Social Media: Communication for the Multi-tasker

By: Ashley Rogers

It’s hard to believe less than twenty years ago, communication was simple. It was a phone call, a personal conversation and maybe an email or two. We often hear that life was easier or parents comparisons of the “good ole’ days.” However younger generations were born into a society that embraces technology, especially those that advanced personal connections.

In today’s world, technology is all around us. On a typical day, we see people talking on cell phones in cars, texting during class, uploading the latest pictures to Facebook pages and updating Twitter statuses. Instead of reading a book, we Google a webpage. Instead of calling a friend, we now text or video chat. Even music, movies and television shows are accessible on the internet.

Technology has become a way of life it seems. There is much debate though on whether it’s a better way. I recently surveyed a group of individuals that ranged in age, education and geographical location on their social media habits and overall feelings toward on the subject.

All but two of the people had the same social media pattern. They started with Myspace, then Facebook, followed by Twitter. The other two began with Xanga and Black Planet. Facebook remains the favorite and the one frequently visited by those surveyed.

Most admit to using social media anywhere from 1-2 hours daily. Another common trend amongst the users was that social media was not their only focus during their time on the social networking sites. In fact, all of them said they multi-tasked when chatting with friends, updating statuses and reading profiles. People often do homework, watch television and participate in other tasks while surfing the web.

I found that all of the people surveyed believe that social media has both positive and negative effects on communication. Some positive included connecting with old friends from grade school, strengthening relationships with people who live long distance, and sharing projects or thoughts with a bigger audience. Some negative effects of social media were the lack of personal interaction, distracting content and the inability to maintain privacy.

Though people acknowledge the possible negative outcomes of social media, all of the users surveyed continue to actively communicate through various social media outlets. It is my conclusion that social media will maintain its strong leadership role in connecting people, both personally and professionally, for years to come.