Online Social Networking Has Caused a Downward Spiral in Social Interaction

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Online Social Networking Has Caused a Downward Spiral in Social Interaction Deep within the human psyche is the need to be connected, to be a part of something. Some people will join online social networking sites in order to reconnect with those friends from years gone by, while others will have the insatiable need to fulfill a self-centered drive to have 5000 friends. As more and more techno-savvy generations become of age, their need to express themselves and connect to as many people as possible becomes part of their life-force. No matter how social networking sites are used, it is evident that they have changed the way today’s society communicates and interacts with one another. The inert need to be connected to as many people as possible, and share everything with virtually anyone; online social networking sites have replaced interpersonal relationships, resulting in a domino effect towards weak interpersonal relationship and communication skills. Society has been communicating electronically for years, via e-mail, chat rooms, and instant messengers, but the online social networking phenomenon we know today as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flicker have become household names and have taken on a life of their own. As a result of the online social networking craze, the days of stimulating conversation, kids playing outside from dawn to dusk, and neighborhood parties are long gone. For example, online social networks, trying to duplicate the same experience achieved from a face-to-face interaction, provide applications that will allow you to instant message, play interactive games, and video share from almost any technological device. Therefore, this change in social structure has cultivated a group of people who sit in front of their computers all day long living a virtual life instead of taking a walk, reading a book, or enjoying the

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