Impacts of social media and television on human interactions

Communication has evolved with advancement in technology and people keep finding new ways to interact with one another as well as learn about the world they live in. with the introduction of computer technology, the world has been reduced to a global village where people from different parts of the world can interact for various reasons like business, trade or for learning. The existence of social media and television for instance has a major impact on the knowledge that people possess as well as how they go about their daily activities. Through television, people get entertained, educated and gain a better understanding of the events that take place around them. Social media on the other hand acts as a tool for sharing information, interacting with friends and also informing the public. Due to their popularity, television and social media has a significant impact on the views and opinions that people have as well as the type of interactions.

Television serves the interest of the general public by keeping them informed, entertained and educated. People consider television an informative tool especially because of some of the programs aired. Various news channels collect information on events that take place both locally and international (Boukes, 2019). The information is collected by trained reporters and edited by trained professionals to ensure that any information broadcasted is factual and relevant. As such, members of the community have grown to consider television as one of the various tools that can keep them updated about events taking place around them. The importance placed on television gives it a significant level of control over the views that people have over events reported and therefore influences their public opinion (Boukes, 2019). The reporting further influences the views that people have through the way in which the news is broadcasted. If the reports are biased, there is tendency that the public will share the same opinions aired through the media and in so doing, mislead the public.

The content aired through television can also affect how people interact. The content aired on television often becomes a topic for conversation when people meet up. Colleagues and friends are likely to discuss the shows they watch or news reporting especially when they have a big impact on how members of the public go about their daily activities (Eysenbach, 2018). If, for example, the news reports focus on politics, the discussions held by the public are likely to revolve about political issue not only those reported but other general information regarding the state  of the nation (Eysenbach, 2018). The power and influence that television has over the people makes the influence even more intense as people rarely doubt the information aired especially by news channels.

The impact that television has on people’s opinions, views and every day interactions is further intensified by the nature of content shared. On a daily basis, there are various events that take place in different regions that are worth reporting. The information collected is however too large and those in charge of programming have to decide on what information to broadcast and which to do away with (Hemsley et al, 2018). This gives television the power to sieve information and in so doing, determine the type of content that is made available to the public. The shows aired are therefore a small reflection of the information that the television could showcase. Since people rely on television to get the topic for debate, the television’s ability to filter information also means that it controls what people talk about. 

Social media on the other hand is able to direct people’s views and opinions as it is used as a tool for interaction. Unlike in the past where people had to meet in person in order to interact, technology has brought convenience and people can communicate even when in different parts of the world. Social media serves the role of helping people overcome geographic barriers (Hemsley et al, 2018). Through it, people post updates about their daily routines; share information about a product they are using, and helps people to meet ad interact. The exchange of information creates the platform needed to discuss issues that occur in society (Hemsley et al, 2018). While people are free to share whatever pleases them, the topics tend to focus on what is popular on social media and therefore limits the possible discussions that members of the public could have.

When used correctly, social media also improves interactions between people as it makes it easier to plan meetings. Since communication is often instant, people can meet through social media, discuss ideas on possible places for meetings and then meet in parson. The ease and convenience in planning such meetings helps to improve interactions as people can make plans more conveniently (Flecha et al, 2018). To some extent, social media improves human interaction by making it easier for people to plan how to meet and even choose the best locations. It also makes it possible for those planning to show up for the meetings to enquire about details like time, directions and other information regarding the meeting. Although most of the information shared occurs before the actual interaction, the exchange among the members planning to meet increases the chance for the interaction to be successful.

