Like It or Leave It

There is no arguing that electronic social networking is changing the way our world operates and really there is not a whole lot we can do about it. So much good has come out of the huge improvement in technology however with the good comes the bad. Because electronics are so in reach to a large majority of people, it’s easy to get caught up in social media and really anything related. Cell phones, tablets, and computers are the way of life and unfortunately sometimes it’s hard to balance the real world and the internet world. 

It’s almost difficult for me to even compare the way things are now to when I was young because I feel as if I have always been largely influenced by the internet and social networks. From AIM, MySpace, and Facebook, there was always something that “everyone” was doing. I can see a difference however, in the way our older generation is able to communicate with people compared to people my age and below. Working at a Physical Therapy Clinic lets me see such a wide variety of people on a daily basis and I’m really able to see the change happening because of social media. It is seemingly effortless for older adults to carry on a conversation with myself or a therapist but we also see the young athletes that are almost silent until two weeks later when they finally warm up. This does not seem like an uncommon thing to most people and some would blame that on being young and  inexperienced in social settings but I could be friends with some of them on Facebook and see that they have no problem letting the world know their problems through a simple status update. This is alarming to me. It really should not be so intimidating just having a simple conversation with someone you come across during the day but for the younger generation it’s terrifying.

I in no way feel that electronics and social media only negatively affect personal intimacy. It gives so many people opportunities to keep in touch with people they would not typically be able to stay in touch with. That’s something in itself.  It’s now simple for people that live in other cities or states to see your pictures and stay updated on your life. It’s easy to argue that it might not be a good thing because it could keep you from making an effort to see them in real life but I don’t feel that’s the case. If you were going to plan on keeping in touch with them face to face I don’t think social media is going to stop you from doing so.