Technology may encourage people to connect, but how deep are these relationships tailored through screens? Studies show more than 4.75 billion content items are shared on Facebook every day, as well as more than 4.5 billion likes, according to Internet.org. This effortless way to share common ideas and interests with others via social media conjoins us into this abyss where thoughts get lost and forgotten soon after their publication.
Social media outlets create unlikely relationships because it’s so easy to connect with others. You can see people with more than 1,000 friends on Facebook or hundreds of Twitter and Instagram followers, but those connections aren’t personal relationships. People quickly identify someone as their “friend” because of one face-to-face interaction through a mutual friend. It’s time to reflect on who your true friends are, not because Facebook says so.
Any social media outlet also allows us to create facades based on how we want to be seen. Such ways include only posting appealing photos or profound statuses to get people’s attention. We’re never really an open book on social media, instead, we hide all of the ugly parts.
Then again, you have those who only use social media to complain with aggressive hashtags and irritated looking emoticons which can be an honest portrayal of his or her feelings, but it’s just adding to the pile and overlooked by acquaintances.
There have been more than 250 billion photos uploaded to Facebook and more than 350 million photos are uploaded every day on average, according a white paper from Facebook in 2013. Surely, selfies are included in that average. There is now a different way for people to scream for attention, to express themselves to people who have some interest in connecting with them.
But such access to communicate can lead to miscommunication. People may misread the tone of a text or study someone’s punctuation usage. Texting and instant messaging are quick ways to communicate with someone, but should be thoughtful messages since it’s written out. Things should be clear and to the point.
We need to be mindful of how someone might take a message. A simple way to stay true to yourself is to remain consistent. Text the way you talk, that way people have a feel for your communication style.
A lot of times, communication is wasted on clearing things up because of miscommunication. Communication via text or social media leaves people to assume based on the little information they are given.
We must then trust that a person is genuine and honest based on the phrases, abbreviations or emoticons they are using. Communication shouldn’t be taken for granted. It should be used with true purpose. We can share so much now thanks to social media, but we need to be mindful and honest with what we’re projecting.