Social media has many positive benefits to people, especially business people and the entertainment industry. However, it has a lot of potential of wreaking havoc on a relationship. It can decrease the time with a partner, cause conflict arising from hurt feelings or disagreements, and increase the chances of having missed connections. Michael Solis, a development writer, and the worker, has mentioned more ways social media affects relationships. For instance, he argues that social media has brought the whole liking phenomenon where when someone likes my thing on Facebook, they expect me to like something back of theirs. It is like an unspoken rule. You have to like it back even if it does not impress you. Therefore, social media has caused conflict arising from hurt feelings or disagreements, decreased quality of time with partner and attention, and increased chances of missed connections and hatred among people closely related to one another or even lovers.
Social media has led to conflicts that arise from disagreements or hurt feelings. Everyone in a romantic relationship can easily engage in the lives of those they care about, including their partner. We can easily and readily communicate with our partners, see their daily happenings, and feel more connected or separated from their preferences on social media. For instance, my spouse might post something that I did not want to be shared or have a belief in blocking exes while my partner disagrees. Also, she might ask me, “not about history or politics, but her blog. The conversation may admit that I had never read her blog”( Solis). Such actions and individual beliefs can hurt feelings and potential conflict in our relationship.
Moreover, social media can cause a decreased quality of time with partners and attention offered to each other. Recent research has revealed that social media negatively affects relationships, including decreased quality of time, irritation, and distraction. If individuals are engrossed in a social media site, they are likely to get irritated with their partner if they are interrupted. For instance, we all find ourselves hopping on a screen for “just a minute” to find out that we stayed for hours. Social media and screens distract us from our surroundings, making time pass quickly (Turkle 139). but the time we pass on social media is time we used to spend with people around us, especially partners. Therefore, either willingly or unwillingly, social media decreases the quality of time we should spend in our relationships, decreasing our sense of connection and satisfaction.
Lastly, WhatsApp has increased the chances of missed connections and hatred stemming from difficulties in reaching our partner’s emotional support during difficult times. The friend to Michael Solis’s mother, Mrs. Hartman, was not happy with Michael’s mother for not responding to her last two messages. She expressed her anger by saying, “If you don’t want to talk to me anymore, then so be it!”(Solis). This statement is among several other examples of how social media increases the chance of missed connection and causes hatred. It might have been true that Michael’s mother was busy and “didn’t have time to call her back” Solis). Otherwise, she might have had time but chose to ignore her. Such and other issues with social media have increased chances of missed connections and hatred that arise from missed bids, like where a friend or partner either turns toward you, turns away from you, or turns against you.
In conclusion, social media has caused conflict arising from hurt feelings or disagreements, decreased quality of time with a partner, and attention among people closely related or partners. For instance, people hop on social media for “just a minute” and consume time meant for people around them, especially partners. Additionally, social media sites engross people, making them likely to get irritated with their partners if they are interrupted. Such engross, among other issues with social media sites, the chances of missed connections and hatred stemming from difficulties in reaching our partner’s emotional support during difficult times.
Work Cited
Solis, Michael. “Social Media: Obstacle to Friendship/Love.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 26 Oct. 2013, www.huffpost.com/entry/social-media-obstacle-to-_b_3815356.
Turkle, Sherry. “‘The Flight from Conversation by Sherry Turkle.” HCCS Learning Web, New York Times. 22 Apr. 2012, learning.hccs.edu/faculty/charley.miles/engl1302-5/the-flight-from-conversation-by-sherry-turkle/view.
write