Is Social Media making us anti-social?

Sandra Tortajada, PR assistant, Clarion Communications, part of the WPP group

In this day and age where everything is at a click of a button, leaving your computer screen is becoming less necessary by the day. From contacting friends and family to giving the world a news update by sharing a photo in seconds, it’s no wonder that we are being tricked into feeling like we are being ever more sociable.

Utilising the power of social media is all part and parcel of any PR role - and if well executed, a social media campaign can reap great benefits to the organisation and its clients. But being a social media advocate myself, I’ve recently become more aware of this ‘social media culture’ that is shaping our society.

Our reliance on social media continues to grow, weakening our connection to the real world -and though it may not change us as a person, it’s certainly changing the way in which we do things in life: in the past, sending a card meant walking down to your local card shop, choosing something nice and posting it. Nowadays, it’s more popular to send a tweet or a Facebook post with your best wishes.

So, is it acceptable to write a short Facebook wall message instead of sending a birthday card?  Does 'Liking' or sharing a post give you a sense of involvement?  I can’t help but wonder whether doing so allows people to feel like they’ve ‘done their part’ and stops them from actively doing something to support it.

It also begs the question: is social media the only thing keeping us connected?

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