The constant access to social media today is deteriorating the human connection and overall interpersonal relationships between individuals. Our days revolve around the proper functioning of computers, television, and the small rectangular devices that radiate in our pockets. Although the use of these advancements have made communication and the spread of information across the nation more efficient, the creation of social media has solely destroyed much of the human connection. Our society as a whole has turned to social media to understand what may be “socially acceptable”, along with political stances, and what our all around values should be. As a member of the generation who has once seen the world with a lack of social media, and now can’t survive without it, I am able to confess that the constant scrolling through Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter has only harmed my chances of having an open mind rather than shaping me to be more accepting of the reality around me. Social media has become a medium of communication for people to amplify their lives to seem better than what they truly are, thus the consumers of social media feel the need to live a similar lifestyle and compete with other individuals about who seems to portray a better life. Social media is no longer something we truly enjoy, rather something we crave in order to feel mentally apart of a larger community.

Once we’re plugged in it becomes an addiction, and our connections beyond a lit up screen diminish. As individuals, we take advantage of social media to not only know everything about everyone else, but also to boost our own self esteem as it has become a world for showing off. This idea is also known as the “Uses and Gratifications” theory, which is discussed in a scholarly article written by Thomas E. Ruggiero. Ruggiero writes, “The individual’s desire for information from the media is the primary variable in explaining why media messages have cognitive, affective, or variable effects. Media dependency is high when an individual’s goal satisfaction relies on information from the media system“. It’s been proven that the constant need to post a picture or status on social media is based off the “high” we receive when others like and/or react to something we have posted. Although as humans we don’t like to admit our weakness, social media has become such a significant part of our lives, that we rely on others acceptance of us through social media to define our true identities. In regards to the human connection, as soon as we dive into the world of Instagram, Snapchat etc, it’s hard to pay attention to the reality that surrounds us, and that maybe what we favor within social media is just a false perception of that reality. From a TIME article, written about the “multitasking generation”, a group of observers paid close attention to the effect social media had on the communication and family dynamic of a random family, the Coxes. Claudia Wallis, one of the observers and author of this study writes, “One of the things the team of observers looks at is what happens at the end of the workday when parents and kids reunite–and what doesn’t happen, as in the case of the Coxes. We saw that when the working parent comes through the door, the other spouse and the kids are so absorbed by what they’re doing that they don’t give the arriving parent the time of day.” The lack of conversation and interaction between the kids and the adult is alarming because, although it’s natural to be consumed by something “more important” in a specific moment, the children aren’t strong enough to stop replying to others for a quick moment and form a face to face conversation with their own parent. As the social media phenomenon has been unfolded, the younger generations are being warped into valuing instant messaging, tweeting, and posting instagram photos over communicating with their own family members. Reflecting on my time as a child, I remember the countdown my brother and I would have until dad got home from work, and how exciting it was when we had time to sit down together for dinner and maybe even finish the night with a family movie. From a New York Times article titled, “When Tech Is a Problem Child”, the author Bruce Feiler claims, “Perhaps the biggest complaint about technology is that it eats into family time”. It’s been discovered that the constant need to feel connected with social media negatively influences one’s ability to focus and relate to the individual’s right beside them, and solely engage with the false perception of reality portrayed through social media.

A larger perspective of how social media has influenced the human connection negatively is how the value of dating has been lost in what is now referred to as “the hookup generation”. Although dating may seem to be a peculiar area to touch upon regarding social media and how it is harmful, it’s a concern because the way in which people value relationships today is much different than how it was several years ago. With being subjected to so many #relationshipgoals posts regarding “promposals” and other images that heighten one’s expectations of how a boyfriend/girlfriend should be, when reality sets in individuals grow frustrated by the results and further destroy their relationships. Social media has given individuals a window of opportunity to communicate angrily with loved ones via text or snapchat rather than face to face. The negative impact of communicating through social media is that tone can be misinterpreted and receivers on both ends are willing to say more behind a screen than they are face to face, thus increasing the chances of relationships falling apart. From a series of focus groups conducted by the Pew Research Center it was concluded that, “From heart emojis on Instagram to saying goodbye to a relationship with a text message, digital technology plays an important role in how teens seek out, maintain and end relationships.” Social media constructs a world for individuals to thrive if they post THE cutest picture on Instagram or Facebook of themselves and their significant other. It’s become a competition of who defines #relationshipgoals most effectively. This current generation and the ones to come have lost faith in finding long lasting relationships as modern dating today is simply defined by how long your snapchat streak is with someone, or if the person you are interested in has texted you yet that day. It’s sad that the purpose of getting to know someone has grown so irrelevant as we can learn everything about a person in the matter of seconds just by clicking a single button.

Social media is harmful to younger generations, because as a millennial myself struggling to keep up with a world revolved around technology, it’s going to continue to become the norm and children will only ever see a life designed through social media and not necessarily the reality of many situations. Due to upgraded social media apps and advanced technology, young generations will continue to feel inclined to live and communicate through social media, further decreasing their chances of forming strong relationships beyond a lit up screen.