Shaped by Social Media

NEW WILMINGTON, PA- Social media has become a huge part of the way we communicate these days. From Facebook and Twitter to Tumblr and Pintrest it's easy to connect with just about anyone in the world with the click of a mouse. Being 20 years old,  my generation didn't exactly grow up with these tools so much as they developed with us. Some say it limited the way we once communicated before the use of things like texting and instant messaging. Hindering what was once a natural way of life. But what about the generation after us? The kids learning math on Ipads instead of pencil and paper? Will social media negatively effect them? Some think not. I spoke with Associate Professor of Communications Studies, Theater, And Art at Westminster College Dr. Colleen Burke and she predicts that the next generation of youngsters growing up with this type of technology can develop healthy habits in communication development. 

 

In a standard definition, social media is defined as a type of  online media that expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers, viewers, and listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content (about.com). Some say media like this has harmed the communication skills of my generation. But the ones to come after me will have been raised on this form of media.

 

I asked Dr. Burke what the negative effects for my generation are other than the obvious things stated before. "Well I think in general people look right away to analyze new things. What's bad? What's good? So they're going to find something bad. And I think there are some negative effects."

 

Burke went on to say "People are getting accustomed with people this way. Instead of picking up the phone and calling someone, we text. Or instead of meeting somebody you talk to them on Facebook. So there are some aspects in thinking you have a social life when you really have very little face to face connection with people."

 

Now while many can agree with all of this, there have been some positives to this form of communication. According to Share This by Deanna Zandt "Social networks make it easier to connect with other people around hot-button issues…Social media also helps us learn more about people we already know, and in doing so, it demonstrates that even if we really wanted to, it's nearly impossible to surround ourselves with people who think exactly like we do."

 

 

 

Dr. Burke seems to agree telling me just how social media brings us together. "There's a sense of connection between people that's built through social media. And I think that some people who may not feel the ability to do that in a face-to-face way or in a classroom can excel in building some interpersonal relationships though social media."

 

Because of the seemingly unavoidable tool that social media has become in modern communication, I asked Dr. Burke about how today's youth will develop with all of this available to them at such a young age. She predicts that like anything, it this will find it's proper place. "I honestly think it's going to be better for those kids who are growing up in it because they'll see how it's managed. You (referring to my age group) were probably the worst case scenario. It wasn't a part of your life and then it became a part of your life in the middle or middle or high school. What do you do with that at 14?" 

 

Burke continued with "If you don't know what it is and how to fit it into your life it becomes something you just don't know what to do with. We don't know how it's going to fit or how it's going to shake out."

 

As our conversation continued, Dr. Burke brought up a point that to many should be a given. It really is up to the parents. "I think kids who grow up with it will hopefully be taught by parents (who didn't have it at all). It's going to take a while. I'm going to be responsible for raising kids who are going to grow up with it. I'm going to be responsible for giving them navigate how that plays a role in their life and doesn't become prominent."

 

Lastly I asked Dr. Burke basically if the upcoming generation of Tweeters and Facebook Friends will benefit from this way of living. Her response was " I don't know. I guess it will depend on how they are acclimated to it or how they do fit it in. How it kind of settles into becoming a part of their life. And its so dependant on so many things. It will depend on the parents approach and how they monitor it and how they guide and coach their kids. It will also depend on personality…There's so many different kinds of people and personalities and that I think is going to depend on a lot of things."

 

So from Dr. Burke's perspective I think we can agree that while it's reasonable to show worry or concern for the future of young social media users, there is still so much hope for them. Their development could not only be unharmed but possibly revolutionized. To quote Zandt in  Share This "We're living though the emergence of a complementary form of information distribution through social technology tools, one that has the potential to shift and, in many cases, dissolve the information hierarchies that have existed for thousands of years. The web is just now starting to realize some of its disruptive potential, and the digitization of out social networks give us a great opportunity to shift power dynamics away from those hierarchical constraints."