The Impacts of Social Media Utilization on Communication.

Technology has revolutionized modern society. Communications have been

revolutionized by the advancement of new technologies in the telecommunications
industry. Our lifestyles have been remarkably improved by technological
advancements, which have affected all aspects of our lives. There is no doubt that
technology has allowed us to utilize different inventions, equipment, and our
communication methods. Furthermore, it has had a direct impact on communication
techniques, resulting in a huge advance from old to modern means of
communication today. Technology provides social media to society as a form of
communication and socialization.

Social media facilitates sharing of text, and multimedia virtually. It is a digital

technology where social media allows users to share content, interact online and
build communities. The various types of media are known as Facebook, YouTube,
Instagram, Twitter and so on. By using social media, people can easily connect with
other individuals by exchanging information. No doubt social media is surely
impacting the way people live and communicate with one another. According to Ortiz
(2019) social media has changed the world. The rapid and vast adoption of these
technologies is changing how we find partners, access information from the news,
and organize to demand political change. More than 60% of the world’s population
uses social media as their way of communication. Nowadays social media is
applicable to any aspect of a person’s life. Boyd (2006) regarded social media as
one of the most important online tools as a means of communication that
appropriately links people together world-wide.

In today’s world communication is important, whether it be verbal or nonverbal. The

range of communication expands due to the growing technology and social media
platforms and becomes a tool for social interactions. The rapid-fire communication
style that captivates millennials and other generations has altered the conversations
we have away from 'face-to-face' and toward 'on-screen' scenarios. Different forms
of communication style bloomed because of social media. The use of emojis, gifs,
stickers and other multimedia is now popular to add more feelings and visualize
one's thoughts. It easily helps people to convey more emotion and expression as
images process information quicker than text, the development of these has led to a
huge improvement in the communication styles of the people.

Social media has an important role in our society. According to (Frentasia, 2012), the
ease of communication is one of the prime reasons for social media emerging as a
trend. It offers a two-way interaction model, where people can communicate with one
another, even when they are miles apart at no too little cost.

Social media and communication have a direct connection to each other, and both
have a strong impact on the outcome of the other (Matier, 2021). Social media may
be used in various ways. It can be used in education where it provides a direct
communication tool between student and teacher and allows e-learning
opportunities. It can also be used by business owners to reach out to their potential
customers by using proper social media marketing strategies like online promotions,
advertisements, and commercials. Numerous businesses use social media to market
their products or services, interact with consumers, and increase brand awareness.
Businesses provide advertising choices for reaching out to specific consumers and
analyzing the performance of promotional campaigns. People utilize internet media
to get information, exchange knowledge, publish stories and discuss issues. Several
individuals, social media has become an important source of news and information.
Users may keep up with current events and subjects of interest by following news
organizations, journalists, and influencers. It builds communities like Facebook,
twitter and TikTok to share information, news, and updates all around the world.
Social media has an unlimited power to influence communication. During the Covid-
19 pandemic social media provided information documents where people can read
and understand the virus and current situation of the country. During the Pandemic
content sharing on different social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, twitter and
YouTube helped the people to stay entertained. Despite the numerous benefits
offered by social media, it also poses challenges. Responsible and mindful usage of
social media is essential to maximize its benefits while minimizing the associated
risks.

Social media can bring positive as well as negative impacts on the communication
skills of people. Social media has changed the way people interact, today the
communities are getting smaller and closer with one another. The media positively
impacted the way we communicate, like how information moves faster in the blink of
an eye. By allowing people to interact and keep in contact with others across long
distances, social media has heavily boosted connection. It enables people to
connect with friends, relatives, and acquaintances beyond borders while boosting
global communication and cooperation. People use social media to be able to
connect and boost confidence with themselves and find it a place where they can
freely express their thoughts. Posts, comments, and messages on social media sites
are largely used for textual communication. Through social media, people are
exposed to a wide range of views, cultures, and ideas from across the world. This
promotes cross-cultural discussions, affection, and comprehension. It allows users to
communicate with people from other backgrounds, encouraging interaction and
encouraging worldwide citizenship. Individuals' written communication abilities can
develop as they practice expressing their thoughts and ideas in a straightforward and
effective manner. To some extent, it can also improve spelling, grammar, and
vocabulary. According to research, social media platforms such as Facebook and
Twitter enhance students' overall language learning. Social media use has been
shown to increase learners' grammatical complexity and vocabulary acquisition and
learning in connection with language skills, according to several studies. In relation
to language skills, several studies have found that social media contributes to
learners' grammatical complexity and vocabulary acquisition.

