#159 - Guest Post: Are we becoming too dependent on Social Media?

By Lakyn Tankersley

Social media has completely altered the way that we communicate with one another. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, just to name a few, have  changed modern communication.

Social media is rampant these days, and since we live in a technology dependent world, some of us are becoming so reliant upon the amenities at our disposal from the Internet to smart phones, to video games and even our household conveniences (the washer/dryer, microwave, television) that we are lost without our tech tools and toys.

Lately, I find myself wondering if we aren’t too dependent upon social media, in particular. When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is check my email, Facebook and Twitter accounts. I know I am not alone in this. And, it’s not only my generation that's affected. LinkedIn is now an absolute must for job seekers. I've noticed that my parent’s and grandparent’s are using social media almost as often as my friends and I do.

Social media has slowly become a primary way we communicate. Is it too easy to skip meeting face-to-face to talk about anything anymore? We are choosing more and more often to send emails and text messages instead of actually calling or getting together. Cell phones may have made our lives more convenient, but it is the ability to access social networks via our phones that has truly changed the nature of relationships, in my opinion.

I hate to admit that we might be becoming too dependent on social media. If talking in person becomes a thing of the past, what’s next?

Lakyn Tankersley is a senior Organizational Communication major/Journalism minor at Murray State University (a fully accredited university in the beautiful lakes region of West Kentucky). Lakyn is passionate about music and communication. She plans to graduate in December 2011 and pursue a career in Event Planning. For more information contact: lakyns.events@gmail.com