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Jared Adelson
Dr. Overaa
AWR 201-F
19 April 2016
Social Networking: Affecting Human Communication, Interaction, and Connections
The youth of today are brought up in an environment dominated by technology and social
networks. Millions of individuals spend considerable amounts of time each and every day
communicating with others through social media and the internet. A survey of 819 adolescents
reported that these individuals used the internet on average 6.3 days/week, for a period of
approximately 3 hours a day (Lewis et al. 2). It was also reported that adolescents agree that
communication is the most important use of the Internet (Gross qtd. in Greenfield and Yan
392). People are spending such extensive periods of time online, and they are primarily spending
their time communicating with others. According to Facebook statistics, there were 526 million
daily active users on average in March 2012 (Drusell 1). After I discovered this statistic, I could
only ask myself, how can this immense amount of social networking affect individuals abilities
to communicate, interact, and connect with others? Due to my curiosity on this topic I have
conducted ample amounts of research in order to address this question. My purpose in writing
this research project is to educate readers that social networking is drastically changing and
weakening the ways humans communicate, interact, and connect with each other.
Social media has gained astronomical amounts of daily users in recent times and has
become a part of mainstream society today. The internets former primary function was for
entertainment or to learn new information, but today the internets wealth of power is most
frequently used to interact with others through social networking sites (Valkeburg and Soeters;

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Gross qtd. in Pierce 1367). Shockingly, people now value using the internet to social network
more than they do to gain knowledge or find the answer to something. After conducting
extensive amounts of research, Ellison and Boyd developed the definition of a social networking
site to be:
A social network site is a networked communication platform in which
participants 1) have uniquely identifiable profiles that consist of user-supplied
content, content provided by other users, and/or system-provided data; 2) can
publicly articulate connections that can be viewed and traversed by others; and 3)
can consume, produce, and/or interact with streams of user- generated content
provided by their connections on the site. (159)
Social media has gained mass popularity because people enjoy the ability to construct their own
environment and be able to portray themselves to others however they please through a profile
(Greenfield and Yan 392). Online communities have become so popular because users enjoy
being able to connect, affiliate, share information, and socialize with others (Ellison and Boyd
160; Giffords 414). The drastic rise in popularity of social networking has brought about a shift
from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 where online communities were brought into the mainstream
(Ellison and Boyd 160). What makes social media popular is not the technology itself but the
millions of people who use these websites and applications such as: Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. (Ellison and Boyd 160; Giffords 414). Due to this
drastic increase in the popularity of social networking the youth of today use technology such as
the Internet more than any other method through which to communicate and socialize (Mishna,
McLuckie, and Saini; Kaynay and Yelsma; Nie and Hillygus qtd. in Drusell 2). To clearly
demonstrate just how present social media has become in society, Drusell conducted a study

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showing that a group of high school freshman spent an average of 108.4 minutes a day on
Facebook (Drusell 23). High school freshman are spending extremely excessive amounts of time
on Facebook, equivalent to twenty-seven full days of their life on Facebook every year. Today,
the age of [a persons] first Internet use is rapidly descending, and if our society continues
on the path we are currently undertaking, there will be many repercussions affecting the way our
society communicates, interacts, and connects (Wartella, Vandewater, and Rideout qtd. in
Greenfield and Yan 391).
Some researchers claim that there are several benefits associated with social networking,
while several other researchers report that there are many detrimental consequences. Some
positives associated with online interaction are the ability to learn to relate to others, tolerate
differing viewpoints, express thoughts and feelings in a healthy way, practice critical thinking
skills, explore self-identity and enhance self-discovery (Hinduja and Patchin; Berson and
Ferron; Clavert; qtd. in Drusell 9). Another positive of social networks is they provide a
virtual place to spend time and share thoughts, and remain closely connected with friends
regardless of geographic distance; thus, enhancing self-esteem and feelings of well-being
(Selfhout et al.; Morgan and Cotton; Valkenburg and Peter; Hindjua and Patchin; Boyd; qtd. in
Drusell 9). Also, Drusell states that, teens with difficulties may use online relationships as
temporary bridges that bring them into comfortable face-to-face relationships (Wolak, Mitchell,
and Finkelhor qtd. in Drusell 9).
Despite the potential benefits associated with social networking stated above, it is
crucial we realize the extent of these benefits and that we understand there are several
substantial consequences involved as well. First, it is absolutely imperative that generations
growing up today know how to practice their social skills in person and do not rely on social

