social media.

Compose a 1250 words assignment on the isolating effect of social media. Needs to be plagiarism free! For instance, when in class or in a meeting, we have control over what and whom we want to pay attention to because of access to instant messaging and social networking through which we can discretely communicate. We know that we will always be heard because we post online through statuses and texts and get responses all the time. We never want to alone and so, for instance when we are alone waiting in a queue at a bank, we can simply text, call or network via the phone and know that we are not alone. However, through social media, we may end up living in our own bubble (“Connected, but alone”). This is because, as Turkle points out, people want total control over how they conduct themselves (Connected, but alone”). We can edit our messages, statuses, instant messages, before posting or sending them. She says that people now prefer to text rather than talk, they would spend an evening on social media rather than go to a pub with friends. In the process, we are ending up isolating ourselves.

Social networking has both positive and negative effects on human relationships. Although on the one hand, it is putting us at risk of living in a bubble, isolated, it is also making it easier to access and stay in touch with our loved ones. Research, such as that by Lloyd et al. has suggested that Facebook has a negative impact on social relationships among students and enables them to avoid direct contact so they can isolate themselves (Vladlena 7). Furthermore, evidence also suggests that social networking serves as a distraction, thereby affecting academic life (Vladlena 7). Social networking is hampering the very development of our ability to understand social cues. For instance, an article by the New York Times points out that today’s youth are missing out on experiences that help in understanding emotional nuances, develop empathy and read social cues like body language and facial expressions (Stout para xvi). This is because we develop these cues when we actually have face to face conversations.