We cannot imagine life without technology in this digital age. We have become increasingly reliant on technology, whether for shopping, communication, or simply looking for information. Everything has changed in our lifetime, but have you ever considered how it has influenced friendships?
Friendships have evolved dramatically in the digital age, making it easier to connect and share things via social media. Even if it has had a good impact, there are some bad aspects that we tend to overlook.
Let’s look at some of the positive and negative aspects of the digital age in terms of friendship.
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Pros and Cons of the Digital Age for Friendship
Everything has pros and cons, let’s start with the pros:
- No Geographical Barriers
We have to be no longer concerned about how far someone stays with the help of technological advancements. We can easily contact others via numerous social media sites.
Staying in touch with people has become more simple and accessible thanks to social media. You can also play multiplayer games with your friends online, which helps to strengthen your friendship.
- Convenience and Accessibility
Talking with friends online has become convenient and accessible. Social media has made it exceedingly easy to stay in touch with pals.
Sending a letter used to take days, but now it only takes a few seconds. Even making an international phone call would be expensive, but now all you need is a WiFi connection and a suitable gadget.
- Reconnecting and Maintaining Friendships
Social networking has made it easier to reconnect with friends you’ve lost touch with. Many social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, may propose profiles based on mutual friends, which might help you to find and reconcile with old friends.
- Expanding Friendships
Aside from staying in touch with our friends and reconnecting with old ones, technology allows us to connect with more people and make friends online. There are several groups and communities for people who share common interests and hobbies.
Because of social media, people have begun to form online friendships with people from all over the world.
While conventional methods of meeting new individuals remain viable, social media facilitates the process. Social media may help us connect with people from all around the world, allowing us to learn more about different cultures and habits.
- Real-time Update
The digital era is more fast-paced. Within seconds, you can easily share a message or snap a photo. It allows you to communicate with your friends about important affairs. It also helps to transmit crucial messages in seconds.
- Innovative Ways to Stay Connected.
The digital era has developed significantly and will continue to grow. From waiting days to send and receive messages to being able to video call someone and talk to them one-on-one regardless of geography.
Aside from that, the rise of digital communication continues to accelerate. In the near future, people will be able to meet long-distance friends in Virtual Reality (VR).
Cons
While the digital age has made things easier, there are some disadvantages that we should consider before becoming completely dependent on technology for communication.
- Digital Addiction
If you’re studying and receive a notification from your social media account that someone has liked your post, you’ll want to see who it was. While you may believe that this is not damaging, you will frequently find that one notification prompts you to spend more time on social media than you mean to.
Technology is more addictive than we want to admit. Even young children who do not know how to walk can readily use a phone, resulting in an incredibly hazardous addiction. Addiction and dependence on technology can impair social interactions with others. Following COVID-19, many people have reported difficulty connecting with others in person.
- Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can have serious consequences for a person’s mental health. According to studies, 21% of people have claimed to have lower self-esteem as a result of cyberbullying, 35% have admitted to feeling depressed, and the remaining have been self-conscious or suicidal. Numerous research studies have highlighted the drawbacks of social networking.
- Privacy Issues
According to studies, more than 70% of social media users have reported having their accounts hacked. As a result, you must be cautious while sharing information. Make sure you don’t provide any private details, such as your address or phone number.
You should also avoid sharing any personal information with your friends online through conversations, as hackers can readily access them.
- Comparison And Lower Self-Esteem
People modify images on social media to make them appear more enticing. People’s self-esteem suffers as a result of comparing their life to those they see on social media.
It is crucial to note that social media can be deceiving, and people only highlight the positive aspects. As a result, you should not accept everything you see on social media, as doing so might lead to feelings of perpetual doubt in yourself.
- The Fear of Missing Out
People frequently post interesting details about their life on social media. However, this causes many to experience FOMO or the fear of missing out. This makes us believe that everyone else in the world has a better life than we do, which makes us feel inadequate.
- Short Attention Span
Social media contains a variety of long and short-form information, as well as graphics that change frequently. According to studies, our brain cannot keep up with the amount of information we absorb on social media in such a short period of time, and as a result, an individual’s average attention span decreases dramatically.
- Social Withdrawal
Because of the digital era, some people have withdrawn from society and choose to live solely digitally. It can become so serious that people do not leave their homes for years.
Some of these people frequently utilize the virtual world to escape from the troubles of the physical world, while others may have a health issue that prevents them from going out in the actual world, in which case the virtual world becomes their reality.
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Conclusion
With the rapid rise of the digital era, there are limitless possibilities for what will happen soon. There are numerous benefits to using social media. However, we elected to overlook some limitations. It is critical to comprehend them and be secure while maintaining a digital presence because we do not know the dark side.