Social Media: Do We Put In Less Effort When We Are Friends With Someone On Social Media?

When someone uses social media, they can stay up to date with the people they know. This can relate to the people they have known for quite some time and the ones they have only known for a short while.

Along with this, there can also be a difference is how well one knows them, as there is likely to be a difference. On one hand, one might share their whole life with some of these people, and on the other hand, there may be others who know very little about them.

All Together

However, although there is going to be a difference when it comes to the people they are friends with, they are all going to be in one place. As a result of this, it could be said that it is going to make their life a lot easier.

It is then going to be similar to one going into one shop and finding everything they need, as opposed to each item being in a different shop. There will then be the amount of time that this saves them.

The Wall

And in order for one to stay up to date with what they ‘friends’ are doing, it is not always going to be necessary for them to get in touch with then. The only thing they will generally need to do is to look through the News Feed or to look through someone’s wall.

There is then no need for one to always send a ‘friend’ a private message or to leave a comment on something they share. If they did want to exert themselves, they could simply ‘like’ something they have shared.

The Old Way

When social media wasn’t available, one would have had to have taken a different approach. So if they wanted to find out what someone was doing, they would have sent them a text, called them or paid them a visit, for instance.

Clearly, this would have taken them more time, and they would have needed to put in more effort. And as people are a lot busier than they used to be, it could be said that there is no longer enough time to put in the same amount of effort.

The Same Results

If one believes that the new approach is just as good as the old approach, then there is going to be no reason for them to change what they are doing. As far as they are concerned, this could be seen as how things are now.

And if one has been brought up with social media, then there is a strong chance that they won’t know any difference. This will then be what is normal, and there is going to be no reason for them to think about whether this is the best approach to take.

Another Experience

Nevertheless, while everyone they know might be on social media, there is also the chance that this is not the case. This could be because these people are older and don’t really use the internet and/or because they don’t like social media.

So if one wants to find out what they are doing, they will need to put in more effort than they usually do. Now, this could mean that they rarely get in touch with them, or they might be only too happy to do this.
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A Stronger Connection

Through taking this approach, one could find that they have a stronger relationship with these people. This will partly come down to the fact that they have a greater understanding of what is taking place in their life.

They won’t just be reading words on a screen or seeing pictures; they will be hearing the other person’s voice and seeing them in person. Therefore, the relationships they have with them will have a positive effect on their life.

More Is Less

On the other hand, when one uses social media they are going to be in touch with far more people, and this could be seen as being the better option. But while there will be more people for them to stay in touch with; these connections are unlikely to very fulfilling.

It could see seen as the difference between having a lot of fast food or few items of food that is healthy. From the outside, having more food can appear to be the better option; but if one was to take a closer look, they would soon change their mind.

Two Options

One way of looking at this would be to say that it is a matter of quantity or quality, and one can’t have both. This is not to say that one can’t know lots of people; what it comes down to is that real friendships need to be nurtured.

They are not something that will exist no matter what happens; just like anything that is alive on this planet, they need the right nutrients in order to survive. Without being given the right attention, they are likely to come to an end.

More Effort

This then means that it is generally not going to be enough for one to keep a friendship alive through ‘Liking’ a status or by writing a comment, and this means that they will need to put in more effort. But then this is part of life, and shows that one will only get out of a friendship what they put in.

The energy that one would usually use to see what all their ‘friends’ are doing on social media can then be put into developing real friendships with people. The fulfilment this brings them will far outweigh the effort they put in.

Conclusion

In a way, social media creates the impression that someone can have hundreds or even thousands of friends, and while this can sound appealing, it doesn’t match up with reality. Through being caught up in this illusion, it can be normal for people to have plenty of ‘friends’ on social media and to feel completely isolated in the real world.

Social media has clearly added a lot of value to the world, but at the end of the day, it is not a panacea. Through realising what it can do and what it can’t, one’s life is likely to be a lot more fulfilling.

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