Social media has an effect on our interaction and communication with others. There are three key issues to be considered with the role social media now plays in people’s communication styles.
- When we communicate through social media, we tend to trust the people on the other end of the communication, so our messages tend to be more open.
- Our social connections are not strengthened as much through social media as they are face to face, so we do not tend to deepen our relationships.
- We tend to follow and interact with people who agree with our points of view, therefore, we may be missing a diversity of viewpoints.
One potentially negative consequence of social media is a lack of privacy. Because interpersonal communication is changing, we may share on social media the sort of information better shared privately face to face. We need to keep in mind that social networks are searchable and it is possible to find out personal information even with privacy settings.
Another consideration with the use of social media is that as we tend to be more open with our messages, this can impact on how a conflict evolves or resolves. It’s important to maintain a calm presence, stick to facts and focus on any cause of conflict to move forward.
Remember to show respect when communicating on social media as per the SLSA General Code of Conduct.
