Social media studies show it can make people socially awkward

(KAIT) – It can be easy to spend hours a day on social media, but experts believe all that time could be making people more socially awkward.

Latest research has shown that an average American checks social media 17 times a day, which is about 3 hours.

Keegan Dunville hung out at a coffee shop and said social media is a big distraction during the day.

“It tends to disrupt my work schedule,” Dunville said. “Sometimes you waste hours – just browsing Instagram or Twitter.”

Some like Brian Bennett have found a way to make a living through social media.

He manages social media pages for various businesses in Evansville, Indiana.

Bennett’s job may depend on using 3 hours a day, but said it’s changing the way people interact with each other in the real world.

“My parents are 65 and my dad will be messaging me on Facebook,” Bennett said. “We’re not talking anymore. He’ll send me stories about stuff and I’m like -” okay dad. “6 a.m. Bing!

According to the Pew Research Center, half of people age 65 and older use social media.

As the age range decreases, the usage figures increase.

Many people are fine with using social media sites as their main source of communication, but Purdue University communication professor Dr. Glenn Sparks has warned that it could make us socially awkward.

He said social media is creating an alternate reality with different rules from old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.

To escape something on social media you scroll but to escape something in real life you walk away.

“It can actually form a habit and it creeps into our face-to-face interactions in the public domain,” Sparks said.

Sparks has written a book about social media and its effects on society.

He indicated that small changes in habits could bring more joy in real-life relationships and will also allow you to retain what you love on social media.

Below is a list of these changes.

-Talk to people around you in real life first.

-Do not look at your phone during downtime or when you are alone.

– Practice chatting.

– Engage in a small chat with someone next to you in a line. It keeps you from looking at your phone and takes you out of your comfort zone.

-When you go to the cinema or to the restaurant, leave your phone in the car. You will focus more on those around you and not on the notification you received on your phone.

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