Is Social Media Better than Face To Face Talking?

Communication is an essential part of modern-day life. People need to stay in touch with various issues, which range from work and family life to social life. In this regard, there are key communication tools available to the people, which help fulfill the need for communication. Over the years, various ways of communication have undergone significant evolution with the main aim of attaining the objectives of communication. In the communication process, the goal is to deliver messages in a fast, accurate, and understandable form. Different communication methods help attain these objectives, while others may not. The aspect, therefore, leads to people preferring one form of communication over another. Some of the common methods of communication include face to face, through the use of social media tools, telephone, messages, letters, and video conferencing just to mention a few. From the provided list of communication methods, it is evident that people have numerous opportunities to get in contact and communicate with each other. As people continue to engage in communication activities, it should be understood that in the modern-day environment, social media is better for communication than face-to-face talking.

First of all, social media is better than face-to-face talking as it promotes a connection between different parties. In the modern world, one objective of communication is to ensure people remain connected at all times. Life has changed over a few decades, making people live in a frenzy of a busy lifestyle (Jergens, 2008). It is quite difficult with busy schedules to find time for physical meetings with friends, family members, and even colleagues at work. People are in a constant state of movement all over the world, which is putting a strain on communication channels. Therefore, people will prefer a mode of communication that allows them to stay in touch. Social media comprises different tools that ensure people stay connected. Some of the popular social media tools include emails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype, Wechat, internet forums, myspace, social blogs, and other web-based and mobile technologies. The social media tools do not require a physical meeting of the participants in order to have a connection (Marwick, 2011). The connection is enabled by social media approaches as they allow sharing of pictures, voice recordings, videos, and other forms that provide recently and up to date status of each party involved. Millions of people stay connected on Facebook, which is the most popular social media in the world. People who are miles apart and have not met in years stay connected through Facebook. Colleagues at work are able to stay in touch through emails and video conferencing. In addition, friends stay connected through social media, which allows them to make voice and video calling (Jergens, 2008).

Secondly, social media promotes the sharing of information among different groups of people. The tools available for social media communication are effective in achieving this goal. Recently, people have been relying on social media for information, including daily updates of news (Jergens, 2008). Different aspects of life make people employ social media in development and researching of new information and statistics. It is apparent that the sharing of information could not be achieved so effectively through face to face talking. In essence, face to face talking limits the number of audience in their ability to access information. Social media allows communication between two individuals for millions of people. For instance, a scientific breakthrough can be shared online and have millions of people aware of the development. One recent example of online sharing of information was during the Arab Spring. Social media was instrumental in the sharing of information as other forms of communication had been blocked by the administrations (Jergens, 2008). Facebook remained extremely useful in communicating necessary information in the Arab countries, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Algiers, Syria, and other nations in the Middle East. This would not have been possible with face to face talking. As a source of information, social media allows users to search for content, download, and use the content available on these sites free of cost. The information accessed and shared helps in the continued researches, enhances knowledge acquisition, and further studies on key areas of life (Hass, 2006).

Thirdly, social media is better than face to face talking as it provides a vast and rich platform for marketing. In the contemporary business world, firms and various organizations use social media as a marketing tool for offering their products and services in society. With millions of people using one or two or all social media tools as a way of communication, many organizations find the approach beneficial for marketing. The organizations resort to social networking sites and other tools to gather opinions on the existing and future products that are available or are going to appear on the market. Scholars agree that the use of social media tools is an excellent marketing strategy as it attracts wide attention from potential consumers (Marwick, 2011). The information collected in regards to their products and services helps in delivering merchandise redesigned to meet the needs of the consumer. Unlike the face to face talking, the use of social media is cost-effective as a marketing strategy. For instance, through a single post, a company communicates with millions of customers and potential clients at a minimal cost, and sometimes, the services are free of charge. Collection of information through face to face talking would involve major costs, especially in cases of widespread clientele. Social media allows repetitive communication with clients and customers about their products and services, and this can take place at any time and anywhere (Hass, 2006).

On the other hand, there are different opposing arguments to the use of social media tools in communication in place of face to face talking. According to the opponents of social media communication, face to face talking has major advantages, which override the ones highlighted in the above discussion. Social media as a tool of communication has adverse effects on the users. Scholars agree that the inception of social media mode of communication hinders privacy in communication, increases addiction to social media tools, and poses danger to users (Marwick, 2011). There have been numerous cases of breach of privacy of social media users, including companies and individuals. Accounts and information sites are hacked and private information of users accessed and used in the wrong way. Some of the social media tools contain personal information that should remain private. However, there are strict measures to ensure the information remains private. Due to many cases of a security breach, the concerned parties have introduced measures to curb the problem. Social media tools can be personalized to ensure maximum security of private information. Some of the tools implemented to ensure high privacy include passwords, recovery, and backup of information. In addition, many opponents of social media prove that their users are nowadays addicted to their phones, tablets, Ipads, and laptops, which are the main tools for social networking. There is an interruption of the social and family setting as everyone concentrates on social media (Jergens, 2008). However, it should be noted that this only applies to a limited number of people, as most of the population remain socially active. The social media tools allow the creation of groups, which help people to communicate and discuss pertinent issues.

From the above discussion, it is evident that people are becoming more dependent on communicating with friends and family members through social media. Despite its minor challenges, social media remains an instrumental mode of communication, both for personal and business use. Face to face talking is quickly losing ground as the challenges associated with the approach put a strain on the users. The need for a physical meeting that face-to-face talking requires minimizes the chances of attaining communication objectives. Today, social media is the key to communication for people of all races, age groups, background, and location. It is an accommodative mode of communication in modern times.