Social Media in the 21st Century
The introduction of innovative digital technologies has reinvented the realm of communication, providing people with numerous opportunities for keeping in touch without any interruptions. Though social media deserves to be praised and appreciated for the innovative solutions that it provides, its effects on real-life communication are debatable (Hidalgo-Rodríguez et al. 368). Because of the multiple effects that social media have on real-life communication, the cause-and-effect relationships between the specified phenomena may be less peremptory than initially implies.
Online Communication Accessibility and Frequency of Real-Life Conversations
Modern social networks are known for instant messaging and the ability to connect people from all corners of the earth (González-Bailón and Wang 95). Therefore, there is a possibility that people may prefer the specified tool to actual conversations. As a result, the instances of real-life communication may become less frequent since people will substitute them with social networks as a matter of habit (Hidalgo-Rodríguez et al. 371). Thus, the reduction in the number of real-life conversations can be seen as a possible direct effect of social media.
Networking Opportunities and the Connection within a Community
Even though modern social media is often criticized for being a cheap substitute for real-life interactions, it has undeniably changed the very landscape of social communication by erasing spatial borders. People are no longer required to wait massive amounts of time to receive a letter and can communicate in real-time using voice calling, video calling, and other tools (González-Bailón and Wang 96). On the one hand, the identified factor cheapens the effect of communication, thus, making people value their interactions less. On the other hand, the specified cause has a direct positive effect of making people a part of a community (Hidalgo-Rodríguez et al. 369).
Consequently, people transfer their newly learned skills into the realm of real-life communication (Hidalgo-Rodríguez et al. 370). Therefore, it could be argued that the cause-and-effect relationships between social media and real-life communications are not morally unambiguous.
Platforms for Developing Skills and Their Use in Real-Life Conversations
As stressed above, social media tools offer extensive opportunities for developing and improving communication skills. Furthermore, because of the opportunity to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue, which social networks provide, one will acquire new and essential conversation skills successfully and at a very fast pace (González-Bailón and Wang 94). Therefore, even though the users of social media tools may tend to prefer online communication to real experiences, they will nonetheless develop the skills that will help them advance in their real-life communication.
Conclusion: Using Modern Media Wisely
Since social media implies training certain communication skills. While stifling the development of others, it will be reasonable to claim that the cause-and-effect relationships between the said phenomena are neither entirely negative nor completely positive. Instead of being viewed as solely negative or positive, modern media should be regarded as neutral causes that can be used to produce expected outcomes. Thus, one may be able to use social media to deliver a particular result.
Works Cited
González-Bailón, Sandra, and Ning Wang. “Networked Discontent: The Anatomy of Protest Campaigns in Social Media.” Social Networks, vol. 44, 2016, pp. 95-104. Web.
Hidalgo-Rodríguez, Carmina, et al. “The Social Sharing of Emotion (SSE) in Online Social Networks: A Case Study in Live Journal.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 52, 2015, pp. 364-372. Web.