When used correctly, social media and television are important tools used to keep the public informed. There are however negative outcomes that could result from using the two forms of technology. For both, there is the risk that people will spend more time using the devices than they do interacting at a personal level (Liggett & Ueberall, 2016). While communication through television and social media is just as effective as face to face conversations, the use of technology takes away the human touch in people’s interaction. This creates scenarios where people are more concerned about delivering their messages and pay little attention to the impact the message has on its intended audience. When people interact on a personal level, it becomes easier to identify traits that determine how the message is being received. Such an approach ensures that the message is received as intended and therefore has the desired impact (Flecha et al, 2018). Since people rely on information from the various social media sites and various news programs to form a basic understanding of their environment, having factual information ensures that the ideas and opinions they have are also factual. In such a scenario, television and social media helps to develop positive opinions and the views of the people are free from bias.

From a biblical worldview, television and social media comes out as tools that pull people away from the church. This is especially because the bible cautions believers against indulging in things that take their attention away from the church. “I will send no wicked thing before mine eyes; I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3, New International Version). For Christians, the bible verse instructs believers not to pay attention to wicked things. This however becomes difficult when such content is aired on television in the form of news. Reporting on issues such as war, rape, corruption, murder and other crimes that may be considered as wicked expose the public, including believers, to the same information cautioned against by the bible (Arias, 2016). Since the news reports are informative and shine a light on what evils exist in society, it becomes difficult for the intended audience to avoid such content and therefore go against the biblical world view.

The bible verse further instructs believers to hate the work created by people against the biblical world view. This is however difficult especially in the case of social media. Most of the content shared originates from sources that are difficult to trace. In order for believers to abide to the biblical world view, it would require them to stay away from any content broadcasted by non-believers (Enikolopov & Petrova, 2017). This is however difficult because a significant number of posts, including religious discussions, are carried out by people who may only want to share information but do not necessarily agree with the message. In the case for television, secular shows are often aired before or after religious shows. While sharing the same platform does not take away from the religious content and purpose, the biblical worldview strongly discourages association with non-believers. The impact that television and social media could have on people’s opinions and beliefs is therefore challenged by the biblical worldview especially due to the different types of content shared.

The last section of the bible verse requires believers to refrain from developing attachments to things that are not of God. This is however difficult to determine especially for television and social media because they are only tools. The message communicated is therefore determined by the individual using the tool and the purpose intended. If believers are to abide to this biblical world view, it would require them to avoid the television and social media altogether. This is however difficult as people have become dependent on television and social media for information about what is going on around them.

In today’s society, television and social media has become a major factor in people’s lives. The general information shared helps to shape up the public opinion and beliefs that people have. The two not only inform the public but also guides them on what to talk about and what issues to address. Although the public does retain significant control over what can be broadcasted or shared on social media, the content is designed to suit the needs of all members of public. With the various religious groups existing in society, television and social media cannot abide to only a biblical worldview as doing so would create religious bias. In order to fully benefit from the use of social media and television content, one must learn to discern which topics are ideal to follow and what shows can be watched without pulling one away from their religious beliefs. Rather than being controlled by the two modes of communication, people must learn how to use social media and television to meet their own interests.

 

 

 

References

Arias E, (2016) “How does media influence social norms: A field experiment on the role of          common knowledge” UNESCO

Enikolopov R and Petrova M, (2017) “Mass media and its influence on behavior” CREi

Flecha R, Marti S, Paulido M and Sama R, (2018) “Social impact in social media: A new method            to evaluate the social impact of research” PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203117

Hemsley, J., Jacobson, J., Gruzd, A., & Mai, P. (2018). Social Media for Social Good or Evil:      An Introduction. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118786719

Liggett R and Ueberall S, (2016) “Social media impacts behavior and norms” Citizens Crime       Commission

Mark Boukes (2019) Social network sites and acquiring current affairs knowledge: The impact    of Twitter and Facebook usage on learning about the news, Journal of Information     Technology & Politics, 16:1, 36-51, DOI: 10.1080/19331681.2019.1572568

Yeung D. (2018). Social Media as a Catalyst for Policy Action and Social Change for Health and             Well-Being: Viewpoint. Journal of medical Internet research, 20(3), e94. doi:10.2196/jmir.8508