Written by Jenny Catton
With over 500 millionFacebook users and the same number of twitter users worldwide, there’s no questioning the popularity of social networking sites. But as people spend increasing amounts of time chatting, browsing and playing games on social networks, are they harming real life relationships?
Yes – Dawn
It feels like my two teenage children are permanently connected to either their phones or their laptops. Even when they’re at the dinner table or in bed, they’re accessing websites to chat to friends. Social networking sites have made it really difficult for me and my husband to have a proper conversation with our teens. Their attention spans are now so short that we can only talk to them for a couple of minutes before they get distracted and start reaching for their phones to check for updates.
My daughter also loves playing games on social networks – this means she often spends hours on her own in her room and doesn’t make time for other healthier hobbies. I often ask my kids why they don’t simply meet up with their friends in real life but they just shrug or say ‘Facebook’s easier!’
The other thing that’s unhealthy about social networking sites is the way that they make people view friendships as a commodity. Teenagers often brag about how many Facebook friends they have. I’m trying to teach my children that it’s better to have a handful of close friends that you can really trust, rather than 100 who you don’t know that well.
I think social networks are harmful. They are making our children lazy, turning them into couch potatoes and ruining the art of proper conversation.
No – Dylan
I use social networking websites every day and I would say that they actually enhance, rather than harm, my friendships and relationships. The thing I love is that they’ve made communication and socialising simple. I can easily keep in touch with people that I rarely see in real life – even people that live on the other side of the world, who I might otherwise lose touch with. Social networks are also great for planning social events as you can send invitations and make plans online, rather than having to phone or text everyone individually. Since Facebook came along, I’d say my real-world social life is busier than ever because it’s so easy to organise get-togethers.
There’s also a great sense of community on social networking sites. For example, a friend of mine recently put a comment online about what a bad day she’d had at work. Within minutes several of her friends had replied with supportive comments to cheerher up. Before social networks she might have sat at home feeling fed up but now with an instant online network of friends, she didn’t feel so alone.
In today’s modern world, people simply don’t have the time to meet up, or telephone a dozen different people each week. Luckily social networking sites allow you to keep in contact with people on a daily basis, helping to maintain friendships that might otherwise be lost.
