Nowadays, smartphones and online social networks are globally popular. However, some people have said that those have destroyed communication between friends and family. Actually, we may see some negative effects such as overuse of smartphones and social networks that seem to break the communication. Nevertheless, I disagree with the opinion above for three reasons.
The purpose of creating smartphones and social networks is not to break communication but to connect better. As we know, the companies that make smartphones and the platform of social networks have great benefit annually. This is because of the needs of communication that force people to use their products. In other words, smartphones and the platform could never develop greatly without the needs of communication. Therefore, realizing the importance of connection, producers invented smartphones and social networks and have improved them continuously.
Smartphones and the platforms of social networks have changed the way of communication. It is true that people have used letters to inform each other for a long time. However, the protocol is very slow and unsafe. Afterward, the telephone was invented. People can talk with their friends or family directly via the terminal devices. It is very fast and convenient but the cost is often expensive. With smartphones and social networks, we can both talk and see the other terminal through the camera. The providers build more and more services to connect users. For example, Facebook, well-known as the biggest platform of social
networks, lets users chat video via the Messenger application. Users can share everything and other users can comment on that. These have supported communication significantly.
The benefit from smartphones and social network is more than its bad effects. If users work on those correctly, many rewards can be acquired. On the other hand, if users do not use them in good ways, they may get troubles. That is, the bad consequences are because of the users but not because of either smartphones or social networks. For people living far from their family, as well as friends, smartphones and social networks are wonderful tools. Using smartphones to post a status on social networks lets many people see it. Thus, friends and family can understand the user’s situation. This is a kind of indirect communication. Besides, many platforms provide very good environments to work in groups. In those, members can collaborate with the others efficiently from far away. For instance, with Face Group, we can share ideas, documents, discussion, announcements, etc.
To summarize, smartphones and social networks are created for the needs of communication, so those have strengthened our communication but not destroyed it. Moreover, those are changing how people interact with others. Finally, to gain good or bad consequences depends on users but not on the devices or platforms, while those benefit significantly our life.
By Tan Nguyen