To add to this online debate on social media, I’d love to put forward my thoughts too.
I believe many of us use smart phones and download lots of apps for communication. Those social media really influence our daily lives especially the communication with people.
There are many apps for people to make new friends or chat with old friends such as Skout, Line, Wechat, Whatsapp, and so on. People can now use the apps to connect with their friends and family members by sending text messages or even voice messages. It is so convenient and cheap that almost all people who have a smart phone would use them to chat with others instead of writing a letter. Also, in the past, people needed to talk with people face-to-face if they want to make new friends, but now people only need to find people they are interested in and send messages to them by using the apps. Therefore, people would love to text their friends and make new friends online much more than talking face-to-face as it’s convenient.
What’s more, social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Weibo are very popular among youngsters. They can share their status with photos, locations or links. At the same moment, people can know their friends’ or maybe their idols’, celebrities’ status. By using these social networks, people can contact with others without meeting, calling and writing letters. Friends overseas can also see your status and know what you are doing by looking at your ‘wall’. Posting status on social network is somehow the fastest and most convenient way to let everyone who has added you as a friend or follow you on the social networks find out what you think and do at what moment. They can press ‘like’ and give comments below one’s status or photos freely in a very simple way without talking to them directly.
Furthermore, forums are a kind of social media. There are many popular forums all over the world which attract over ten thousand people to browse through every day. The most famous one in Hong Kong is Golden Forum and people will share their opinions on different topics like relationships, news and games. People can also chat with netizens that they have never met in reality. People can express themselves freely on those forums. As most of them don’t use real names and real pictures, they don’t need to worry about others finding out their identity.
To sum up, social media does change the communication between people. It breaks time and space so that people can communicate with others anytime and anywhere. Unlike in the past, communication has now become convenient, easy and time-saving, people only need to sit at home and use the apps. But meanwhile, people’s relationship is alienated because they don’t really meet up and talk directly.