Figure 1. Image presenting different social media icons; created by Michelle Grewe, gathered from Blogglearn.com.

How We Communicate and What We Say

Social Media’s Impact On Scociety

As a society, we are living in the age of the networking. Almost half (45.9%) of the world’s population uses the internet (The World Bank, 2018, p.2). The most common known and used sites are Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. These sites and others similar are useful means for entrepreneurs as helpful tools in advertising, marketing, networking, and consumer research (Vevere, 2015, p.130–131). For members of the military, social media is one of the fastest and easiest methods of communication with loved ones while deployed. Employers can use social media profiles to judge how well and individual may fit into their work environment and employees can find new opportunities for employment or advancement in their current career path. The increasingly common use of social media platforms is having direct effects on our communication as a society. Social media is an efficient means of communication but the effects of using it on our personal interactions could be perceived as either advancement or decline depending a person’s view of the topic. Social media has caused a more Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). based transition to the methods we use to communicate, as well as, simplified the language we use when communicating inside and outside of the internet.

Trading Out Methods

The first and most easily observed effect of social media is the methods of communication transitioning from face-to-face interaction to CMC. This transition breaks the barriers of distance as limitations to social connectivity, but the backlash of this transition is a trade of face to face personal interaction for convenience. Evidence of this trade is easily observed in the adolescent age groups, they are commonly spotted with phones in hand texting or scrolling through social media. This time spent on social media applications replaces interaction with friends as fifty four percent of adolescents, when asked about the topic, reported texting their friends outside of school rather than spending time with them in person (Ling, 2010). This type of social behavior is not limited to younger generations, adults also participate in similar actions. Daniel Perzzolla depicts the common workplace scenario of emailing a coworker for something simple, who is located conveniently within the office possibly even as close as the next desk over, following the well worded statement, “Society falls victim to using the most convenient possible form of communication at all times whether it be appropriate or not.” (Perzzolla, 2013, p. 1059) The commonality of CMC has guided the lack of need for intricacy in language.

New Language

The increase of CMC continues to bring a reform to the English language, simplifying and conditioning it down to one word phrases, acronyms, symbols and emoticons/emojis. There are different lingos on different social media platforms that are seeping their way into the language used in face to face interaction and when writing: ⃰ Text lingo is the most common as it is used across many platforms including various messengers other than short message service (SMS) text messaging. Some of the common used phrases and emoticons by adolescents along with their associated meanings are depicted in the Figure 1 below (Norman, 2017). ⃰ ⃰ Gaming lingo is less common and predominately used among the PC gaming community but has been adapted by members of the console gaming communities as well. This lingo uses acronyms more than symbols and emoticons. (Tőrők-Ágostont, 2017, p. 171). These simplified styles of communication are finding their way into both spoken and written language not only in those in developmental ages but also self-aware college students. In a survey of two hundred forty students, one hundred seventy-four noticed an effect of social media on the way they speak and write. This shows evidence that social media is impacting everyday social interaction outside of the internet. (Vevere, 2015, p.135). Perhaps observation of the those less aware may help provide better evidence to the real intensity of this impact.

Figure 2. Depiction of some secret texting slang used by teens. Image created by Bark Technologies, Inc. and gathered from an article by Ariyanna Norman published on the Kim Komando website.

Conclusion

There is direct correlation between the ever-growing social media presence and change in our communication as a society. Social media has caused a more CMC based transition to the methods we use to communicate falling away from face to face interaction as we choose social media over personal interaction (3). Because of this transition, the language used in everyday life is being directly impacted. Our spoken and written language is becoming more like that of the social media lingos, simplified and dependent on symbols and pictures (4). Further study needs to be conducted to understand how much this change could alter the current social norms for communication. The debate will more than likely always be present as to whether social media is good or bad but, as we increase our understanding on the impact and effects of social media the more guidance we have over our future.

References

Grewe, M. (2016, August 16). Free Social Media Icons Font And Images. Retrieved from Blogglearn.com: http://www.blogginglearn.com/2016/08/free-social-media-icons-font-and-images.html

Ling, R. (210). Teens, texting, and social isolation.

Norman, A. (2017). Alarming teen “sexting” lingo every parent should know.

Pezzolla, D. (2013). Exploring the role of social media on social behavior. Northeast Decision Sciences Institute, (p. 1059). Endicott.

The Kim Komando Show. (2018). Alarming teen “sexting” lingo every parent should know. Retrieved from KIMKOMANDO: https://www.komando.com/happening-now/404166/alarming-teen-sexting-lingo-every-parent-should-know.

The World Bank. (2018). The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. p. 2.

Tőrők-Ágostont, R. (2017). Education and social media. Journal of Media Research vol (2), p. 171. doi:10.24193/jmr.28.12.

Vevere, V. (2015). Impact of social media on interpersonal communication patterns. Societal Studies vol (1), p. 130–131, 135. doi:10.13165/SMS-14–6–1–08.