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Emily Bambury
UNIV 112
Professor Dempster
17 November 2015
How have social media sites (SMS) particularly Facebook changed our perspectives and
definitions of friendship? Does this type of social media ultimately enhance or hinder out
ability to cultivate and maintain friendships and communicate effectively? How does it
affect our well-being?
CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg had this to say regarding the rise of social
media: "Back, you know, a few generations ago, people didn't have a way to share
information and express their opinions efficiently to a lot of people. But now they do.
Right now, with social networks and other tools on the Internet, all of these 500 million
people have a way to say what they're thinking and have their voice be heard." Facebook
is the world’s favorite social networking site. Since its creation, Facebook has
revolutionized the way we communicate. But this rapid change also comes with some
drawbacks. Social media has changed our perspectives and definitions of relationships
specifically friendships and in turn this affects their identity, self-esteem, feelings of
belonging and levels of acceptance. The transition into adulthood during college is a
critical time and this age group holds a large portion of Facebook’s user population. In
addition, they have high rates of use. Terrel L. Strayhorn, Strayhorn, a professor and the
director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at Ohio State University, reported
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in 2012 that “54% of students [in his study] reported using SNSs 1 to 5 hours a week and
25% reported 6 to 10 hours per week. This high usage brings into question whether or
not sites like these ultimately contribute positively or negatively to our ability to cultivate
friendships and communicate effectively.
In the last twenty years the rapid growth and use of technology has greatly
impacted our daily lives. Researchers with the Department of Psychology at the
University of Central Florida found that “households with Internet access have risen from
18.0% in 1997 to 74.8% in 2012" (Cyr et al. 80). In the span of just fifteen years the
percentage of households with Internet access has quadrupled. Leaps in technology like
this are usually designated innovations. The word’s connotation creates a positive sense
of development and advancement. In this way, people are more likely to adopt
technologies such as the Internet and SMS without questioning the possibility of negative
side effects. “In the past 20 years, access to various types of communication technology
has grown exponentially with little accompanying research to understand its benefits and
consequences” (Cyr et al. 87). Although there have been significant advances in
technology and there is an abundance of information about how the Internet and social
media affect people, it is still unclear how these considerable changes will affect users:
the exact implications will not be known until later.
The census is in: quantity over quality is the way to friend on Facebook. Erin M.
Bryant and Jennifer Marmo work in the School of Human Communications at Arizona
State University. They found that “an analysis of Facebook friendship should include
acquaintance relationships as a distinct form of friendship that is becoming increasingly
prevalent now that individuals possess an easy venue in which to articulate and interact
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with these weak relational ties” (Bryant et al. 1017). These acquaintances “formed the
majority of participants’ Facebook networks” (Manago et al. 377). Through Facebook the
word friend has shifted from a noun to a verb. But Facebook “friending” has very
different qualifications and implications compared to friends we communicate with faceto-face. There are many concerns attached with this but the first is, does this really make
people happier? Most studies revolving around this topic involved first year college
students. This allows researchers to study a few different things. First of all, the majority
of users are this age so there is a large pool to study. Secondly, first year college students
are not only transitioning from adolescence to adulthood but also from high school to
college. Separation from home on top of needing to adapt to a new town, a new school
and new friends can be difficult but reveals a lot about how students’ perceive their
acceptance and sense of belonging. “Friendships are the most prevalent type of social
relationship and fulfill important personal needs such as inclusion, affection and identity
affirmation” (Bryant et al. 1015). Strayhorn reports “first-year students tended to report a
stronger sense of belonging… if they used SNSs infrequently or not at all” (793).
However, Ellison concluded that “the more intensely college students used Facebook, the
more they perceived that they were integrated into their university community” (Ellison
et al. 2007). Whose conclusion is correct? Some may argue that Strayhorn’s is more valid
because it is more recent by five years. However, these contrasting conclusions are likely
simply a result of the two individual experiments.
While Facebook is seen as a positive advancement in technology, there is research
supporting many negative affects of Facebook. Young suggested that high Internet use
could lead to “depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, and anxiety as well as physical
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impairments such as lack of sleep, lack of eating, and limited physical activity” (Cyr et al.
81). If Ellison is right and Facebook use helps people to feel more connected to their
schools, is it worth it at the expense of our health and well being? Cyr and her team
worry that “young people with higher levels of identity related anxiety and distress may
be using communication technology to manage their discomfort” (Cyr et al. 89). This
means that adolescents who struggle with these issues are turning to social media as a
cure. If high use can lead to significant mental and health issues, then clearly attempting
to use SMS to fix those types of problems will only result in worsened effects.
Manago and her team suggest that Facebook is also involved in the “increase in
(nonclinical) narcissistic personality of today’s college students” (Manago et al. 378379). College students are more self-centered than their counterparts from the past. It
seems strange that a website meant to connect people is causing young adults to become
more egotistic.
Another question that is raised has to do with false portrayals online. Cyr and her partners
argue that sites like Facebook and Myspace “make(s) it easier to construct false identities,
extreme identities, and identities disconnected from reality” (Cyr et al. 81). This is very
apparent in television shows like Catfish on MTV. People create false profiles to lure
people in and end up developing close friendships and deep relationships without the
other person knowing they are lying about their identity. This is another example of how
Facebook and other SNS are changing our language. Catfish has become a verb. While
Facebook tries to promote healthy connectivity, many of the negative side effects of
Facebook deter people from creating a positive environment.
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Most people view education and Facebook as two things that do not mix well.
McLoughlin and Lee bring up that many view Facebook as “a convenient tool for
procrastinating, gossiping, and relieving boredom or simply as a source of diversion
during lectures (McLoughlin and Lee 44).” As educators look for new platforms to
facilitate online learning, Facebook has come up in discussion. Facebook’s status as a
distractor would clearly not be conducive to an effective learning environment. In
addition, Frisen and Lowe believe that “education is clearly a social process but it is
probably much closer to an ongoing discussion or debate than en extended celebration
with an ever-expanding network of friends” (McLoughlin and Lee 44). However, since
Facebook has so many colleges-aged users it could be beneficial to use this platform
because it is one that students are already comfortable and familiar with. While many
view education and Facebook as an odd partnership, informal learning already occurs
constantly when people share news articles and discuss their opinions. In the future,
Facebook could have a more prominent role in facilitating formal learning.
Facebook is the most popular social media site in the world today. Similar sites
like Myspace fell nearly out of existence after the emergence of Facebook. It is important
for everyone to acknowledge that Facebook and other forms of social media can change
us, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. All this advancement and increased
availability of technology brings into question “how much communication technology is
too much” (Cyr et al. 81). Is there a limit? The United States is a nation of consumers.
We import like crazy and then shop ‘til we drop. Now with all these technological
advancements, our new focus of consumption is information. While this consumption is
beneficial and can help to inform and educate people faster than ever before, there are
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also concerns. Facebook and other social media sites affect our sense of belonging and
other psychological needs. Researchers cannot agree on whether or not this helps or hurts
us. If it helps us, should we be relying on a website to increase our sense of belonging?
And if it hurts us, we should probably try and incorporate less screen time into our day.