a wider impact beyond their principal aim. However, the extent of their impact on social interaction is even more apparent.
An attraction of social networking websites is the ease with which users can share information. Arguably, the social voyeurism websites like Facebook facilitate can almost guarantee its appeal to the human nature of curiosity. Conversely, it’s a braggart’s paradise as an ideal format for inviting compliments and sycophancy. And then of course there is staying in contact with people, many of whom you might not otherwise interact with. However, how highly does staying in meaningful contact actually rank when it comes to social networking websites? The above would suggest it isn’t a priority for many.
Even those cringeworthy couples that appear to live out their relationships online surely still speak to each other beyond the likes of Facebook; online social networking is yet to reach the heights of substituting reality. Nonetheless, it does play a significant role in how people now interact and that interaction has become defined by superficial communication. Sincere compliments have been replaced by ‘likes’ and meaningful correspondence has been replaced by generic messages. Consequently, where does that leave more meaningful communication?
Regrettably, the time and thought applied to writing letters and even emails appears to be lost on many in an age of online social networking. In many instances, this is merely in response to the changing pace of modern society. That need not mean contact between friends become meaningless as social networking websites promote what has become a culture of disposable communication.
Facebook has already sought to further its influence with its ‘next generation’ system that will bring emails, Facebook’s instant messaging, Facebook messages and text messages to one place. Facebook’s ambition is seemingly to become a one-stop shop for all our online communication (although the likes of Google are likely to have other ideas). A one-stop shop where people can have all the disposable communication they desire.
Despite the popularity of social networking websites, it is questionable to what extent reality will mirror the superficial interaction of social networking websites. Conversely, some would argue ‘rent a friend’ services such as RentAFriend.com aren’t a far cry from those sentiments.
Social networking websites have undoubtedly changed the way we communicate with each other. In some cases where they have brought efficiency to how we interact with people, it has been a change for the better. Yet they have also devalued the notion of genuine communication in the process. An age of letter writing is unlikely to return but some of the thought and meaningfulness accompanied with putting pen to paper wouldn’t go amiss within modern communication.
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iamalaw