Has social media changed the way in which we communicate for the better?
Here are two fantastic TED talks in which Jon Ronson and Sherry Turkle discuss the impact of social media on the ways in which we communicate in the 21st century.
Jon Ronson: When online shaming spirals out of control
Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?
What do you think of the way in which we communicate with each other now? Has social media had a positive impact?
English at Lutterworth College 
prior to watching the ted talks I had a general understanding of the efficiency media provides to communication however media was also in my mind a very controversial topic.
Ronson mentions the impact social media platforms ability to misrepresent and ruin people’s experiences of general appearance in the public eye, further more the protection that social media provides to perpetrators of such an act through hiding their identity the lack of perceived barriers or restrictions on what we can say this leads advertising to represent “trending” suffering of people as a way to draw attention and in turn drawing our attention away from the moral acts of crisis caused by media.
To add to this the concept of cancel culture being advertised and used as an attention grabber.
This in turn pushes people away from comfort in and prevents the concept of freedom of speech taking effect.
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Before watching these videos i had a split opinion on the communication through social media. It had allowed me to connect with very friendly people and become friends with them to teach me new things such as art. It also inspired the hobby of cosplaying which I cherish and love. But on the other hand I have also been contacted by some people I wish I never was while on TikTok. As well as me being able to watch the down fall and hate given to celebrities I like just for being human. This overall made a positive opinion to social media for me. As I watched Robinson’s talk on internet shame it made me truly understand the real life implications of hate. as someone who has only received small amounts of hate online and avoids doing it to others I now am grateful I have never posted a hate comment and have only received one or two. This worsens my opinion on the internet but since this TED talks is 11 years old and there is now more awareness around the world for this type of hate as well as safe communities online and more people willing to change views it makes this all seem a lot safer around the internet. With Turkle’s statement about the connections on the internet not being tue connections I disagree for i find myself easily able find connectivity with humans online while still saving time off my phone to see friends in real life. I have also helped teach a friend of mine to hold conversation because I call her so frequently which helped her social life. This makes me believe online communication is good within moderation and has been improved over the years. So while it has been effected by social media it’s not all negative.
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I think that for a time social media did make people more comfortable expressing themselves. Because we were able to say things anonymously, we felt more comfortable sharing our experiences. This made us realize that we weren’t as alone as we thought, because other people all over the internet could relate to the things we shared, and so it made us feel more connected to other members of society. That mostly happened in the early days of social media though. Today, I think people have started to see social media as a way to present themselves to the world in a way in which they want to be seen. Most of the time, the people that do this want other people to think that they are nice, kind, caring etc… But this image that other people on the internet see doesn’t actually represent the person behind the screen. Because the internet is mostly made up of peoples’ ideal versions of themselves, anyone who isn’t seen as ideal or without any flaws can get harassed for not fitting in with the majority of people on the internet who seem like that. This means that people will avoid voicing honest thoughts, because they are afraid of getting harassed. If someone does voice an honest thought or says something that’s been misunderstood, people often jump to conclusions and start harassing them. And because people want to fit in, they will join in without actually doing any research on who they are condemning or what that person actually said. This makes people less and less comfortable to express their opinions until no one feels safe enough to share anything online anymore. This is the exact opposite of early social media. With people not being able to talk about their experiences honestly anymore, it leads us to edit out and clean up any parts we don’t want other people to see, which doesn’t show who we actually are to the world. This makes it harder for us to form meaningful, honest connections with one another, as we cant accept or acknowledge each others flaws if we don’t know of them.
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The negative effect of social media is always something mentioned, something we pretend to be wary of, something seemingly harmless. But when an army of people hiding behind an iPhone screen run like ‘toddlers crawling towards a gun’ in a race to be the first person to publicly shame a stranger, there are no winners.
Before I watched these TED talks, I was a true believer of how laughing with your friends is always better than sending a ‘LOL’ over text. But what I learned from watching these people passionately discuss how the negativity of social media in relation to communication is so rich, it seemed to become much darker and daunting than that I had realised.
The quote above from Jon Ronson’s TED talk perfectly encapsulates the audience on Twitter/X – a gaggle of childish people trying to show that they are more morally pristine because they decide to attack someone equally inhumanely to whatever tweet or accidental joke they may have made. The concept of ‘cancelling’ someone and making trending hashtags about the downfall of their life is a perfect example of how social media breaks down human connection. There’s no thought about how the person in question feels. No degree of human empathy. Just the thought of how to dehumanise them as fast as possible to avoid any feelings of guilt redirecting back to them.
To some, these communications feel like a type of ‘virtual courtroom’, when in reality it is far, far different. Imagine you were in a courtroom and judges were allowed to bring in millions of protestors outside to heckle you, to abuse you, to strip you of your identity. Now does it seem fair?
