Free Essay on Interpersonal Communication in Age of Social Media: Impacts on Users

The report, "Interpersonal Communication in the Age of Social Media," was written by Anju and Srirang K Jha in 2019. The report addressed the impacts of Social media on the users' interpersonal skills. According to (Gulla & Jha, 2019), social media has become the most substantial means of communication by connecting people worldwide. However, it has affected how people interact in their traditional way by creating a virtual world that people are spending more time in, causing a significant challenge to civilization and, hence poor interpersonal communication.

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According to (Gulla & Jha 2019), interpersonal communication involves exchanging information among human beings. For interpersonal communication to occur, a person has to open up to another to create a trustworthy environment. The environment motivates people to reveal themselves. When two people meet for the first time, one of them has to start the conversation. (Gulla & Jha, 2019) shows that successful interpersonal communication requires skills from both parties. These skills include active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and using body language.

According to (Gulla & Jha 2019), interpersonal communication unfolds in five stages: orientation stage, Exploratory affective stage, Affective exchange, Stable exchange, and de-penetration. In the first stage, the strangers share little information, and they are very keen on their interactions. In the second stage, the parties become free and open up to each other. In the third stage, the parties become freer and increase openness to each other. In the fourth stage, the parties become more transparent and improve their interactions. lastly, withdrawal of some information may occur, leading to the end of the relationship between the parties mentioned above. (Gulla & Jha, 2019) shows that social media has changed the stages, leading to people staying in their virtual world. However, (Gulla & Jha, 2019) fails to prove that social media has done away with the communication stages. People in social media may interact personally and create a personal relationship concerning communication steps.

Fortunately, some social media are empowering people to connect with the real world, and therefore some hope of interpersonal communication is still in place. In social media communication (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.), interpersonal communication traditional rules are not applied. The information shared on social media is not creating any trusting environment. The information transferred is influenced by the behavior of the people around the person sharing.

Moreover, (Gulla & Jha, 2019) shows that social media leads to the erosion of traditions, leading to increasing misconduct cases. For instance, on social media, pieces of information about drug abuse are posted. Their viewers are likely to be influenced, and they may start taking the drugs because it appear fun among the users. Therefore, people may borrow some destructive behaviors from social media.

The most destructive effects of social media on interpersonal relations are the weakening of social ties, social alienation, and lack of face-to-face interactions (Gulla & Jha, 2019). According to (Gulla & Jha 2019), the conversation between a person using a mobile phone is different from that of a person without a mobile phone. (Gulla & Jha, 2019) found that people using mobile phones may not concentrate. They end up losing some essential points, and as a result, they are less sympathetic. On the other hand, two people in a conversation without their mobile phones better understand one another, hence becoming more empathetic. It is essential to stop using gadgets in the middle of a meaningful discussion.

Social media plays a vital role in our daily lives. They enhance our communication, and therefore we should take great care by controlling the way we use them (Gulla & Jha, 2019). Social media is very addictive, and hence it should be handled with great care.

Reference

Gulla, A., & Jha, S. K. (2019). Interpersonal Communication in the Age of Social Media. Review of Management, 9.