Face to Face
Laurie Semler | Communications Committee
Human beings are hard-wired to seek out
personal connections with others. Many recent
studies highlight the importance of regular social
interaction for optimal mental and physical
well-being. During our working years this need for
social contact can be fulfi lled, at least partially, in
the daily interactions necessary to carry out our
jobs. This situation can be particularly true for
those who work in the helping professions, such as
teaching and health care, where interaction with
many people occurs on a daily basis.
As we move into the next stages of our lives,
many of these opportunities for socialization
that were once a natural part of our jobs may
be lost. Therefore, maintaining the social
connectedness we require for optimal health
becomes more challenging.
With the Internet and social media providing
us with so many ways to stay in touch, feelings
of loneliness and social isolation in theory
should be easily remedied. One might think that
simply providing a lonely person with a tablet
or computer and lessons on how to access social
media would assist that person to be lonely no
longer. Indeed, in the late 1990s,
as email became widely
adopted, several studies
suggested that older
adults could benefi t
from using email to
stay connected to
friends and family.
The use of social
media allows a
person to maintain a
large social network;
so, in theory, such
usage should result in
reduced feelings of isolation.
20 | arta.net
However, several recent studies refute this
point of view. These studies indicate that social
media may actually enhance feelings of isolation.
Contact does not mean connection! Having a
large social network facilitated by such tools as
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram does not result
in stronger bonds between close friends.
So, if social media and digital technologies
have little to no impact on enhancing social
connectedness, what does? Researchers have
concluded that good, old-fashioned, face-to-
face interaction is still the best way to mitigate
feelings of isolation. More frequent face-to-face
interaction is associated with a lower probability
of depression, while limited face-to-face
opportunities almost double the risk.
There are numerous benefi ts associated with
face-to-face interactions that are lacking in
other forms of communication. Some experts
estimate that as much as eighty to ninety per
cent of communication is actually nonverbal.
When communicating face-to-face, a person
receives important cues from the other’s body
language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
None of these cues are available with social
media. Face-to-face communication promotes
deeper relationships, whereas social media
use encourages superfi cial connections. It
is much more eff ective to off er meaningful
encouragement and support in person. Face-to-
face communication also assists with enhancing
trust and limits the chance of misunderstandings.
It is interesting to note that many businesses
emphasize the importance of face-to-face
communication for these very reasons.
In a world where many of us are almost
constantly connected to others through Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, texting, email, and many
more, it is virtually impossible to avoid social