Social networks have become a key means of communication with friends, family,
and acquaintances in our daily lives. However, even with the numerous positive
impacts of social media in the communication skills of people. It cannot hide the fact
that it still has its negative impacts. In interpersonal communication, it is negatively
affected, and our relationships are suffering as a result. In addition to the
impoverishment of language caused by the extensive use of social media platforms,
social media also impairs communication skills. For the purposes of typing and
delivering their messages quickly, people often use shortened versions of words on
messengers. In addition, abbreviations such as "k", "ttyl", "ur", "der", "gr8", "cu", "tc"
completely damage grammar and syntax. Using social media also promotes the use
of slang terms, and people frequently forget that they are neglecting the beauty of
language when they are so engrossed in their smartphones. In day-to-day scenarios
social media has impaired the ability of people to interact and lessen the real time
socialization. Communication skills also deteriorate as new generations are born into
the social age. It affects their ability to properly communicate in person with peers.
According to Edwards (2015) a big change that has occurred by social media is that
there is now no filter on the way we speak. This means that people that engage in
social media express their messages more freely without any hindrance and
limitations. Social media also affects our writing techniques which introduced the
abbreviation and summarized text and messages. The addictive characteristics of
these platforms might lead to an upgrade or rise in narcissistic behaviors and
personality traits. It can result in hyperactivity, hostility to authoritative figures, and
overall inattention.

Social media is no exception; it provides many opportunities in the communication

process. As stated above there are different ways social media utilization can be
used, like in education, business strategies, and building communities. People
mostly now depend on social media because of its unlimited power to communicate
and reach different people. There is no doubt that it has proven its effectiveness and
importance, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Where the rise of the
different media platforms made it more efficient to use by the people. The different
traditional practices like face-to-face transactions, shopping, and different services
are now replaced by ecommerce, online transaction, and service. People are now
switching from traditional to online interaction since some people benefit from it, it
boosts their confidence in terms of communication. As time passes by, the higher the
benefit that people gain from it, the higher the adverse effect, not just in
communication but also in their emotional and mental well-being. This study showed
the different impacts of social media in the communication of the people have both
positive and negative effects. Some of the negative impacts include its effect on our
confidence and capability to communicate with people. The numerous downfalls of
social media should raise awareness to people especially to those people that are
now highly addicted to the media.

It is critical to be aware of the effects of social media on communication and to utilize

these platforms properly, balancing online and offline connections. There are some
recommendations from the researcher to avoid the adverse effect of social media in
communication to maximize its benefit. Communication skills are affected by a
variety of factors including social media, but it is not the only factor. Communication
skills are also developed through real-life interactions, face-to-face conversations,
and other forms of communication apart from digital media. Developing critical
thinking skills, following cyber etiquette, and prioritizing well-being can help avoid
any adverse effects yet maximize the benefits of social media communication. It is
recommended to use social media responsibly, anything that can be posted online
can bring both positive and negative impact which can affect some’s life. Following
creating a healthy and safe environment while using a media can bring to people
closer and reducing the adverse effect of the social media.
Research Title: The Impacts of Social Media Utilization on Communication.

Introduction: Background of social media and how it can be utilized for communication.
a. Overview about Technology and the social media
b. How social media Influenced Communication
c. The Importance of social media

Body: Impacts of social media on Communication.

a. The Different Ways how social media can be used in the society.
b. The Positive and Negative Impacts of the social media

Conclusion
a. Summary of the Study
b. Conclusion
c. Recommendations
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