Esther+Han+RP+Post+5

Through all of my research, I have learned many different ways technology and social media can affect the social lives and amount of interaction people have. __Many people believe__ that social media can only effect the social skills of others in a negative way. However, this is incorrect because __//Human Kinetics// acknowledges__ that technology can also be a positive impact on the social skills of many people. People can connect with other people online where they might not be able to fit in as easily with people in their everyday lives. Through online networking sites and other means of communication, people are more easily able to overcome a "sense of isolation", and they can help maintain and mend relationships. __On the other hand,__ social media has many more negative repercussions on the social interactions of people today. __The Editor for UCSB's Student Newspaper, Melissa Niles, claims that__ social media and the use of technology may maintain relationships long distance, but relationships are also easily able to lose their meaningful sense through lack of face-to-face interactions. __It is often said that__ the rapid increase of the use of technology can negatively impact the social skills people have with each other. This is true because in //Human// //Kinetics//, the author states that television and video games can rapidly harm the social skills people have to communicate with others. When watching TV, there is "little opportunity for meaningful interaction", because all you do is sit there and ingest the information being delivered to you through social media and technology. Maura Keller of //Social Work Today// believes that social media and social networking can lead to dangerous consequences of cyber-bullying because certain messages and information being sent around via internet is probably less secure than something said to a person through face-to-face communication. __Maura also assumes that__ people will eventually become accustomed to the new technological advances in contemporary society. I agree, but also believe that this is not necessarily a good thing. Our society may be okay, but may not be as good as it should or used to be, without the increasing number of advancements in social media and technology.