Nowadays, we are surrounded by an increase in the number of social media channels. Traditionally, we have been introduced to having several relationships with each individual, but now through technology, our relationships have become shorter and more impersonal. It reflects the nature of communities today, where people have minimal ties with the individuals they interact with at work or in their neighborhoods.
It is incredible to think about how our social interactions have developed from having only a few of them in regular life to communicating with individuals online on specific networks like Facebook and Twitter.
What are the benefits of interacting only with friends and family online?
Sometimes we forget the importance of interacting only with friends and family daily. Doing this allows us to put negativity behind us and live a more positive life. Some benefits are as follows:
You can pretend to be someone you’re not
You don’t have to be yourself when chatting online, so if you’re not feeling social, it doesn’t matter. You can pretend to be someone else or create an entirely new persona, unlike anything you’d be in real life. For example, if you’re shy and socially anxious, pretending to be someone who isn’t shy or nervous could help build your confidence if it works well enough for other people.
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You don’t have to work on your social skills
The most obvious benefit is that you don’t have to make an effort necessary to develop social skills with people you don’t know. If you want to avoid awkward silences and need help keeping a conversation going, then online chatting is the way to go.
Is it possible to have a healthy balance between online and in-person interactions?
The answer depends on what your goals are, what your personality is, and what kind of social network you have. The first thing to realize is that our brains are wired to want real-world interactions. We need them for our mental and physical health, survival, and development. This is why people who live in isolated communities or spend too much time online can experience negative impacts on their health and well-being.
So it’s important to recognize that living 100% online isn’t healthy. Initially, it might feel like it, but if you do it too long, you will start craving human interaction in person. And then when you do go out into the world again, everything will feel overwhelming: all the noise, all the smells, all the people! You won’t know how to react or how to behave because it feels so unfamiliar after being inside alone all day long.
But this doesn’t mean that we should avoid technology altogether, either. Technology can be an amazing tool for connecting with others, especially if we use it properly.
How our brains interact with systems in society
Our brains are constantly interacting with systems in society. How we think, feel and behave is affected by the people around us, the environment we live in, and the culture we are exposed to.
The brain is a vast network of neurons that communicate with each other through neurotransmitters. When born, our brain has all the neurons it needs to function and operate as an adult. However, these connections between neurons change over time as we learn new things or experience new situations. This plasticity allows our brains to adapt to changes within our environment.
Neuroscience has shown that when two people interact, there are many ways their brains can communicate with each other:
• When one person looks at another’s eyes, they experience activation in their mirror neurons which simulate the actions they see others perform. This helps them understand what others think and feel because they can see what they feel like doing or want to do themselves. Others also mirror our facial expressions, so if someone smiles at us, we tend to smile back automatically without even realizing it.
• We also have mirror systems for hearing sounds. When someone laughs, our laughter center lights up too.
Compared to people offline, interacting with people online is less demanding and easier. However, this doesn’t mean that interacting with others online is enough. Make sure you regularly interact face-to-face with others to feel an ’emotional high.’ It is vital for your well-being.