Social media is becoming an integral part of our life. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, or other sites available in today’s digital age, these communication modes are consuming society. While social media platforms are considered one of the greatest communication innovations, they also come with both a positive and negative impact on its users. Users of these sites must understand the risks of reduced social interaction, exposure to crime and offenses, and the potentially dangerous situations that may occur, as they choose to enter the era of social communication.
The use of social media has exploded between 2003 and 2013. A Pew research report shows that adult online users of social media sites have increased from eight percent to seventy-two percent (Brenner). With this surge in use, some believe that users are losing the ability to interact personally. Susan Tardanico writes, “In an ironic twist, social media has the potential to make us less social; a surrogate for the real thing.” Our digital age makes it easier to go through life with limited personal contact and interaction, reducing our exposure to the emotion and ideas of others. Personal communication involves interaction where, according to Dr. Liraz Miragalt, “we are continuously processing wordless signals like facial expressions, the tone of voice, gestures, body language, eye contact, and even the physical distance between them and us.” Social media allows us to bypass these signals and not know what the person is truly trying to communicate. Social media posts express an idea or sentiment, but readers cannot fully understand the author's true meaning or emotion without seeing these signals. While the use of social media allows us to expand our reach and reconnect with old friends or family, it has also allowed us to find the dark side of communication. In face to face discussions, there is always an unwritten social contract on a give and take of id...