Is Social Media Really Social?

The question, "Is social media really social?" is quite interesting. Merriam Webster dictionary defines social as follows:

¹so·cial

 adjective \ˈsō-shəl\

: relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other

: liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people

: of or relating to people or society in general

They will need to update that definition as social in their definition meant sociable in presence. To me, the term social media is a medium to facilitate communication and sharing of information.  Indeed, we are having less and less conversations as the use and prevalence of social media continues. I am certainly guilty of that. On occasion, my daughter or husband have had to compete for my attention as I peruse Facebook or respond to text messages. I have had to consciously remind myself that this is but entertainment which can cause distraction from important issues at hand. That being said, I think social media serves an important function in our day to day lives because it makes communication "fun" and "interesting". Without it, I would not know what is happening with many of my friends and family. I learn interesting tips and facts, get news and important information quickly and instantaneously. However, I am also exposed to nudity, inflammatory and inappropriate information as well.

Social media use and texting has given many a voice and audience that they would not have had in person. People can "hide" behind who they really are and communicate freely. Messages allow people the ability to communicate in silence. Conversations call for audio. As we learned earlier, moods and emotions are expressed without the need for bodily cues. It has broadened the number of people I can communicate with simultaneously. Before that, one on one conversations would likely occur. I think that overall this is good as it represents progress. Progress usually represent some trade off of current practices. However, as with press releases, there will be some relevancy to having conversations instead of messages.