In this day and age, people use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, instead of having a face-to-face conversation in everyday life. Although this trend can offer some advantages, it can also be detrimental to a certain extent.
On the one hand, there are several benefits of people making contact with everyone through social media networks in their lives. The most obvious advantage is that people can communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere, provided that there is a technological device and the Internet available. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, a number of patients who must be isolated in isolation areas may get in touch with their relatives via video calls on Facebook or Zalo. Another merit worth mentioning is that social media sites are able to assist people in grasping information more quickly and effectively. The reason for this is that various sources of news are updated on several social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, which can allow individuals to stay informed about current events worldwide.
Nevertheless, the fact that the replacement of face-to-face contact with online communication can have some downsides. The first drawback is that the lack of directed interaction may lead to more misunderstandings. This is because, unlike online interactions, face-to-face contact can provide them with the opportunity to use body language in order to convey their emotions and messages effectively. Concerning the other downside, for people switching to social media for their social interactions, it is easy to be socially isolated and thus cause a lot of mental illness, particularly depression and autism. Since they seldom directly interact with people, they gradually forget how to express their emotions and make eye contact, which can result in obstacles to wholesome communication. And if this habit goes on and on, they can suffer from mental diseases.
In conclusion, while the increasing number of people using social media instead of face-to-face contact can be beneficial in some situations, this replacement can bring about some negative effects.