Social Media's Impact on Social Skills: A Critical Analysis

Introduction

Technology has changed our lives in numerous ways. Today, people can keep in touch by sending messages on Facebook or Twitter without necessarily having to travel long distances. Psychologists are, however, raising concern that this loss of physical touch is driving individuals to lose their social skills. This paper examines why that concern is well-founded.

It is not uncommon today to encounter a group of friends sitting around a table supposedly catching up or enjoying a meal together, yet everyone is on their phones, tablets, or other mobile devices. In reality, no one is talking or interacting — all eyes are focused on the gadgets before them, and everyone is busy tweeting, posting on Facebook, chatting, or texting. Research evidence shows that approximately 93% of college students in America have a Facebook account. It is no surprise, therefore, that a professor in a modern classroom will find more than one student staring blankly at their lap during a lecture, laughing at something that is obviously not the lecture notes.

Thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, students like these may have found an opportunity to connect, at the touch of a button, with a close relative who lives miles away or a childhood friend whose family moved to another state. These situations are the norm in the modern-day setting, and one is more likely to speak with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp than face-to-face. This obviously has its advantages; however, concern is being raised that increased indulgence in such sites is destroying our interpersonal social skills. A number of weighty arguments have been raised both in favor of and against this view. This paper interacts with the arguments presented by both sides of the debate with the aim of testing the hypothesis that more use of online social networks has an adverse effect on individuals' social skills.

Hypothesis: More use of online social media and less interpersonal communication results in a lack of social skills.

Arguments Supporting the Hypothesis

One of the core arguments put forth in support of the hypothesis is that increased online communication at the expense of face-to-face interactions causes people to have a decreased sensitivity to emotional cues (Wolpert). Studies have shown that being sensitive to other people's emotional cues is a key social skill in the formation and maintenance of physical relationships, and it is built and developed through physical interactions (Uhls et al., 2014). In their 2014 study, Uhls and colleagues (388) were able to show that children who could understand the emotions of others were generally able to maintain friendships longer than those who lacked such abilities. This clearly portrays the importance of emotional sensitivity as a social skill in communication and relationship maintenance. Research has shown, however, that over-engagement in online communication thwarts people's ability to understand others' emotions, particularly because it does not provide as much intimacy as face-to-face interactions and does not allow for physical connectedness between people.

In their study, Uhls and colleagues selected 105 sixth-grade pupils from the same school and divided them into two groups. The first group — the test group — consisted of 54 pupils who were sent to a nature camp, where they were denied access to electronic gadgets and were required to communicate only physically among themselves. The other group stayed at home and continued their usual online interactions and communications. After five days, both groups were tested on their ability to recognize emotions in videos and photographs displayed to them. They were shown images of people and asked to identify the emotions being displayed. The results showed that pupils from the test group were significantly better at correctly identifying emotions than their counterparts who had unrestricted access to online communication and social media. The researchers concluded that face-to-face communication and interaction are crucial in helping people learn to understand others' emotions, and that skills in reading such emotions could be diminished if face-to-face interactions are replaced by computer-mediated communication.

Another argument put forth by those who support a negative correlation between social media engagement and social skills is that such engagement impedes the ability to identify with and accept the views of others, which in turn affects the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. On social media, people tend to follow and identify with others who share the same interests (Keller 10). They have the option of "un-friending" or "unfollowing" anyone whose interests or views do not match theirs. This breeds a culture of unwillingness to listen to and consider the views of others. In real-life interpersonal relationships, this attitude is a recipe for poor interpersonal skills and an inability to form and maintain healthy relationships.

A third argument concerns the issue of relationship strength. On social media, people tend to place more emphasis on the number of friends or followers they have — the size of their network — rather than the quality of the relationships formed. People are regarded as being social based on the number of friends they have, not based on the intimacy or closeness within their networks. This focus on quantity at the expense of quality breeds a culture in which people are not particularly concerned with taking measures to strengthen their relationships (Keller 10). As a result, their social skills are weakened, and their ability to maintain long-term relationships in both physical and virtual settings is affected.

Empathy is a crucial skill in social interactions. The ability to empathize with others increases one's chances of building healthier and stronger relationships, because empathy breeds trust and connectedness, both of which help people to relate better with those around them. There is concern, however, that increased engagement in social media could diminish this crucial skill, making it difficult for individuals to connect with and maintain healthy social relations. Allen and colleagues conducted a study to determine the degree to which Facebook friends share supportive compliments or words of encouragement such as "I am so sorry for your loss" or "you are my greatest inspiration." The results showed that the more friends one had, the lower the frequency with which they posted supportive compliments (Allen et al. 54). This could be interpreted to mean that the more one engages with social media, the less intense their sense of empathy and the lower their propensity to show emotional support — elements that make it difficult to cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships.

Works Cited

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Wolpert, Stuart. "In Our Digital World, Are Young People Losing Their Ability to Read Emotions?" UCLA Newsroom, 2014. Web. 7 November 2015.