Growing up, we probably have all been told by our parents not to talk to strangers. As more and more people, especially kids, are gaining access to different channels of technology and social media, I think this lesson applies here more than ever.
Honestly, when I was a child, I did not have any social media accounts until my parents thought I was mature and old enough to do so, which was probably when I was around 13 years old. Nowadays, you see kids anywhere from seven or eight years old who are active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and the relatively new one, TikTok. I find this very troubling just because of the uncertainty and danger that social media can bring anyone at any age.
Other than kids, I think adults should take heed in who they are interacting with online and I think this plays in part with the 'friends' we add on Facebook and other social media platforms. Personally, I only add someone as a 'friend' if I have met them face to face. However, I know a few people, including friends of mine, who accept anyone's request, even if they have never met them in person. While that is definitely their decision, I think it is still important to note that some people on social media are not who they are in real life, so I think it is beneficial to somewhat monitor the 'friend' requests that you are receiving and maybe ask yourself if they are remotely close to being your 'friend' in real life and should they have access to your online information.
Ultimately, when we consider the number of requests or friends we are adding on social media, I think for the most part it is a quantitative matter rather than qualitative. We become so fixated on how many people we are 'friends' with on social media, that we lose focus on the quality of such relationships. The number of people who 'follow' us has truly become a social media competition that I feel we are all guilty in thinking about or participating in.
In an article from ScienceAlert that focused on a study of 3,000 adults stated that "there is an inbuilt constraint in our brains on the size of social networks that even the communication advantages of online can't overcome." In other words, social media lacks in the quality and benefits that come with face-to-face interaction with other people. The article goes on by adding that social media even may lead to other disadvantages such as friendships falling apart due to the inability to maintain it face-to-face.
Moreover, I think this plays hand-in-hand with the idea of who all we are interacting with and adding to our social media circles. First and foremost, I think it is important to build an in-person relationship with someone before adding them on social media and then maintain that relationship on platforms if we see fit.
With all that has been said, I hope the one thing you took from this post is to be cautious and aware of who you are adding to your circle on any of the social media platforms you are active on. I have to remind myself occasionally to not get so tied up into the world of social media because there are definitely areas in which it lacks in. I like to think we should be just as, or more, active in in-person settings when compared to our activity on social media because that is a huge advantage in communicating with those around us.
I am curious to know your viewpoint on 'friends' through social media. Do you accept any friend requests even if you have not actually met the person in real life? Or are you like me and only accept or send friend requests from or to people you have interacted with face to face? I would love to hear your feedback so be sure to leave a comment below!
To anyone reading this, thank you for checking out my 'column' and I hope you can visit me again for next week's post. Stay tuned!
-CC
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