Relationships and Media

Relationship Maintenance using the Internet

Using the internet as a medium for maintaining relationships sounds like a good thing. People are able to maintain contact with one another using new media, and they are able to accomplish tasks through the internet therefore making more time for face-to-face. Although there are many positives, there also lie negative factors of using the internet as a medium for communication. For one instance, the internet causes people to remain indoors rather than networking or developing better social skills. People become reliant on the internet for their forms of communication, so when it comes time to meet face-to-face, they are not strong in face-to-face communication. Another problem with the internet is it allows people to do more work from home, so they are constantly working rather than spending quality time with others. The internet has become an excellent tool for work, research, social activities, and much more, but has interfered with the social lives of others. More people are spending more time on the computer, rather than maintaining their social lives in the real world. This has also affected familial relationships, due to the fact that people come home from work to essentially work some more. People are constantly reminding themselves of the positive affects of the internet and new media, but people also need to take a look of their personal lives around them. Are they maintaining their relationships outside the virtual world, or are the consumed by the virtual world? According to Baym (2004), “internet use does not bring radical changes to the structure and characteristics of social relationships” (Hlebec, Valentina, Manfreda, Katja, Vehovar, Vasja, 2006), which indicates that the internet does not have any radical affects on peoples social lives. The internet is a wonderful tool for leisure, work, and communication, but the internet needs to used as a tool and not as a lifestyle.

Hlebec, Katja, Manfreda, Valentina, Vasja, Vehovar. (2006). The Social Support Networks of Internet Users. New Media and Society, Volume 8, 9-32.

Article on Relationship Maintenance using the Internet:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3669/is_200407/ai_n9451851/pg_4

posted by Kayla Bratton @ 9:55 PM