The Role of New Media in Shaping the Nature of Relationships
In the increasingly digital era, the deep integration of new media systems into day-to-day relationships becomes inevitable. In this regard, new media, particularly social media, plays a critical role in nurturing relationships. Notably, social media shapes relationships by presenting new opportunities, enabling relationship homogeneity, and complementing offline relationships (Butler & Matook, 2014). In this case, offline relationships refer to interactions that occur through traditional media, like face-to-face conversations or the telephone (Butler & Matook, 2014). Firstly, social media systems present new opportunities for relationships by enabling the formation of interactions that would have been otherwise nonexistent or impossible due to geographical barriers. With the new media, individuals can interact and form relationships with others around the globe. Secondly, social media systems enable homogeneity in relationships.
Individuals tend to form relationships with others with whom they share similar ideas, a tendency known as homophily. Accordingly, social media enables individuals to form relationships with individuals with identical knowledge, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and even appearance, unlike offline relationships, which tend to be diverse (Butler & Matook, 2014). Lastly, social media systems complement and enable the continuity of offline relationships. For instance, people can tweet, text, or video chat to continue conversations, set up meetings, and arrange dates. However, communications technologies may have negative implications on relationships. For example, excessive use of Facebook has been linked to damaged interpersonal relationships, with outcomes such as emotional and physical cheating, breakups, and divorce (Clayton et al., 2013).
References
Butler, B. S., & Matook, S. (2014). Social Media and Relationships. The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118767771.wbiedcs097
Clayton, R. B., Nagurney, A., & Smith, J. R. (2013). Cheating, Breakup, and Divorce: Is Facebook Use to Blame? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 717–720. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0424.
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Question 
The Role of New Media
What role do new media play in shaping the nature of relationships (i.e., family, friends, and romantic partners)?