Odds are, if you’ve ever been around students during their free periods, you’ve seen at least a couple of them hunched over screens talking about things like “DragonVale,” “Clash of Clans,” or “Pinterest.” These are just some of the new social media crazes sweeping through the student body. But with all of this screen time replacing face-to-face contact, are these apps destroying our ability to socialize with the people next to us?
For those who may not know, Clash of Clans, one of the most-played games at Bethany, is an application for Apple devices. The goal of the game is to create a base and protect it by building walls and cannons. Friends can play with or against each other to attack bases and steal loot. Another common game is DragonVale, where players run a zoo displaying various dragons. Players can buy decorations and habitats for their zoos and earn money with each dragon. When looking at the social aspect, it’s quite similar to FarmVille.
Around Bethany, these games are becoming especially popular with the student body. Frequent gamer Joseph Mumaw (‘14) comments, “Mainly why I play them is because a lot of other people- a lot of my friends- play them, so it keeps it interesting. If I play it by myself I get bored of them after a month or so.”
Another recent social media trend sweeping through our community is Pinterest. The site, aimed mostly towards girls, lets members share pictures, called “pins,” on various “pinboards.” Amber Heydon (‘13) is one of the site’s millions of users. She says she likes looking at pictures of her dream house and dream wedding, along with sharing pictures with other users. “When you share pictures that you have taken […] or your creations, and people like them, that’s always cool. You can give ideas to the outside world.”
Though these new platforms for connecting are praised by many students, others see them as a threat to face-to-face socialization. “The games by themselves aren’t problematic,” says Sadie Gustafson-Zook (‘13). “It’s just that, when you’re in a social setting, and you have the option to be with people and to make connections not over video games, then you should probably take advantage of that opportunity.”
Parth Patel (‘14) agrees. “They’re taking away from actual human interaction. I mean, people act like they’re interacting with people when they’re really just staring at a screen all day. And you can really see it over in the senior lounge and the junior lounge during lunches- they aren’t actually interacting, they’re just staring at their iPods.”
However, Mumaw presents another side to the story.
“I don’t know if there are a ton of things that are necessarily negatively effecting [our social skills]. I mean, I think that Facebook and social networking kind of has changed it, and whether that’s good or bad, that’s kind of opinion…” he told Sightline. “I think that they can negatively affect them if […] it’s your only outlet for socializing, but […] I think they’re pretty good, for the most part.”
Since social media is still a fairly recent development, the jury’s still out on how much digital communication impacts face-to-face relationships. Until then, though, play it safe. Every day, make an effort to have a real, in-person conversation about something that doesn’t have to do with pictures on a screen. Who knows- you might learn something new about your own best friend.
~Rachel A.