Do We "Like" to Communicate Honestly?

At CEC Associates, we focus much of our efforts on human ways to make the new technologies work, which often involves examining the ways in which these new technologies don’t work. A recent article in CounselingToday by Jennifer L. Cline explores the ways that Facebook actually disconnects us socially, despite its self-proclaimed mission statement to “give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”

In her efforts to understand the “plugged in” generation, Cline met with 55 college students, a demographic which makes up the bulk of Facebook’s users.  Through her conversations, she learned that the students preferred open, face-to-face communication experiences.  However, the students also noted that they felt pressured by the spontaneity associated with embodied conversation and felt socially vulnerable when engaging with someone face-to-face.  Using social media is a convenient way to bypass these everyday challenges while still having their interpersonal needs met.  Cline noted that some of the subjects would use social media to “appear occupied” and unavailable for live conversation.  Additionally, even though the majority of members of the group claimed that they preferred live, open dialogue, many people admitted that they would still use social media to resolve conflict, even if the other person was in the same room as them.

It is no surprise that many of the students interviewed acknowledged that they wished they were more adept at relating to others face to face.  The reluctance to engage in open, authentic communication seems to drive people to rely on using social media instead, which in turn causes them to feel less able to converse using face-to-face conversation.  This cycle impacts our ability to truly understand each other on a daily basis.

How do you use Facebook to communicate?

Do you feel that you use Facebook to communicate effectively or does it provide a roadblock for authentic communication?

How can we communicate better with each other while remaining in touch with social media?