Controversy online is not the only thing ruining the desire and raw feelings of human connection. It’s even in the text messages we send everyday. Sherry Turkle raises a tremendously truthful point of the so-called ‘Goldilocks effect’. The idea that humans can perfect how much they want to be away from and talk to other people. But isn’t the messiness and imperfection of human relationships what makes them real? What makes them worth fighting for? It seems we’ve gotten so used to not making attempts at sustaining healthy relationships anymore, that we have altogether forgotten their importance.
I wholeheartedly believe that social media needs to be recognised for what it truly is, even to those who can’t control how much they have been socialised to use it by their peers or partners, or even the supposed ‘role models’ of behaviour we see online.
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Prior to watching these two ted talks, my view on social media was extremely balanced. Although I knew how social media can impact your life so negatively, I was also aware that it can positively impact your life. I mainly thought that social media was just a way to entertain yourself, but after watching the two videos my view has completely changed.
After watching Ronson’s video, I am now aware of the true powers of social media. It shows that a persons life can be ruined in just a matter of hours/ days over a comment that may have been taken the wrong the way, or read in the wrong tone. Although the comment was not completely innocent, the publisher meant no harm or abuse. This just proves that people do take things the wrong way on social media. Social media also proves that follower counts do influence people massively, as she was only cancelled when an account with thousands of followers shared it alongside a negative comment.
Overall, social media can be a good place to share important and positive comments. However, there is a massive danger in sharing personal comment to such a wide and unknown audience. This can be negative as people will be able to manipulate your comments and potentially ruin your life.
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Technology has mutated human connection and communication in a myriad of profound yet often unsettling ways. It has transferred contemporary communication and its impacts are illuminated by both speakers. Despite their arguments addressing contrasting extremes of interaction, both of the TEDtalks explore the brutal mechanisms in which we communicate and their psychological impacts.
Sherry Turkle advocated that technology promotes an illusion of connection while it, in turn diminishes the depth of peer communication and conceals the exposing reality of our society’s developed incompetance surrounding socialising. She utilises her theory of the ‘Goldilocks effect’ to argue that the rise of advanced form of communication encourages people (especially the youth) to prioritise efficiency and self-presentation over emotion and authentic communication. As a result, individuals commonly experience “being alone together”: physically surrounded by others yet emotionally distanced through over reliance on programmed interaction.
Moreover, Ronson’s analysis highlights a contrasting but related consequence of digital communication: the extreme capacity of online platforms to amplify public shaming. He uses the story of Justine Sacco to demonstrate how minor transgressions can escalate into global condemnation and harassement. All facilitated by the speed of social media. In such an exposing environment, empathy is often replaced by collective resentment and individuals become symbolic targets.
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I think social media has changed the way we communicate, but I don’t think it has necessarily changed it for the better. Social media has made communication much easier and quicker because we can speak to people instantly, even if they live far away. It also means that we can keep in contact with friends and family without having to meet them constantly.
However, Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk “Connected, but alone?” shows some of the negative effects that social media and technology can have on communication. She suggests that even though we are constantly connected to people online, our conversations can become less meaningful as they’re not face to face meaning that over time this can replace a human connection. For example, people might prefer texting someone rather than having an actual face to face conversation because it feels easier, less awkward and people are able to change their personalities easier through a screen to fit in. I think this is quite true as its’s normalized for people to be distracted on their phones even when they are with people.
Jon Ronson’s TED Talk “When online shaming goes too far” also shows how social media can have a negative effect. People can quickly judge and criticize others online without thinking about the consequences and how it can damage someones life. People can easily attack someone without knowing the full story as social media tends to spread around misinformation quickly.
Overall, I think social media has made communication easier and faster, but not always better. It’s useful for staying connected, but I think face to face communication is still more genuine and meaningful to form connections with others.
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In my opinion, social media has made communication drastically easier and faster. It allows us to stay connected with people even when they are far away from us physically, but the lack of face-to-face communication can also create a negative impact and cause people to quickly form misunderstandings.
Jon Ronson believes that social media shaming can quickly spiral out of control. Small mistakes and misunderstandings can be shared online and judged by thousands of people. This can lead to more people attacking or criticising someone without knowing the full story. This displays how social media can cause people to lose their sense of sympathy, as people easily forget that there is a real person behind the screen. Ronson shows that social media can make it easy for people to judge rather than understanding their situation.
However, Sherry Turkle believes that social media allows people to stay constantly connected, but this can sometimes make us feel more alone. People can replace real human conversations with online communication, which can make relationships feel less personal. She suggests that social media can change how people present themselves as it allows them to edit or hide parts of their personality online. This perhaps is why people in the younger generation feel incapable of face-to-face conversations. Overall, Turkle believes although it keeps us connected, it also makes the conversations loose value.
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