The Internet and social networks have changed the way we relate to each other both positively and negatively. One of the most important and basic human needs to have well-being is to be able to have contact with another person, relate to others and thus feel that we belong to a group.
What we have to be very clear about is that the way we communicate has changed significantly. We could say that the two most outstanding characteristics in current social interaction are immediacy and accessibility. Due to the Internet and instant messaging applications we have gained a very valuable element for our daily lives, time. Thanks to the Internet, communication has become easy, simple and direct.
Next, let’s see the main positive and negative points generated by social networks in how we relate to others:
The arrival of the Internet in our lives has meant a brutal change in many daily facets. In how we buy, when studying, in our leisure, in how we inform ourselves, but also in the way we relate to others.
Although even today the interrelationships between people continue to be more valued in their face-to-face aspect, online relationships are affecting the bonds we establish with other people Let’s see the good and the bad that this type of relationship offers.
On the positive
These are the main advantages of social networks.
1. Establish new relationships
It is common that shame and shyness, lack of time, or even the laziness caused by the initial effort involved in starting a new social relationship, are some of the reasons that can lead us to track down and find other people. related through social networks. You can get an excellent connection with another person, and The usual thing will be this virtual relationship will become a face-to-face relationship it goes from 2.0 to 1.0.
Nowadays, thanks to social networks, we can keep up to date with what friends, family and acquaintances are doing. It is a simple and very easy way to find out about others and share our moments with others through social networks.
3. Rediscover friendships
Through the search engines that social networks provide us with We can recover some old friendships that one day could have been lost along the path of life
We would then be able to say that today the tools that the Internet offers us (social networks, email, chats and all applications) have managed to foster and consolidate people’s interrelationships:
In the negative
Among the disadvantages of social networks we find the following.
1. It can isolate us
The paradoxical thing is that social networks allow us to communicate at any time of the day with anyone, even if they are far away from us, but on the other hand they can also isolate us from the person next to us. It brings you closer to those who are far away, and distances you from those who are near
For this reason, we do not recommend using social networks in situations in which we would have to be Interacting with the people next to us.
2. They deceive us
We have to keep in mind that you can find profiles of people who are false and/or who lie.
3. It facilitates the cowardice of bad people
Occasionally you may find that there are anonymous profiles where bad people hide to insult, criticize, belittle and humiliate. These toxic people express and spread their envy and frustrations. They do not empathize, ignoring the damage they can do It is true that social networks can facilitate this type of behavior since they feel protected, something that they would not do face to face.
As we well know in psychology, on the topic of self-esteem, the most vulnerable are adolescents, social networks They can encourage the misconception that depending on the number of followers and “likes” I must feel more or less valued.
5. Impulsiveness
They encourage having too much impulsiveness and therefore little patience in the face of uncertainty.
6. Lack of caution
You can more easily say things that you wouldn’t do in person. Besides, there is the disadvantage of the lack of nuances of non-verbal language
7. They are addictive
Due to their attractiveness and speed they can cause addiction.
8. They facilitate bullying and harassment
Toxic, aggressive, envious people, Bad people, in short, thanks to anonymity, can harass and harm more easily
Conclusion
As we have seen throughout this article, not everything is bad. The positive part of new technologies would be how they can help us solve problems and find people For example.
I therefore recommend that you do not avoid social networks, as you could stop benefiting from the feedback and support that is received by sharing posts online. On the other hand, remember, if you are a parent, that according to the American Psychological Association, when parents behave as if they fear the Internet and social networks, they can transmit to children the message that the world is a place they should fear.