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networks as a means of developing relationships they cannot develop in person. Drusell
summarized the famous study conducted by Kraut, Patterson, Lundmark, Kiesler,
Mukophadhyay, and Scherlis that was the pioneer in examining how internet use, social
involvement, and psychological well-being were related:
It was hypothesized that the users would increase their sense of social support and
feel less lonely, be less affected by stress, and have improved mental health.
However, the results of the study showed the opposite. Associations were found
between increased Internet use and decreased social involvement, feeling more
lonely, and an increase in depressive symptoms. Another result was that higher
Internet use was related to a decrease in communication among family members.
(Kraut et al. qtd. in Drusell 9-10)
The results of the study make perfect sense: the more time spent behind a computer screen yields
more time being directly isolated from the surrounding physical world. Unmistakably, someone
who spends significant amounts of time typing through a screen, lacking true human interaction,
is going to feel lonely. It is incredibly ironic that, the Internet is a social technology used for
communication with individuals and groups, but it is associated with declines in social
involvement and the psychological well-being that goes with social involvement. Perhaps, by
using the Internet, people aresubstituting weak ties for strong ones (Kraut et al. 1029). It is
absolutely essential that all of our society is aware of the paradox occurring: the internet is
primarily used for communication, yet it decreases communication among family members,
decreases social involvement, increases loneliness, and increases depressive symptoms. People
use the internet to attempt to enhance their relationships, but does it really enhance them?
Society is choosing to build mass amounts of trivial relationships; instead we need to focus on

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building and maintaining meaningful relationships with the people whom we truly care about.
Individuals are often motivated by a need to feel a sense of belonging (Baumeister and Leary,
1995); however, those with social anxiety may find it difficult to fulfill this social need because
of their fear of face-to-face interactions and may therefore turn to the Internet (Pierce 1368).
Victims of social anxiety turn to the internet because they are more comfortable communicating
via socially interactive technologies than they are communicating in person (Pierce 1369). It is
absolutely imperative that socially anxious individuals practice their social skills and overcome
their fear of face-to-face communication; otherwise, they will be stuck behind a computer screen
unable to communicate effectively in the real world.
Cell phones and computers have given social networks a platform that enables face-toface communication to deteriorate. Social networking occurs over specific devices like cell
phones and computers where face-to-face interaction does not occur; as a result, the way
adolescents practice skills that are necessary to function in their daily lives is being altered,
and adolescents are undergoing an inability to access interpersonal behavior and signals to
facilitate communication (Drusell 1,12). Spending time on a computer or cell phone social
networking results in less practice learning to communicate with others effectively in person.
How beneficial is it to be able to type out paragraphs through a phone or computer, but not be
able to maintain a minute conversation? The devices of cell phones and computers are now the
mediators of communication between individuals (Drusell 4). Research has shown if the
medium is impersonal, then the message is impersonal (Mcluhan qtd. in Drusell 7). In a study
conducted by Drusell, the incredibly ironic and astonishing results showed that the majority of
college freshman agreed that communication through social networks is generic, impersonal, and
leaves out the human element (42). If communication through the mediums of computers and

