Social Media: Can What We Share On Social Media Have A Negative Effect On Our Relationships?

Nowadays, one no longer needs to be with someone in order to communicate with them. On one side, it is clear that this is nothing new as it has been possible to talk over the phone or even to text for a number of years; however, this is not longer necessary.

What is new is the fact that one can now communicate with more than one person, and it could be said that this has made it a lot easier to stay in contact with others. The only thing one needs to do is to share something on social media and this can then be seen by their ‘friends’.

Less Work

Thus, at the press of a button, the people in their friends list can find out about what is taking place in their life or what is on their mind. This is not to say that everyone on their list will see what they have shared trough.

For one thing, there are going to be some people who rarely use social media and this means they are not going to see everything that they share. Having said that, if they are a close friend they could take the time to look at what they have shared whenever they go online.

Alternatively

But even if their ‘friends’ do use social media on a regular basis, it still doesn’t mean they will see what they have to share. On one hand, this can be because they go online after they have shared something and on the other hand, it could be because they have chosen to unfollow their updates.

In this case, the only way they will see what has been taking place in their life is if they were to go onto their page. But with this aside, it can be a lot easier for one to communicate with people.

Feedback

Along with this, their ‘friends’ can also respond to what they share, and when this happens, one will know who has seen their status update. This could be something that occurs through a comment and/or a ‘like’.

Upon seeing what they have shared, it could also cause other people to send them a message and they may even go a step further and call them up. If someone ‘likes’ their status, it could be taken as a sign that they approve of what they have to say.

A Comment

Whereas if they were to leave a comment, it could be said that another person is more invested in what they have to say. In this case, it might not matter whether they have liked their status.

Through receiving these kinds of responses, it is likely to have an effect on them, and the kind of effect it can have can all depend on what they have shared. While one can share something that is personal, they also share something that is impersonal.

Expectations

When one shares something, they can have the need for other people to respond; if this doesn’t take place, they could end up feeling as though they are not accepted by others, among other things. If they were to share something impersonal, such as a music video; they might not be as attached to what happens.
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Yet if they were to share a picture of themselves, for instance, they could end up having a greater attachment to how people respond. In this case, their self-image could be on the line and it is then going to be important for them to receive positive feedback from others.

Less Effort

However, even though sharing something on social media takes less effort than it would to message a number of people, to make a phone call or even to speak to someone in person, it doesn’t mean that it will always lead to a positive outcome. One reason for this is that when one shares something online, it is not always possible for other people to see where they are coming from.

This comes down to the fact that not everyone sees life in the same way, and just because one sees something in one way, it doesn’t mean other people will. Therefore, the meaning they have can be completely different to the meaning that other people have.

Only Words

When one speaks to someone in person, they will not only hear what the other person has to say, they will also be able to listen to how they say something and what their body language is like. Along with this, they will also have the chance to find out more and this will allow them to see where they are coming from.

In this sense, what another person’s says will be put into the right context as opposed to being taken out of context. But when something is shared on social media, it can end up being taken out of context.

A Small Part

Through seeing only part of something and/or through someone coming up with their own interpretation of what one has shared, it could cause them to experience a negative reaction. Through experiencing these kinds of responses, they could start to see them differently.

It then won’t even matter if one has seen the other person, as what they share online could gradually erode their relationship. Also, one can say things online that they wouldn’t usually say to people in the real world, or if they did, they would only tell people who they were close to and this something else that can have a negative effect on their relationships.

Conclusion

While it would be easy for one to go to the other extreme and to longer post anything, this might be going a bit far. Through realising that sharing something on social media is not the same as sharing something in real life; it will give them the chance to make better decisions
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This could mean that they no longer share what they used to share, or it may mean that they take the time to word things different. On one hand, this can mean that one will no longer be able to speak their mind online, but on the other hand, it can stop them from ruining their relationships.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/