Digital Communication: How Digital Communication Tools Affect Interpersonal Relationships

`
Digital Communication: How Digital Communication Tools Affect Interpersonal Relationships

Digital communication tools are devices or applications that enable people to exchange information electronically. Examples of digital communication tools include email, social media, instant messaging, video conferencing, and online collaboration platforms. Digital communication tools have become ubiquitous in the 21st century, transforming the way people communicate, work, learn, and socialize. However, digital communication tools also have significant impacts on interpersonal relationships, both positive and negative.

On the positive side, digital communication tools can enhance interpersonal relationships by facilitating communication across time and space, increasing social connectedness, and enabling self-expression and identity formation. For instance, digital communication tools can help people maintain contact with their friends and family members who live far away, reducing the effects of geographical distance and isolation (Bennett et al. 2017). Digital communication tools can also help people expand their social networks and find others who share their interests, values, or goals, creating a sense of belonging and community (Lee et al. 2019). Moreover, digital communication tools can allow people to express themselves creatively and authentically, revealing their personality, preferences, and emotions to others, and developing their self-esteem and self-concept (Zhao et al. 2018).

On the negative side, digital communication tools can impair interpersonal relationships by reducing face-to-face interaction, increasing social comparison and envy, and fostering deception and distrust. For example, digital communication tools can reduce the quality and quantity of face-to-face communication, as people may prefer to communicate online rather than in person, or may be distracted by their devices during face-to-face encounters (Turkle 2017). Digital communication tools can also induce social comparison and envy, as people may feel inadequate or unhappy when they see the curated and idealized images of others’ lives on social media, leading to lower self-esteem and life satisfaction (Verduyn et al. 2017). Furthermore, digital communication tools can enable deception and distrust, as people may lie or exaggerate about themselves or others online, or may doubt the authenticity and sincerity of others’ online messages, resulting in lower trust and intimacy in interpersonal relationships (Hancock et al. 2020).

In conclusion, digital communication tools have both positive and negative impacts on interpersonal relationships. Digital communication tools can enhance interpersonal relationships by facilitating communication across time and space, increasing social connectedness, and enabling self-expression and identity formation. However, digital communication tools can also impair interpersonal relationships by reducing face-to-face interaction, increasing social comparison and envy, and fostering deception and distrust. Therefore, it is important for people to use digital communication tools wisely and responsibly, balancing their online and offline interactions, managing their expectations and emotions, and verifying the information they receive and share online.

References

Bennett, Patrick R., Keith N. Hampton, Lee Rainie. 2017. “The Strength of Long-Distance Ties: How Faraway Friends Use Social Media to Stay in Touch.” Information Communication & Society 20 (10): 1449-1466.

Hancock Jeffrey T., David Markowitz. 2020. “Digital Deception: Why We Lie Online.” Current Opinion in Psychology 31: 133-137.

Lee Eun-Ju., Jihyun Kim. 2019. “Social Media Use for Social Ties: The Mediating Role of Social Capital.” Computers in Human Behavior 93: 1-9.

Turkle Sherry. 2017. “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other.” New York: Basic Books.

Verduyn Philippe., David Seungjae Lee., Jiyoung Park., Holly Shablack., Ariana Orvell., Joseph Bayer., Oscar Ybarra., John Jonides., Ethan Kross. 2017. “Passive Facebook Usage Undermines Affective Well-Being: Experimental and Longitudinal Evidence.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 144 (2): 480-488.

Zhao Shanyang., Sherri Grasmuck., Jason Martin. 2018. “Identity Construction on Facebook: Digital Empowerment in Anchored Relationships.” Computers in Human Behavior 24 (5): 1816-1836.