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cell phones (where social networking takes place) is generic, impersonal, and leaves out the
human element, then the message sent over that medium is also generic, impersonal, and leaves
out the human element. According to a survey of young peoples use of the Internet, more than
85% of the participants stated they communicate over the internet through chat rooms or instant
messaging daily (Hughes qtd. in Pierce 1367). It is astonishing that so many teens communicate
through social networks every single day if the message they are receiving is generic,
impersonal, and leaves out the human element. As Kraut et al. stated, Use of the Internet can
be both highly entertaining and useful, but if it causes too much disengagement from real life, it
can also be harmful (1030). Kraut establishes an incredibly important point here: the mediums
through which we communicate cause no harm to anyone. It is the way we have developed,
manipulated, abused, and excessively used these devices. Too much time is spent behind a
computer or phone screen, being disengaged and avoiding reality. It is absolutely essential that
we do not let computers and cell phones take over our methods of communicating in person and
that we use these technological mediums to a certain extent, long before reaching disengagement
from our true surroundings.
Social networking is drastically transforming the way our society interacts with one
another, and may very well be acting as a substitute for face-to-face communication, especially
for individuals with social anxiety (Drusell 7; Pierce 1368). Prior to the advent of social
networks, people typically developed and maintained relationships through face-to-face
interaction, but with people strongly relying on socially interactive technologies to
communicate, users are given a clear opportunity to avoid or replace face-to-face
communication (Drusell 7; Pierce 1367). Socially anxious individuals, communicating with
others on the Internet are able to avoid aspects of social situations they fear (e.g., blushing,

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stammering, others reactions to perceived physical or social shortcomings) while at the same
time to partially meet their needs for interpersonal contact and relationships. Therefore, these
technologies may hinder or act as a substitute for face-to-face communication (Erwin et al. qtd.
in Pierce 1368). Lonely students were considerably more likely than non-lonely students to use
online chat to discuss personal topics of communication, such as secrets, emotions, or problems
they may be experiencing (Allen et al. 23). An evident example of a socially anxious individual
following this principal is when the participant says: Im shy in social situations, but am more
open on the net, in chat rooms (Greenfield 83 qtd. in Pierce 1368). Socially anxious individuals
cannot suppress their feelings into the internet; they need to have the ability to communicate
their secrets, emotions, and problems in person to others. People with social anxiety need to
learn to overcome their fears and must learn to make social relationships in person instead of
hiding behind a screen avoiding their fears. Victims of social anxiety can overcome their fears
with practice and time, but their symptoms will only worsen when avoiding face-to-face
interaction whenever possible. It is absolutely vital that social networks and online
communication does not take over humans wonderful ability to communicate face-to-face. To
successfully maneuver through life it is paramount to be able to communicate effectively in
person with your peers. Society absolutely must address this growing crisis, and it is of
immediate importance that we prevent face-to-face communication from declining.
Social networking is significantly transforming the way humans connect with each other
and how we develop friendships. In a study conducted by Mishna, McLukie, and Saini it was
established that children and youths strongly considered the relationships developed online to
be as real as relationships in their real lives (109). Children and youths also reported viewing

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the internet as a legitimate place to make and maintain both friendships and romantic
relationships, and often described these online relationships as being:
"long term," "trusting," and as highly meaningful, regardless of the existence of a
real-life component. Phrases such as "she is the only person I can trust" and "I
haven't met him irl [in real life] yet but I've known him virtually for years"
convey the quality of these relationships. A youth revealed the connection typical
of the expressed sentiment in stating that her online friends "MEAN SO MUCH
TO ME". (Mishna, McLuckie, and Saini 109)
This is concrete evidence that social media has drastically changed the way humans connect with
each other. Just years ago, the idea of an online relationship would have been inexistent, but
now they are supposedly long-term, trusting, and highly meaningful relationships? How can
such a meaningful relationship possibly be established with the real-life component of the
relationship being completely ignored? As stated earlier, it was concluded communication
through social networks was reported to be generic, impersonal, and leaves out the human
element (Drusell 42). This relates with Kraut et al.s research that displayed that online friends
are not involved in each others day-to-day environments; therefore, they are not there to offer
each other tangible favors or spend time with each other (Kraut et al. 1030). Between Drusell and
Krauts research, it is rendered incredibly unlikely for two individuals to be able to create a
strong relationship through a generic and impersonal environment where the human
element and true human interaction is left out. So all I can wonder is how on earth can so many
people describe their online relationships to be long-term, trusting, and highly meaningful?
The answer is that social networkers who value their online communities greatly rely on their
creative imagination and constructions to incorporate meaning into these relationships.

