Staying Connected via Social Media: Is It Really Worth the Effort?

In today’s increasingly digital world, staying connected with friends and family is a simple task to accomplish. With social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube, you can chat with anyone from across the globe. Instead of waiting a week for a letter from your cousin to arrive in the mail, you can chat with them live from the comfort of your own home.

While some may argue that using social media takes the interpersonal relationship out of the equation, others view it as means to stay in touch with those that are otherwise inaccessible. What are some pros and cons of using social media sites to keep in touch?

1. Free – Pro. Many social media websites such as Facebook don’t charge a single dime to use its service. Anyone can stay in touch without spending anything more than the cost of their Internet connection. Even that cost can be reduced to free through inventive means.

2. Interpersonal Relationships – Con. Any form of communication is more effective, lasting, and comforting in person rather than over the Internet or phone. Humans are a social species and we need interpersonal interaction.

3. Photos – Pro. Instead of mailing pictures of family to everyone, all of your friends and family can see the images you upload. With a $30 printer, these friends and family can print out the pictures on photo-paper to be used as portraits hanging on the wall.

4. Forever – Con. A rule of thumb is to remember that anything you post on the Internet is there forever. Once it is in the system, it can come back to haunt you without notice. Unflattering photos, comments, and more can be stuck there for everyone to see.

5. Interaction – Pro. Although the interpersonal interaction isn’t there for online social media contact, the communication is. Family members and friends can chat, play games, send messages, and even forward videos of themselves. It’s the lure of being social without the human element.

6. Egg Shells – Con. You need to be careful what you post on social media sites. If you are playing sick from work, uploading images of yourself water-skiing on the lake that day could land you in the unemployment line. You need to watch what you post or you could also hurt someone’s feelings by being too truthful. It’s easier to open up truthfully on a site that has no eyes to look into.

7. Entertaining – Pro. Who hasn’t seen entertaining photographs posted by their friends and families of funny pictures and sayings? Many people will take to playing games with each other as a form of interactive entertainment. Millions of people have smiles brought to their faces everyday from something someone posted on his or her wall.

8. Addicting – Con. Social media sites, Facebook especially, can become so addicting that it can ruin marriages and relationships in real life. Moderation is the key to happiness.

Regardless of your stance on the matter, social media has benefited a great deal of people. Sisters are reunited with brothers after a 10 year absence thanks to Facebook. Mothers can chat with their sons who live on the other side of the country without long-distance charges. And high-school buddies can plan the next reunion with everyone in their graduating class regardless of where they live.

About the Author: Ken Myers the editor in chief is a frequent contributor of http://www.gonannies.com/ Ken helps acquiring knowledge on the duties & responsibilities of nannies to society. You can reach him at kmyers.ceo@gmail.com.

 

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