More and more people are choosing to socialize online rather than face to face. Is this a positive or negative development?

It is becoming increasingly common for people to meet and talk to their friends online
instead
of in person. In my view,
this
trend should be perceived as negative for two main reasons.
Firstly
, given the absence of a human touch, which is an integral part of an engaging conversation, it is highly unlikely that genuine and lasting relationships can be formed.
Although
it could be argued that social network
users
can easily make friends with complete strangers,
the
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relationships are often temporary. To illustrate, in spite of the ability to see each other’s faces via video call, they cannot observe body language, non-verbal cues, and facial expressions as much as they do in face-to-face sessions. Not only is the communication less emotionally
involving
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, but it can
also
cause misunderstanding, which may develop into personal conflicts. It is,
therefore
, clear how
this
type of interaction would hamper the development of true friendships.
Secondly
, since those socializing online may be misled into believing that everyone else is living their best life, it can potentially lead to unhealthy competition
as well as
feelings of jealousy.
This
is mainly because most social media
users
, especially young and innocent adults, overlook the fact that what is seen on social media does not necessarily reflect
the
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reality. Some
users
,
for example
, may show off their happy family life, pretending that they have loving families
while
the reality might be quite the opposite.
Thus
, being constantly exposed to others’ seemingly ideal life, social media
users
will possibly need to deal with depression, which, in turn, can have a detrimental effect on their mental well-being.
In contrast
, when socializing directly, people probably do not have the compelling urge to be pretentious, and therein lies a better chance of creating a positive emotional bond.
To sum up
,
this
essay examined the potential drawbacks associated with socializing online, which are the difficulty to create strong connections and the possibility of facing depression. I,
therefore
, remain firmly convinced that the growing trend in social interaction can only be seen as a negative influence on society.
Submitted by misstiasclassroom on

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