How Technological Advancements Have Shaped Social Media Essay

There is no question that technological advancements have shaped the way we carry out our daily lives . There is almost no escaping it. We rely on our cellphones and laptops for nearly everything. Face-to-face social interactions and confrontations are becoming scarce as technology allows teenagers and young adults to hide behind their phones and computers. Young adults, especially high school and college students, need direct social skills to work on group projects in the classroom or to give a good impression in a job interview. I have found oral communication skills to be a vital part of my University degree as it has helped me with various job interviews and presentations. The positive impacts of advancements in technology in terms of social progress are mostly rooted in connection and accessibility. These advancements have allowed the possibility to make new friends or find and connect with long lost friends or relatives. One can easily check in on another and have video chats with the click of an icon whether it be on your laptop or your cell phone using applications such as Facetime. Today many people link their social networking pages and email to their phones so they never miss a beat. The negative effects are due to the fact that people tend to experience less face-to-face interaction in favor of the ability to communicate over the internet or on cell phones (texting). The drawback is that sometimes people use these things as a replacement for in-person relationships. All too often you hear people saying â€Å"Text me† or â€Å"Facebook me†. Internet social interactions also often lead to misunderstandings. With messaging occurring via text or email, connotation and tone are often lost and it is easy for people to misunderstand each other. It is easier for people to become offended this way and can cause problems in relationships. It is evident that technology has really influenced the dynamics of social progress. Only time will tell how it will evolve but I personally believe the pro’s far outweigh the cons. One thing that is for sure is that online social interaction is not going to stop anytime soon.