podcasts

Guest: What is social networking?

 

Me: Social networking is a way to communicate over the Internet.  Using a social networking site, we can keep up with friends, share and comment on photos, meet new people, communicate with one another, video chat, instant message, and so much more.

 

Guest: Are there a lot of social networking sites? What are some examples of them? Do you use any?

 

Me: There are lots of social networking sites, and each is used a bit differently.  Some examples include Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Pinterest, MySpace, Instagram, and so on.  I do communicate with friends over Facebook, as it is easy to keep up with them and is sometimes the easiest way to communicate with them when they’re far away.

 

Guest: How is communicating different through social networking sites, and why is it easier?

 

Me: Fact of the matter is, communicating over social networking sites is much different than communicating face to face, and is often more convenient.   It is more convenient because you do not have to be in the same room as the person you’re communicating with, you just both have to be logged on at the same time.  When they are not online, you can still view their photos and see what they’ve posted to find out what’s new.  As for easier, some people find it much simpler to communicate over a medium than face to face with another person.  A communication apprehensive person, or someone who is unsure how to act or is uncomfortable in social situations may find it easier because of the reduced cues environment.  This means that there are no non-verbal signals, you are not looking someone in the face and they are not looking at you, there is no need to worry about stuttering or speech impediments, and there are no other people around watching you speak with another person.  So, people who may be communication or apprehensive may prefer to communicate over a medium for these and other reasons, just like people without communication apprehension.