relationships and social media

Introduction

Most people, including behavioral psychologists, believe that the more time a participant spends on online social media sites, the more adversely these platforms are likely to impact their personality and relationships. The reason for such effects, according to researchers in the field, is less time spent communicating with actual friends and more time spent communicating with simulated ones.

Jones’ Interpretation and Counter-arguments

Jones is one of the researchers in this respect, providing an opinion on the foundations of partnerships in Chapter 7 of the author’s text. In this essay, there are three critical areas of contact to look at, namely friendship, family, and romance, based on Jones interpretation as well as the counter-arguments on the importance of social media in enhancing the relationships.

Friendship

Jones argues that friendships have a lifespan and build on the objective of satisfying particular needs. The individual further argues that not all friends can qualify, as such in Facebook. However, the perception is wrong since the needs are not the only foundation for the relations between individual both in the online pages and the physical contact. Other variables such as common beliefs and shared values can lead to strong ties between people. Besides, the concept of friendship as an intrinsic value is the most critical part of the relationship, and it cannot be defined by a physical location or contact.

Family and Romance

In regards to family and romance, Jones posits that the conversations at home and openness in marriage or dating leads to successful interactions between individuals. However, there are many other factors such as the intention of a person, background of the society, and family behaviors. In this regard, the social media platforms offer an alternative institution which can help to direct the emotions, behaviors, and needs of the individual which the society cannot provide regardless of the location of the person.