COM-127 7-1 Discussion: Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills

In Module Seven of the communication class on the topic titled, Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills, you will find the ways in which social media has changed the way individuals interact and communicate in all spheres of life . As one of the most significant inventions of the current world, social media systems bring the ability of instant connection through accounts and other features, but with it comes a very mixed bag of effects to such facets of learning and socialization, as well as communication. 

This how-to COM-127 guide will help students follow the presented steps to analyze these effects and provide valuable input in interactions to address other students’ stories and perspectives.

For your initial posting, answer the questions below.  Do you think social media and online communication have positively and negatively impacted social skills and communication in our society, domestically and globally? Why or why not?

Impact of Social Media on Communication Skills 

To respond to this initial posting, follow the Owlisdom guidelines below and answer each question step by step.

• Think critically about how gaining new connections can happen now with the use of social media.
• Consider the possibilities of touching the target groups on an international level and using real-time communication.
• Evaluating the Negative Impacts: Enumerate possible risks, which include decreased live communication and weak relationship experiences. 
• All the conclusions in any given argument should be backed by supporting examples that may be personal or sourced from other material.

Example

Social media undoubtedly has changed the way we interact domestically and internationally; it has affected our social skills. On the positive side, the Internet and, in particular, social media like Twitter and Facebook, whereby a commoner can easily use and send information around the world anytime, have made it really easy to have access to people and make friendships that were unthinkable in the past.

What specific challenges and barriers in communication, if any, do you think social media reinforces in our society and globally?

 Challenges and Barriers Reinforced by Social Media 

• Distinguishing between hacking, Vandalism, and Misinformation
• Review how text-based communication context is frequently missing.
• Think about language differences, cultural differences, and differences in access to, or lack of access to, new technology that will hinder international communication.

Example

The use of online communication has eroded interpersonal communication skills (Kalkhoff et al., 2020). The character of social interactions on sites can be relatively brief and not very deep, which negatively influences face-to-face communication.

Have you relied predominantly on online communication (e.g., texting, instant messaging) in your personal and professional circles instead of in-person meetings or phone conversations? Has anything been lost or gained from this transition?

 Personal and Professional Communication Preferences

• Take stock of your own perceived communication behaviors with people in your environment. 
  
• Explain what has been left or received in return, for instance, time versus the quality of communication.
  
• How do you rate the quality of communication and the relationships that are affected by these changes?
  
• You should use personal examples or personal observations.

Example

Additionally, I have found that in my interpersonal interactions, I prefer using text messages and instant messaging to face-to-face conversations. This has, at times, resulted in some confusion owing to my inability to support words with gestures, which go a long way in completing the messages.

Are we losing the art of communication? Is the language of textease and tweeting adversely affecting students’ ability to write effectively and efficiently in their academic coursework and beyond in their careers?

 The Evolution of Language Skills in the Digital Age 

• Explain the impact of social media’s English, particularly text ease and emojis, on the writing and communication skills required in school, college, and later in professional life.

Example

In other words, social media has provided us with a way to interact with people globally but has also brought new problems that could threaten the richness of face-to-face interactions.

What is your reaction to your peers’ viewpoints about the impact of social media and online communication in our society? Do you agree or disagree, and why? Have you had experiences similar to your peers’ in using social media for personal and professional communication? Has anyone (e.g., parent/grandparent, professor, employer, friend, or significant other) ever complained to you or given you feedback about the lack of quality in such communications?

Peer Responses

I am aware that seeking others’ opinions and responding to peers’ queries is compulsory. But sometimes, we have to explain questions better and more professionally. Some discussion posts, like the COM-127 7-1 Discussion: Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills, might request the responses of peers. It is, therefore, easy to answer any question by following the following guidelines.

• Begin with your first feeling about your peer’s post. In addition to that, it will be helpful to point to one or two issues/themes that you consider profound or provocative.
  
• Give a reason as to why you agree or why you disagree using facts, references, or examples from real-life experiences.
  
• Think about how deep their examples are and how they substantiate their generalizations on the effects of social media.
  
• Give examples of incidents that may relate to what has been said by other discussion participants. This could range from how to use social media in your personal and professional daily livelihood.
  
• Describe to what extent these experiences agree or disagree with your peer’s opinions.
  
• Have you received any response from others (family, professors, or colleagues) concerning the use of social media in communication?
  
• List down specifics on whether this feedback exposed a poor quality in the communications you write and read and how it altered your reception towards digital communication practices.
  
• Ask questions that will lead your peers to elaborate on ideas they already presented or suggest another point of view. 

Response 01

Thank you for your moderation in concerns about the effects of social media on communication skills. Despite the fact that nowadays, social networking sites did not previously allow people to interact in terms of actual social interactions, the new era of social media is full of challenges in terms of the depth of social interactions (Kalkhoff et al., 2020). As you mentioned, fearfulness and flow increase with the years, which might lead to a general decrease in people’s EI and empathy. I have noticed the same tendencies within my kin. I have also learned from some professors who complained of cases where the quality of written works submitted was down. They underline focusing on the most comprehensive requirements of formal academic style in order to get us ready for work in professional fields. From that angle, we have to make sure we follow and maintain these standards in our written works so as to improve our academic performance and ensure that whoever is on the receiving end of our communication sees us as competent and experienced.

Response 02

Based on the premises of COM 127 7-1 Discussion, which requires us to write two peer replies. I have answered the given instructions in one of my responses. By so doing, the below instructions provide help in writing the peer response to the 7-1 Discussions with ease.

Closing

In COM-127 7-1 Discussion:  Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills, we have explained in detail how social media has immensely affected communication skills, and then we have moved into the topic’s issues and benefits. However, as you proceed to practice this discharge of conversation, remember to critically self-apply how these social and digitally enhanced interfaces mediate our interactions as well as the prevailing social norms. Knowledge of such tendencies is crucial for academic utilization and communication in the context of individual and professional growth in the context of digitalization. We hope you nail this COM-127 7-1 Discussion: Implications of Social Media for Software Skills in Undergraduate Communication. Good luck!
In the next module of this course, COM-127, we will discuss 7-2 Project Submission.

Reference

Kalkhoff, W., Dippong, J., Gibson, A., & Gregory, S. W. (2020). Society in Peril? How Distance Media Communication Could Be Undermining Symbolic Interaction. In R. T. Serpe, R. Stryker, & B. Powell (Eds.), Identity and Symbolic Interaction (pp. 317–338). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41231-9_12