How Social Media Affects Family Relationships
It is challenging to imagine the modern world without the rapid development of technologies like
social media. Social media, undeniably, plays a significant role nowadays as people use it on a
regular basis to build networks, communicate, share, and exchange knowledge and ideas. The
use of this innovation, however, has changed people’s lifestyles and brought noticeable effects
to society, both positive and negative ones, most especially between the relationships of family
members.
As an individual grows older, keeping memories in mind throughout its life, especially with its
family is not enough to be strongly remembered. Fortunately, social media platforms such as
Facebook have a feature to help relive every moment that a person chooses to capture and be
looked back on (whether it’s when they visited the beach, went to a fancy restaurant, or had a
family sleepover). If both parents and children have seen this memory they can have
conversations and bond over it. Social media platforms can be an instrument for an individual to
have a stronger bond and familial love with their family.
Another feature of social media is the convenience in the process of communication. Various
social media platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat offer video calls, audio calls,
messaging, and voice chats. It facilitates connecting family members which can compensate for
a formal meeting. This is advantageous for overseas family members who feel homesick and
miss their families on a daily basis. Social media platforms can keep family members connected
and up to date with their relatives, which develops their sense of security and intimacy with each
other.
However, just like other kinds of technology, social media has its own disadvantages. It can
provoke addiction. Most people find that it has become a compulsion for them to check their
phones every few minutes to see if they have any new notifications. In fact, the addiction is so
real and so strong that study shows that people experience the same kind of withdrawal
symptoms as a drug addict if they are unable to check their social media. This compulsive
checking of social media has made face-to-face communication very difficult. Family members
may prefer communicating with each other on social media rather than talk to each other
personally. A husband and wife may spend time next to each other, but their minds are
engrossed in their own social entertainment as they scroll through their individual feeds.
Additionally, those with the tendency to be unfaithful may use social media as a platform to put
this negative trait into practice. With newer dating social apps, it’s never been easier for
dissatisfied spouses to look for a new relationship, get in contact with an ex, or seek out a fling.
A whopping 30% of Tinder users are married. Sites like AshleyMadison.com even cater to
married people looking for affairs – over 130 million people worldwide visit Ashley Madison each
month. Before the rise of social media, changes in behavior may have been an indication that
something is wrong, but since the normal behavior for people these days is to sit on their
phones all the time, nothing seems amiss. Social media platforms can lead to unfamiliarity,
marital problems, infidelity, conflicts, jealousy, and eventually divorce.
As people tend to only post the best parts of their lives on social media, it can be very easy to
imagine that that is what their lives are always like, despite not knowing what is going on behind
the scenes. Just as family members may see those stories, videos, and images in their feed,
they might begin to question why their own family can’t do the same things. Social media
platforms can make families unhappy with their own lives and situations, and neglect it, breaking
interpersonal relationships.
In conclusion, the development of new technologies and social media, in particular, has resulted
in various changes in the everyday lives of families all around the world. Social media platforms
changed the approach to communication and allowed family members to relive their memories,
which led to closer and stronger families. However, its innovative features can also provoke
addiction, unfaithfulness, and envy, which results in marital problems, conflicts, and neglected
relationships. Despite one thing’s benefit, we should not keep a blind eye to its drawback. The
decision is always in our hands, and we must always choose to not let social media affect our
personal lives. Social media is, indeed, a complex tool, or one might say “a double-edged
sword”, for family relationships.
Sources:
● Social Media Is Not The Death Of Meaningful Communication
● Impact of Social Media Addiction in Families
● Global social media statistics research summary 2022