Social Networks: HELPING or HINDERING

Relationships? By: Lesley Hamilton

Photo by Gavin Llewellyn

Social networking has become a great way to

communicate with

friends,

family,

coworkers,

and romantic partners Photo by PinkMoose

Photo by the italian voice

But can too much

of a good thing

be a bad thing?

Photo by katerha

“Online self-disclosure was negatively associated with intimacy and satisfaction between couples." - Juwon Lee

Source: From bullying to relationships, mapping our online communications

Photo by William Christiansen

And once the romance is over…

“Facebook friends with an ex delayed

emotional recovery

and led to greater distress over the breakup, negative

feelings, sexual desire and longing for the ex-partner.”

- Tara Marshall

Source: How Facebook Ruined Dating (And Breaking Up Too) by Allison McCann

Photo by ganderssen1

In today’s generation

you don’t need to meet

people

to know them

Photo by daniellehelm

without having even

met them

Photo by Baddog_

However talking over social networks,

you remove important conversation tools like

body language,

tone, and

Photo by lovelornpoets Source: The Flight From Conversation by Sherry Turkle

Photo by oatsy40

And is it really such a

good thing to be

contactable

24/7?

Photo by Jhaymesisviphotography

Now, thanks to our smartphones, it is

never OK to be unavailable.

EVER.

Not for a minute. Source: He Texts, She Tweets, Are They E-Compatible? by

Elizabeth Bernstein

Photo by SashaW

Not only does social networking effect relationships with others,

but your relationship

with yourself

Photo by Daniela Vladimirova

Studies have shown that the comments on your Facebook profile picture strongly affect

your level of perceived physical, social and

professional attractiveness.

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie by Christine Erickson

Photo by angrylambie1

We rely on others' perceptions, judgments and

appraisals to develop our social self.

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie by Christine Erickson

Photo by Tobyotter

“The "looking-glass self" is a

psychological

concept that

suggests we

develop our sense

of self based on the

perceptions of those

we interact with” – Andrea Letamendi

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie by Christine Erickson

Photo by James Cridland

And yet we

have

sacrificed

conversation

for mere connection.

We live in a

technological

universe in

which we are

ALWAYS

communicating

Source: The Flight From Conversation by Sherry Turkle

v

Photo by danielrmccarthy Source: The Flight From Conversation by Sherry Turkle

Photo by dan taylor

And how many facebook friends, twitter followers, etc. do people

actually converse with, both online and offline?

Photo by andyarthur

It seems people are wasting time observing

the lives of others instead of living their

own lives

Photo by kodomut

We think constant

connection will make

us feel less lonely.

The opposite is true. If we are unable

to be alone, we are far more likely to

be lonely.

Source: The Flight From Conversation by Sherry Turkle