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Therefore, each users internal world may be vastly different from what the evident facts might
suggest in their actual social networking environment (Drusell 17). Since face-to-face
interaction is not present for social networkers, they rely on their imagination to determine just
how meaningful their online relationships are. Social networkers have the chance to sound and
act like anyone they please to be through the internet, because they have all the time to edit and
type out what they want. Until you meet your online friend in person you do not know what they
act like and chances are your online best friend is going to be a completely different person
then you ever expected them to be. Having the skills to make friendships through real life, true
human interaction, is a completely different process than making friendships online. Lewis et al.
demonstrates that adolescents who perceived the virtual world as an extension of the physical
world believed that the person who was really nice to them on Facebook was their real best
friend, regardless of what they knew about them or where they came from (6). An example of
an adolescent who was unable to acknowledge real friendship was described by her mother when
she said: Shes got friends that have been long term family friends, but she says: but theyre not
really my friends, theyre more like sisters. Well, isnt that one of the best things that you can
possibly have? I think she doesnt really know what a good friend is (Lewis et al. 6). Social
media has changed the meaning of friendship, especially to those growing up in this new
technological age. If you have friends that are like sisters those are your best friends, not weak
ties whom are simply your Facebook friend. It is absolutely crucial that generations growing
up today are able to distinguish between their true friends in real life, and someone you do not
truly know anything about over the internet. It is imperative that our society is able to understand
and recognize our true friends and that we are able to create, develop, and maintain our

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relationships through face-to-face interactions and that we caution ourselves from making our
relationships online.
Social networking has significantly altered the way humans connect with each other, and
has even played a large factor in creating, developing, and maintaining romantic relationships. I
was stunned to learn that 45% of respondents in Drusells study reported that texting or
Facebook has been used to end intimate relationships they have been involved in (40). After
comprehending this astonishing statistic, it has been shown that social networking may have
brought upon a shift away from using human interaction to end relationships between intimate
partners (Drusell 40). People often rely on socially interactive technologies to end their
relationships because they are able to completely avoid conflict involved with a break-up. The
individual initiating the separation has the option to not respond to their former partner, as a
result; they do not have to receive questions, provide answers, deal with facial expressions and
emotions, and experience the verbal goodbye that come along with face-to-face interaction
(Drusell 40). It is a very scary thought that humans are now provided with a route to avoid all
conflicts and just disappear from a true real-life scenario by vanishing into an online world.
Many youths as young as 13 years old depicted being involved in intense online sexual and
romantic relationships even though many of these adolescents acknowledged they would
NEVER get a chance to meet their online boyfriend or girlfriend (Mishna, McLuckie, and
Saini 109-10). It is such a shame that these teens are secluding themselves from the world for
someone they have never even met. There is a world out there filled with people like them
wishing for partners, but not actively looking for one (in the real world). If these teens continue
to spend their time behind a computer screen interacting with someone they will never meet, it
is going to be that much harder to find that special person in their surrounding physical world.

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Even though many of these online partners have never had real human interaction with each
other in some cases, they sustained relationships lasting upwards of three years and reported
their relationships made them feel special and that their online partner was the only person
that gets them (Mishna, McLuckie and Saini 110). It is imperative to realize that it is incredibly
unlikely that the only person that gets you has never even met you in person. In one instance, a
13 year old girl said she wanted to do online sex first and declared that she now felt 100%
ready for sex in the real world (Mishna, McLuckie and Saini 110). It is evident that social media
has significantly changed the ways humans interact when there are individuals who feel it is a
prerequisite to have online sex to prepare for the real world. As one teenager said, I dont
want 2 let him go because I kinda feel no boy will ever like/love me (Mishna, McLuckie and
Saini 110). Teens are afraid of being alone and have trouble expressing themselves in person, so
they resort to cyber romantic relationships. If teens let go of social media, they could allocate
their time practicing their face-to-face communication skills; as a result, teens would be more
comfortable expressing themselves and creating and developing relationships in person. Social
networking is a relatively new phenomenon and it already has such immense power over the way
humans connect with each other in our society, just imagine how much power this technology
will hold if we continue on the path we are currently undertaking.
Social networking has drastically changed the way we live today and is significantly
changing the ways humans interact, connect, and communicate with each other. The ability to
communicate adequately face-to-face is absolutely necessary for every human on this planet.
Impairment in the ability to communicate effectively will affect all walks of life. From finding a
job to making friends, in-person communication is absolutely essential to be able to successfully
maneuver through life. The rise in popularity of social networks cannot continue to lead to a

