The advent of the Internet and social networking sites has given
rise to the condensation of time and space since geographical barriers can now
be overcome. However, the unprecedented ease from using the Internet has also
resulted in numerous problems among youth in Singapore. One of such problems
would be the difficulty to hold a real time conversation with one another
because youth rely heavily on online tools for communication. In other words,
social media has become youth’s dominant tool of communication.
According to Sproull and Kiesler (1985, cited in Bargh &
McKenna, 2004), computed-mediated
communication is an impoverished form of communication that will result in a
behaviour that is more self-centered and less socially regulated. Accessibility
has resulted in over reliance and this over-reliance on the Internet as a tool
of communication could eventually erode one’s ability to carry out a proper
face-to-face conversation. In addition, social networking sites can make it
harder for youth to distinguish between the meaningful relationships they
foster in the real world and the numerous casual relationships formed though
social media (Jung, n.d.). As such, the imperative issue at hand would be to
raise young people’s awareness about the need to form tangible interpersonal
relationships though a proper real time conversation. Moreover, actions have to
be taken to complement the former approach. Singapore’s Ministry of Education
(MOE) should play an important role in propelling this two-pronged approach –
the soft system approach and the hard system approach.
As
mentioned above, social media and texting can damage young people’s ability to
relate to each other (Titcomb, 2012). Such behaviour will also leave them ill
equipped to communicate with the wider world (Barford, 2009). This is especially
apparent in Singapore, where students prefer to use the online platforms to ask
questions instead of physically consulting their teachers when in doubt. The
lack of active participation in class has also resulted in a component for
class participation where students are forced to engage in class discussions to
get the grades they desire. Although the inability to voluntarily communicate
on a face-to-face basis may not pose a problem to youth at that point of time, it
may jeopardise their ability to integrate into a society that requires real
time interaction.
It is firstly important
to raise awareness about the current situation. Schools are the best place for
such a purpose since students spend the bulk of their time in schools. Although
schools have always been actively promoting the importance of disconnecting
from the online community by organising field trips, camps and Co-curricular
activities for young people to gather together and form interpersonal relations
with one another, youth still failed to see the need of fostering strong and
tangible friendship with their peers. They are not fundamentally aware of the
detrimental effects of using social media as an alternative form of
communication. It is then vital for MOE to propose the need for social media
awareness lessons in schools. Workshops provide the most effective platform for
information to be conveyed across to people, and schools allow such information
to be brought across more efficiently to students. They help to create the
awareness about the need for students to disengage from the Internet and form
tangible relationships with one another. In addition, they do not only allow
for knowledge improvement, but also create a space for networking, thus encouraging
real time interactions. In the National University of Singapore (NUS), the
Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG) has made it an imperative for all
students to attend a module that will prepare them for their future. Many
career and professional development workshops are also conducted for
postgraduates to equip them with the necessary skills to get the job they want
(Office of Student Affairs, n.d.). The creation of awareness about the need to
disengage from the online community is the most vital solution to curb the
abovementioned problem. It will set the foundation for youth to understand the
reasons behind different actions and thus enable them to be receptive about the
need to foster interpersonal relations. Just like the modules introduced by CFG,
Singapore schools can also offer compulsory workshop sessions that will
emphasise on the need for face-to-face communication. Although workshops can be
time-consuming, the knowledge students can gain from such workshops will prove
to be beneficial for them in the near future, and as such the advantages of
workshops definitely outweigh its disadvantages.
Soft system approach must
be complemented with hard system approach to encourage young people to
disengage from the online community more effectively. The Internet and social
networking sites have become more and more accessible as wireless Internet
services are easily available on mobile phones. This can make it even harder
for youth to disconnect from the online community, especially when 93% of the
Singaporean teenagers own a mobile phone (Chua, 2010). As such, hard system
approaches should be taken to propagate the importance of real time
communication. In 2012 and 2013, a game known as the ‘Phone stack game’ became
popular in many parts of the world (Tell, 2013). The game requires diners to
stack their phones in the middle of the table, and whoever touches their device
first will have to foot the bill (Tell, 2013). Such a practice will not only
allow young social media user to momentarily disengage from the online world,
but will also effectively give them the chance to conduct real time
communication with their friends and forge a more substantial relationship with
their peers. This is only possible after the soft system approach is being
employed, as it will teach young users why it is fundamentally detrimental to
use the Internet as an alternative form of communication. As young users are
equipped with such knowledge, they become more receptive towards change and
thus will be more willing to stay away from their phone. In addition to this,
applications such as Rescue Time, Minutes Please and Facebook Limiters can
serve as an intervention to limit the time spent on social networking sites
(French, 2012). Youth who found it hard to disconnect can make use of these
applications to set a limit for themselves. Thus, other than raising awareness
about the need to conduct real time interaction, it is also important that
certain actions are carried out to propel youth to appreciate the joy of
talking to people on a face-to-face basis. This will not only improve the youth’s
interpersonal communication skills, but will also improve their overall
well-being.
As
the Internet becomes more pervasive in users’ daily lives, it is important that
they identify the possible advantages and disadvantages of utilising the
Internet. The paradox regarding social networking sites is that users get more disconnected while being connected. Real time interactions should
not be compromised by the use of social networking sites; online communication
should be built upon real, physical relations. To encourage youth to disengage
from the contrived online world and to form substantial relationships with one
another, soft systems and hard systems approaches should be employed
simultaneously to achieve the best result. Youth must not only be aware of the
potential harm of not being able to communicate on a face-to-face basis; they
must also be willing to change their habits readily. Singaporean youth have to
start to learn how to strike a conversation with people in the physical world.
This is an essential life skill that will enable them to have an edge over
people from other countries.
References
Centre
for Future-ready Graduates. (n.d.) NUS
Office of Student Affairs. Retrieved from http://nus.edu.sg/osa/ncc/students/careerworkshop
Chua,
T. (2010, August 2). Study shows young Asians inseparable from their mobiles. Singapore Business Review. Retrieved form:
http://sbr.com.sg/telecom-internet/more-news/study-shows-young-asians-inseparable-their-mobiles
Barford,
V. (2009, December 8). Mind your slanguage.
BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8388545.stm
Bargh, J.A., McKenna, K.Y.A. (2004). The
internet and social life. Annual Review of Psychology,55, 573-590.
French, A. (2012, April 3). Programs
that limit your time on social media. Sheknows.
Retrieved from http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/955407/programs-that-limit-your-time-on-social-media
Jung, B. (n.d.). The
negative effects of social media on society and individuals. Small
Business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effect-social-media-society-individuals-27617.html
Sproull, L., Kiesler, S.
(1985). Reducing social context cues: electronic mail in organizational
communication. Management Science, 11, 1492-1512.
Tell, C. (2013, September
20). Step away from the phone! The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/fashion/step-away-from-the-phone.html?_r=0
Titcomb,
J. (2012, May 3). Texting, tweeting and social networking are behind ‘rough
behaviour’ of teens, says Pratchett. Daily
Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138791/Texting-tweeting-social-networking-damaging-childrens-ability-communicate-says-Pratchett.html
