Analysis of the Irreplaceability of Offline Relationship

Abstract

During covid 19, traditional offline social interaction becomes difficult. Benefiting from the availability of social media, people are increasingly relying on social media to socialize. Can social media interaction replace real-life interaction? Is a social media-based relationship a sufficient substitution for a real relationship? This article divides social media interaction into reciprocal and non-reciprocal and compares two different social media interactions with real-life interactions. For the reciprocal social media interaction, The first research question distinguishes computer-mediated communication (CMC) from face-to-face (FtF) and discusses the possibility of CMC replacing FtF. Because the absence of social cues cannot be made up, CMC is not a sufficient substitute for FtF. For the non-reciprocal social media interaction, the second research question focuses on parasocial interaction-induced parasocial relationships. Because of non-reciprocality and lack of authenticity, the parasocial relationship is not a good substitute for a real relationship. In conclusion, social media relationship is not a sufficient substitute for a real relationship, but they can be used as a good supplement to a real relationship. The difference between reciprocal social media relationships and non-reciprocal social media relationships is also discussed. Reciprocal social media relationships and real relationships are interchangeable, while non-reciprocal social media relationships cannot transform into real relationships.