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decline in face-to-face communication. It is imperative that we caution ourselves and understand
the extent to which our society has already transformed due to the enormous increase in social
media usage. Times have changed, technology is improving, but it is not necessarily for the
benefit of our society. We need to take a step back like William Morris did in his novel News
from Nowhere and realize that socially interactive technologies are causing incredible dangers to
our society. Slowing down or moderating our time spent social networking will be of great
benefit to our society. Could you imagine how much more productive of a society we would
have if adolescents who spent twenty-seven days a year using Facebook, spent their time
building relationships in person, searching for a real-life partner, overcoming their social anxiety,
focusing on schoolwork, enjoying nature, or just simply enjoying life? Replacing or drastically
reducing the time spent social networking with an enjoyable and productive activity could very
well improve depressive symptoms, increase social involvement, increase psychological wellbeing, increase communication skills, and overall, increase quality of ones life. As human
beings it is our obligation to maintain our incredible ability of being able to communicate
effectively face-to-face, and we cannot let online communication destroy human interaction. It is
absolutely paramount that we realize our flaws and educate our society about this ongoing crisis
and prevent this crisis from continuing.

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Works Cited
Allen, Kelly A., Tracii Ryan, DeLeon L. Gray, Dennis M. McInerney, and Lea Waters. "Social
Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential
Pitfalls." The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist 31.1 (2014): 1831. Print.
Drusell, John. "Social Networking and Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Resolution
Skills among College Freshmen." Master of Social Work Clinical Research
Papers (2012): 1-55. Print.
Ellison, Nicole B., and Danah M. Boyd. Sociality Through Social Network Sites. The Oxford
Handbook of Internet Studies 1 (2013): 150-72. Print.
Giffords, Elissa D. The Internet and Social Work: The Next Generation. Families in Society:
The Journal of Contemporary Social Services 90.4 (2009): 413-19. Print.
Greenfield, Patricia, and Zheng Yan. "Children, Adolescents, and the Internet: A New Field of
Inquiry in Developmental Psychology." Developmental Psychology 42.3 (2006): 391-94.
Print.
Gross, Elisheva F. "Adolescent Internet Use: What We Expect, What Teens Report." Journal of
Applied Developmental Psychology 25.6 (2004): 633-49. Print.
Kraut, Robert, Michael Patterson, Vicki Lundmark, Sara Kiesler, Trida Mukopadhyay, and
William Scherlis. "Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social
Involvement and Psychological Well-Being?" American Psychologist 53.9 (1998): 1017031. Print.
Lewis, Andrew J., Tess Knight, Galit Germanov, Michelle Lisa Benstead, Claire Ingrid Joseph,
and Lucinda Poole. "The Impact on Family Functioning of Social Media Use by

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Depressed Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of the Family Options Study." Frontiers
in Psychiatry 6 (2015): 1-8. Print.
Mishna, Faye, Alan McLuckie, and Michael Saini. "Real-world Dangers in an Online Reality: A
Qualitative Study Examining Online Relationships and Cyber Abuse." Social Work
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Pierce, Tamyra. Social Anxiety and Technology: Face-to-face Communication versus
Technological Communication among Teens. Computers in Human Behavior 25.6
(2009): 1367-372. Print.