DRAFT #1
Social media has involved into an open diary for the world to see through someone’s post. Our world is verbally changing. These sites and applications have transformed communities into nonverbal texting societies. Social Media encourages us to interact with one another around the clock but it also causes us to be disconnected. This technology allows one to hide behind text, tweets, emoticons and status’ and allows the receiver to make up an emotional illusion that the sender perceives. This misinterpretation is one of the ways it effects relationships. If teens today have a problem with someone or an altercation they would rather talk it out in a text than talking on the phone or meeting up with that person. A study shows that texting and using other types of instant messaging such as Facebook or email can actually hurt rather than help relationships. On a survey that was recently done among 70 Snow College students, it was shown that 89% of those surveyed have had an argument with a significant other through text messaging or Facebook. Although texting is a handy tool, it lacks tone, emotion, facial expressions, body language, and eye contact. It is likely that the message can cause misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and even deception. The word ‘whatever’ is commonly misinterpreted because it has more than one meaning. In the survey, 42% said that they had a relationship with a boyfriend/girlfriend end, or be seriously affected by an argument they had through texting. Among the 42%, nearly all of those said that the argument, had it been held in person, could have been resolved. ( Drayton Ball ) Arguments can be solved much easier if you just meet up in person rather than text. Face-to-face confrontation allows one to see body language, eye contact, and emotion that way the message is not misleading. Misinterpretation doesn’t just happen through text with an argument but also with regular conversions. Like say, a girl gives a guy her number that wants to text. If she never met him is no way she would know that this guy could like her. She would call it being nice, and he might think she’s flirting. Now that could cause an awkward situation if she decides to meet him, because he perceived that he had a chance with her.