Social Media: What is Its Impact on our Primary Relationships?

 

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m discussing something that I’m sure is near and dear to everyone’s hearts. I’m talking about Social Media.

As an author, I rely on Social Media to get the word out about my books and events that I’m participating in. It’s a great way to make professional connections with other authors, bloggers, and reviewers.

****This photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. Photographer Fred Cavazza

Link to license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

However, that’s the business side of Social Media; let’s take a look at the personal side of it. Many experts feel that Social Media is weakening our primary relationships. When I say primary, I’m talking about our relationship with our families and close friends. The experts feel that people spend so much time building up their social networks that they neglect these relationships. In fact, this article states just that. To read more, click the link. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-social-media-affect-relationships.html

I can see where this would be a problem. However, I do see a positive side to Social Networking as well. I think it’s incredible that my child can communicate with another child from another country via Social Media. What a way to bridge the gap between different cultures. What a great way to learn something about another country first hand.

I see this as a great positive. In my opinion, a whole new world has been opened up for the next generation if it’s used properly. When I say if it’s used properly, I mean if it’s used in moderation.

Just like we don’t want our kids playing video games 24/7 we  don’t want them interacting via social media sites for that long either. We should use the same constraints with social media that we would for any new activity that our kids engage in. The motto around my house is that everything’s good in moderation.

We as parents can make sure our kids don’t forget about their “real life” friends by setting limits on the amount of time they’re on social media and making sure they’re involved in other things like clubs and sports.

If we do this then the negative impact from Social Networking will be less. I’m sure there’ll be some kids who abuse it, just like there are some who abuse alcohol, or text and drive.

That’s why it’s important to have parental involvement. If parents are close by monitoring their child’s activity on the internet, they’re less likely to get into trouble. I know. Famous last words, right?

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post today! If you have any insight on how to set guidelines for social media use for teens, please leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!