The 21 century kid’s social life

The social media is a great tool in communicating with people today with applications like facebook, twitter, Whatsapp, skype etc. We practically do not have to travel to the end of the world to see someone just a simple hi and hello from our phone has done the job.

Today because of the ease of communication, people now seek love and understanding via the internet. Naturally, the amount of time spent staring at a phone or computer screens throughout the day has led to meeting a potential mate online intriguing and likely.

Which has made dating sites one of the best selling and fastest growing sites online. It is quite rare to find a youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who hasn’t engaged in one form of online relationship or the other. Many people have claimed to find true love online and even ended up with their life partners statistically, it has been calculated as one-third of the world’s population.

While others find soul mates online a number of us are building great friendships online which have brought me to the question of the day, how effective is online communication compared to real life interaction?

Due to the introduction of social media, it has become easier to look up someone’s profile online if the person’s facial appearance and interest match yours, you send a friend request or send a private message and that is how the texting, calling and email game begins.

Many have argued that they made great friends online that they have never met, but how true is this? “How can you call someone your good friend when you have not observed his body language or hear him laugh out loud or even touched him/ her?

“The world is changing so is our social life due to the latest trend people are gradually becoming disconnected from their emotions because they do not have to see the person physically before they communicate, which has made communication sometimes quite misunderstanding as there is no facial expression or body language to send the messages we only have keyboards and emojis which cannot be compared to the cringe in the face or the smile that plays out on her soft lips.

In fact, studies have shown that the more you converse with someone you met online the fewer chances of both of you meeting or when you eventually meet up, there’s this awkward moment of not having anything to say because there’s no physical past memory to reflect on.

Furthermore, people tend to send messages or say things they are not comfortable saying in person on social media, do you agree with me that it is quite easier to ignore someone or say something mean to someone online than in person?

Personally it is the height of rudeness but today people do so without any sense of guilt because the screen helps in hiding our faces a practical example is the comment section on Instagram it has gradually become a war zone for people who haven’t met before and know literally nothing about the person they are sending abusive words to which is quite degenerating.

Moreover, I am not against the use of social media, it is actually the driving force for most businesses and friendships it is my opinion that people should respect each other on social media the same way they will do when they talk to the person physically.

Do not type what you cannot say to my face, also when we have difficult situations it is better to meet in person as it will reduce the tension and misunderstanding thereby people can settle differences easily, most times arguments that have led to end of friendships or relationships were actually done on social media because both parties could not see body languages and facial expressions leading to misunderstanding.

Finally, try not to be mean or rude to people on social media, you never know whose self-esteem you are killing gradually and take out time to see those online friends you’ve made physically because true friendship needs physical contact that’s how to make memories we can reflect on. Let’s see your comments and opinions in the comment box.

Jennifer Umoru is a passionate writer who believes writing can change the world’s perspective about life and make it a better place for the future generation.