Social media the cause of strained and poor family ties

Leung and Lee (2005) believe that face to face interactions are diminishing in the family set up as a result of the time spent by teenagers in the social networking sites. This paper aims at dissecting this controversial issue by presenting facts for and against this truth, to add to the existing body of knowledge on the social media and family ties between parents and their teenage children in America. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. How true the adage is! It is even more truthful and applicable to the modern day America. The truth about the modern teenager is that he was born in an age of technology, surrounded by gadgets, super-fast internet and intranet connectivity as well as linkages to those around him through the various social media sites.

’ Teenagers are affected negatively by their inclusion in the various social networking platforms. Studies have found that exposure, especially uncontrolled, to social networking sites have developed tendencies of bullying, violence, and hatred. Exposure to these evils in the social networking sites and their associated proponents; dubbed socialites, has greatly affected the morality of these teenagers as they have the wrong role models. These role models are often contrary both in character and values to the teenagers’ parents. This only helps in distancing teenagers from their parents. These teenagers have an ingrained need for attention which usually plays itself out as seeming rebellion and disobedience. This is often taken superficially by their distracted parents and taken as an occasion to cater for more ‘deserving’ issues.

Such parents, especially those in the corporate world, have tight deadlines, are working under severe pressure and often have to juggle between several things at the same time. Video conferencing, online communications and the need to connect with those they are working with depriving them of time with their teenage children. Their failure in this creates a vacuum that celebrities, movies stars, and socialites readily fill. Most parents don’t recognize this and use it as an occasion to distance themselves from their teenage children. Subconsciously they think that “well, it’s an adolescent thing. She’ll probably get over it when she’s twenty”. But not so! This poor teenager wants her busy parent’s attention, and she’s crying for it in the best way she knows how.

She’s looking for a guide, a friend who’ll love without judging; someone to walk with in the rough and unforgiven terrain of life. These opinions deserve a fair hearing in the whole matter. These opinions have been presented by various scholars over the past years. Jenkins (2006) agreed to the fact that humans inherently need to fellowship and feel loved to lead normal lives. He, however, proposes that social networking sites have become new gathering sites for teenagers. They use the various sites to look at profiles of their friends, search for a lost friend and check on how their former classmates and schoolmates are doing. The vast and distant earth has been reduced to a global village. Information sharing is seamless.