Social media. It connects people from all over the world. You see things you would never have seen otherwise. A great concept, you might think. Yet social media has a downside. Is it possible that social media, despite the name, is making us lose our social skills?
Also read: Why is there such a strong longing for the past?
Prefer social media over a social gathering
According to research by a sociologist, the number of adolescents who meet friends almost every day decreased between 2000 and 2015. This did not decrease just a little, but by as much as 40 percent. People meet up much less and instead, they spend time on social media. We exchanged hours of chatting for hours of sitting behind a screen. He conducted a survey that received 1,700 responses. This showed that young people with screen time of two hours or more are twice as likely to become socially isolated. This means that someone has few or no meaningful relationships. This research was from 2018. Nowadays we consider two hours of screen time to be little and the average screen time per day is six to seven hours. It seems like we would rather use social media than go to a social gathering.
Online contact is not a substitute
Online you may have 300, 400 or 500 followers who you follow back. You know them, speak to them once in a while via an app and see photos of their lives. Isn’t this also a form of being social? Why doesn’t it feel the same? Several studies show that social media is not a substitute for real social bonds. It affects social skills because we lose experience in non-verbal communication. This makes it more difficult to understand people’s body language.
Loneliness
As a result of fewer social skills, people have a harder time making friends. We come into contact with each other less. This leads to more loneliness and depression. When you think of loneliness, you probably think of the elderly. It is almost unbelievable, but young people feel lonely more often than older people. According to research by the EenVandaag Opinion Panel, it appears that four in ten young people feel lonely at least once a week. The same research shows that one in ten older people feels lonely once a week.
Put yourself out there
Do you recognize yourself in this, but do you want to improve your social skills? Then look for people. Take part in a group sport, club or something else that you like. By spending less time on social media and visiting people, your social skills will automatically improve. Of course it is also fun to get to know more people and make friends. Your mental health will thank you too.
