The pros and cons of using social media on the

development of our communication skills

PROS
CONS
Accessibility

Communication technology has

created many electronic
communication tools. These
electronic communication tools have
made the world a more connected
place.

Mass Communication

Electronic communication,
especially email, makes sharing
information with a large group of
people easy. Many businesses and
academic institutions use electronic
communication to send information
to a large number of people.

Social Relief

People who are socially awkward in

person can interact easier with
others through electronic
communication. Chat rooms, online
forums, and dating websites are

Nonverbal Communication

In face to face communication,

nonverbal communication, like facial
expressions and body language,
reinforces your message.
Communication technology does not
allow for nonverbal communication.

Digital Divide

Not everyone has the same level of

expertise with communication
technology. The difference in
communication technology skills
within groups of people is known as
the digital divide.

Laziness

Communication technology creates

laziness for some people. People who
use electronic communication to talk
to somebody in the same room are
displaying lazy behavior.

among the technology which can

relieve the socially awkward.

Long-Distance
Communication

Early forms of long-distance

communication included runners
who ran messages back and forth
between people and homing pigeons
trained to fly written messages. The
advancement of communication
technology has helped to make longdistance communication fast and
seemingly effortless.

Social Influence

Quality of Communication

Communication technology,
especially Internet communication
like social networking websites and
dating websites, has simplified the
process of socializing. Social
networking websites enable you to
easily keep in touch with friends and
family, whereas dating websites help
you find someone compatible to be

It is common to see someone

multitasking while communicating
with someone else. You could be
talking on the phone while surfing the
Internet; you could be checking e-mail
and using your mobile phone
simultaneously. Communications
technologies have made all this
possible. However, although you think
that you are saving time by engaging
in this sort of multitasking, the net
effect is that the quality of the
communication suffers if you can't
give your undivided attention to the
person you are communicating with,
advises the paper.

Reduction in Face-to-Face
Interaction

The Internet has made it possible to

keep in touch with people from
anywhere in the world. And you can
communicate on the go using text
messaging and cell phones. This has
led to some complaints that such
technology has led to a decrease in

in a relationship with.

Personal Communication

People can easily keep in touch with

friends and relatives by text and
email. This is particularly important
when a family member or friend is
living or traveling abroad. Even
some of the more remote parts of the
world have Internet cafes and
mobile phone signals.

face-to-face interactions.
Communicating with someone faceto-face allows you to watch their
nonverbal cues, such as a smile or a
frown, and this is another layer of
communication. Technology doesn't
allow people to catch these sorts of
nonverbal cues. As Dr. Pam Hayes, an
Alaska psychologist, tells the paper, "I
think there is the potential for greater
richness in face-to-face interaction
because you lose the body cues and
facial expressions when you're doing
work on the Internet. The subtle forms
of communications are lost over the
Internet."

Social Isolation

Another downside to communication

technology is that even as we
communicate with more and more
people using various technologies,
some people feel more isolated than
connected. The paper cites a study
done in the 1990s on the effects of
Internet use on social well-being. The
study found that some people who
used the Internet a lot for
communication actually felt more
isolated than before. However, the
study was redone in 2002 and had
different findings. The 2002 study
found that the initial negative effects
of Internet-use wore off for those who
tended to be extroverts, while those
who tended to be introverts continued
to feel isolated even with the passage

of time.

Political and Social

As people's ability to record events

on their mobile phones and
communicate with people from all
corners of the world increases, it is
becoming increasingly difficult for
repressive regimes to control their
populations. This seems to herald a
new era of openness in politics.
According to David Romano of the
University of Toronto, modern
communication methods make it
possible for feelings of bitterness to
be rapidly channeled into
mobilization and action. An example
can be seen in the launching of
online petitions of protest against the
execution of prisoners in countries
such as Iran.

Business

It is possible to communicate
instantly within a business.
Colleagues can discuss issues
without having to attend meetings.
In addition, people can communicate
with other branches of the firm or
other firms by telephone, email, fax
and video-conferencing. This saves
the time, the inconvenience and the
cost of traveling to meet with far-

Context

When communicating face to face,

nonverbal behaviors provide context
clues for the words we use.
Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal
found that technologies like email,
texting and instant messaging remove
these important context clues, and can
lead to misunderstandings. Sarcasm
and jokes without nonverbal context
cues can cause frustration. Though
smiley faces with different
expressions called "emoticons" are
sometimes used to substitute
traditional nonverbal cues, they fall far
short of what face-to-face
communication can provide.

Language Confusion

With the growth and expansion of

technology, a new language has been
born, including a variety of
abbreviations, such as, "lol," "ttyl" and
"afk." While some of these terms have
become very commonly used in dayto-day exchanges, some, such as
"lmirl," or, "let's meet in real life," are
almost exclusively used in Internet
interaction. If one is not familiar with

flung business associates.

Media

Artistically, the Internet in particular

has opened whole new opportunities
to musicians, artists, video makers
and writers. Social websites and
blogging enable people to express
themselves and can occasionally
lead to success in their chosen field.
The Susan Boyle story is an example
of how a You Tube clip from a
United Kingdom talent show
launched a singer into global
consciousness and huge fame.
According to Carlos Scarpero,
writing for ATL Work, social
networking adds a new dimension to
the "old boys' network" concept,
enabling people from different walks
of life to make many useful career
and business contacts.

this form of slang, technology can

limit effective communication more
than help it.

Speed

While many would consider the

amplified speed in communication via
technology a plus, it also presents
drawbacks. The speed at which an
email, text or instant message can be
sent can lead to emotional responses
you don't necessarily mean, inflaming
the conflict at hand. However, beyond
limitations involving conflict, the
speed at which we communicate with
new technologies can hurt our ability
to, "think before we speak," as the
saying goes. It is sometimes too
tempting to shoot back an email as
quickly as possible. In our haste,
though, we may find ourselves making
a slew of errors, which can lead to
confusion over the intended message
and damage your professional
credibility.

Distractions

As more students acquire cell phones,

iPods, and gaming systems,
technology's impact on effective
communication is becoming more
pronounced. As the District
Chronicles reports, teachers
attempting to convey messages about
lessons and textbooks find students

are texting, playing, or listening to

music. Not only does this mitigate the
teacher's ability to communicate
lessons, but it hurts future
communicative interaction between
the teacher and student because of the
lack of respect it conveys