In what ways does the internet contribute to social decline.

So Susan you want to know in what ways the internet contribute to social decline? As matters stand, the internet is one of the most powerful and resourceful lines of media. It has allowed people, either individual or groups reach their fulfillment more fully or easily. Then does the internet really contributed to social decline? This questions will be always be up for debate. It’s neither a trivial nor an obscure question. Just a simple belief of opinion.


The internet has definitely blurred the distinction between how people treat and should treat each other. It takes no great stretch of the imagination to know that with the internet having the biggest impact on social communication it has surely and will continue to contribute to the deficiency of individuals face to face communication. This has resulted in the change in which individuals relate to each other.

To truly understand the impact the internet has on society, researchers Sarah A. Birnie and Peter Horvath state that we must consider what its meant by Internet social communication. “In the current study, traditional social communication was defined as the frequency and intimacy of traditional social contacts and interpersonal interactions (e.g., face-to-face or telephone). Intimacy was defined as the exchange and disclosure of personal information. Internet social communication was defined as the frequency and the intimacy of social contacts and interpersonal interactions on the Internet. Internet social communication can be measured by the frequency of social contacts and intimate interactions individuals engage in communicating over electronic mail, Instant messenger programs, and Internet chatting sites, etc.” (Acadia University)

In essence the internet has had both positive and negative influence on the society. It has embedded in community life by increasing social communication for individuals with shyness and self identity however the social decline has decreased in reference to traditional forms of social interaction.

Reference:

Acadia University (2002). Psychological predictors of internet social communication. JCMS. Retrieved April 18, 2007, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue4/horvath.html