Studies say excessive use of social media could harm emotional intelligence
Last week, a waitress friend told me she had a “terrifying” story. That day, she had been waiting on a couple with a small baby who was watching YouTube on a tablet. As she jotted down their order she noticed the baby, not yet able to speak, instinctively click the “Skip Ad” button on the screen as a video loaded. “It was mind-blowing,” she said.
I laughed it off.
The Tech Generation
The next generation are growing up heavily immersed in the digital world. We are glued to screens from birth. Generation Z were roughly seven years old when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at the Macworld convention in 2007, marking the beginning of the digital generation.
Drowning in digital
The Infographics Show said, “Generation Z processes information faster than any other generation.” It was found that they had a lower attention span. Growing up in a sea of apps, websites and communication channels, this generation is increasingly adapting itself to cope. However the deeper they swim into the sea of digital, the further out of touch they become with the real world.
Screen denial
Computers in Human Behaviour conducted a study into the impact of screen-based media on real life communication skills. Pre-teens were denied access to any screens for five days. After this time, these children communicated more effectively. They were better at reading nonverbal emotional cues. So it is not surprising that the next generation, growing up with their gaze directed towards screens and away from the world around them, are losing their emotional intelligence and their ability to navigate the real world.
Is tech ruining our communication skills?
Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction investigates nonverbal cues in exchanges between people. Expressing emotion, conveying attitudes and displaying personality, carry more weight in communication than vocal cues. Talking online excludes vital aspects of social communication. Online can never be as fruitful as real life social exchanges.
Online group chats and Snapchat streaks allow you to stay in touch with your friends like never before. What good is this if it diminishes your ability to detect real emotion or personality? Digital communication has its perks. But we must not let this overshadow our social interactions. Don’t let social media interaction ruin your socialising skills offline.
Make time to esc. the digital world.
