Does the internet strengthen social connections Essay

Does the internet strengthen social connections - Essay Example The sources that were used for the analysis of the two sides of the debate came from both scholarly sources from Google Scholar, and from popular media sources like blogs and articles from the world wide web. May introverts feel that they can better express themselves online and are therefore more likely to form relationships in such a setting, and this is because they feel much safer, more comfortable and more confident online (Burke, Kraut & Marlowe, 2011). Moreover, online contact naturally brings about like-minded souls who share particular interests in this world of hyperpluralism, ideological diversity and widening social diversity (Stern & Adams, 2010). The Internet, with its bonding and bridging abilities, also fosters ways to build new relationships by somehow removing or reducing particular barriers like those of geographical in nature. Furthermore, by focusing only on like-minded group members and without considering other irrelevant differences, the Internet can bypass several cultural and social differences (Stern & Adams, 2010). Another advantage of the Internet when it comes to strengthening social ties is that it can link those who are interested in the same type of volunteer activities as well as the organizations that take charge of such activities. Moreover, the Internet can actually foster volunteer and community participation because it performs well its role in â€Å"supplementing real-life community gatherings† (Stern & Adams, 2010). Social interactions on the Internet have also been found to be correlated with satisfaction with school life as well as one’s degree of self-esteem. In short, the authors have concluded that the use of Facebook may actually overcome barriers faced by students who are known to have low satisfaction as well as low self-esteem (Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2007). Moreover, another way by which the use of the Internet can foster and