Effects of Social Media on the Modern Family

The modern family is a transformation from the formal household to an informal, and closely knit of individual joined by blood.

This gap was majorly brought about with the advancement in technology which has changed almost every aspect of our lives (Dressing, communication, transportation, and reasoning).

The social media which is one of the agents of technological change and interactive computer mediated technologies that facilitates the creation and sharing of information , ideas, careers, interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communication and network {Wikipedia, 2017}.

Videos, messages, photographs, graphics etc. could be communicated through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Skype, Telegram etc.

Social media like every other technology has potentials to provide immense benefits as well as catastrophic damage to family well-being. Imagine how difficult it was to use the post office in the past; people literally planned their letters week ahead to make sure it gets delivered in time. But now fortunately, messages can be sent be sent within micro-seconds.

However, from 2013 research in University of Michigan, it was reported that the more an individual spends on social media, the more their life satisfaction level declines overtime.

Positive Effect of Social Media on Modern Family

1. Fast, cheap, and useful
2. Family blending
3. Technical skills
4. Ease of business discovery

Negative Effect of Social Media on Modern Family

1. Sleep deprivation
2. Addiction
3. Health hazards (mental health and emotional)
4. Cyber bullying

Conclusively, the best solution to the negative effects of social media on modern family shoulders around the responsibility of parenting. Parents should have plans and open dialogue about the use of social media and its potential risk. Parents should endeavor to establish balanced communication with their wards.

Additionally, the use of the social media surfaces to be important in the present age; it is owing to this that parents should grant access to their wards, and thus, control measures should be established.

These controls include: setting time limits to media engagement, determining the age for which media access is necessary to prevent the vulnerability of children to social media harms.