How social media is shaping personal relationships in modern life?

Role of social media in modern life

In the 21^st century, social media become our daily buddy. From keeping up personal relationships with friends and family to staying informed about global events, social media platforms have reshaped our social interactions and access to information.

People started to use social media at the average age of 11-26 (GenZ). GenZ has adopted the modern life of spending time on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube etc. Started with kids to old people, everyone used to consume, create and share content on social media.

Beyond socializing, social media plays a critical role in shaping public opinion, influencing consumer behaviour, and driving social and political movements. Brands and businesses leverage social media platforms to engage with customers, build brand loyalty, and conduct market research.

Social media on personal relationships

With the rise of technology, we became able to connect with our loved ones easily no matter where they are in the world. In modern life, we can connect with our loved ones through social media platforms without giving extra charge for that.

We call it modern life because the fast expansion of social media shapes our communication style, forms personal relationships and consumption of information. Social media platforms like Facebook allow us to make friends, build communities, share personal thoughts and many more.

Positive impact of social media on personal relationships

Encourage frequent connection-

Frequent communication is the key to strengthening personal relationships. In our modern life, we can connect with our friends and family through several social media apps. Some of the apps are- WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Through these apps, we can share our thoughts, experiences, opinions and more.

Beneficial for a long-distance relationship-

In modern life and the digital era, social media platforms play a crucial role in nurturing long-distance relationships by bridging the gap created by physical separation. Couples maintain their personal relationships through instant messaging and video call platforms like WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, etc. Moreover, platforms like Instagram and Facebook enable couples to engage with each other’s interests, celebrate milestones, and provide emotional support.

Stay in touch with old friends-

Social media makes it easier to maintain a connection with our old friends over time and distance. Modern life of use provides us the features like instant messaging, video calls, and shared content, so we can keep in touch with our old friends. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and others allow us to build groups on social media through which an instant connection is maintained no matter where they are.

Maintain a constant touch with family members-

Social media platforms have significantly helped maintain a constant touch with family members, fostering stronger personal relationships. Several instant messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Instagram and more, are available there. Through these instant messaging apps, family members can share videos and photos.

Negative impact of social media on personal relationships

Miscommunication-

Emojis, GIFs, memes and other features available in WhatsApp and other instant messaging apps are increasing non-verbal communication. People started to rely on emojis and GIFs to express their feelings. This creates confusion in the receiver about the real feelings of the senders. As an interpretation, one can be taken as an example, where a sender is sending a laughing emoji to respond towards a serious issue. This can create an insensitive situation.

Feelings of insecurity-

In this era of social media, people love to overhype their presence on Instagram, Facebook and many other social media platforms. People love to share pictures of their vacations and luxury-full lives. The person who does not live luxury life and scrolling through their Instagram Feed might feel distracted and insecure. A feeling of jealousy might be created among them, which can indirectly impact their personal relationships.

Lack of in-person communication-

In today’s modern life, we get so distracted by our social media presence that we even forget to talk with our loved ones face-to-face. We used to consume social media everywhere, starting from having meals, going on trips, gathering and so on. In that case, the notifications from our social media handles also distract us from getting into deep conversations with our loved ones face-to-face.

Getting stuck in a loop of unrealistic expectations-

In most of the social media handles people used to showcase their idealised version of relationships. Social media couples always used to share their daily luxury lifestyles, hang out for pictures and more. All these factors create unrealistic expectations in us while maintaining a personal relationship with our partners.

Personal relationships maintaining tips

Prioritisation of our daily activities is the key to maintaining a healthy personal relationship with our loved ones. We need to make time for in-person meetings rather than doing chats through social media platforms. This can help us to build an emotional connection with our loved ones.

We need to set limitations for using social media. During gatherings or meals with our friends and family, we need to maintain a phone-free zone. We also need to stop comparing our personal relationships with social media couples because media often showcases idealized versions of life which might not be real.

Creating a balance between online and offline interactions can help to maintain a healthy relationship with our loved ones. Moreover, with online chats and calls, we need to maintain a face-to-face conversation, date nights, trips and other activities.

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