The Double Take column looks at a single topic from an African and Chinese perspective. This

month we discuss whether the advent of social media brings relationships closer or moves

them farther apart.

Social Network a Double-Edged Sword

Chaimae Rhezzal, a 25-year-old student from Morocco studying at the Communication University of China

Technology creates new ways for people to communicate, congregate and share information of a social nature. Communication technology has changed and will continue to change the way we live and interact.

Social media, for the most part, is a convenient and free platform to communicate with acquaintances, friends and loved ones despite of their distances. It has become a tool of choice, especially for young people.

This has led to the evolution of interpersonal relationships as billions of people spend a lot of time every day on their favorite platforms. For instance, Tencent, a Chinese Internet giant, estimates that 38 billion messages are shared daily on its WeChat platform alone. Through sharing of content and knowledge, cultures blend together, friendships are forged, and people from very different backgrounds learn to cultivate their differences. It is true that social media is a double-edged sword. Admittedly, they move us away from each other and limit travel and visits, especially between families; but social media is the real proof that the world has become a global village. We build friendships with people we never met and whom we may never meet. We give our point of view on the news of countries we never visited.

It is now easy to bridge relationships with old acquaintances through social media. We can also keep connected without traveling long distances to meet someone through the unifying power of online social networks. On the other hand, new forms of distance, like indirect relationships have replaced our traditional affectionate direct relationships. The emoji has replaced the physical hugs from loved ones, and people measure their connectivity by the number of likes on their pages. Have we substituted friendships for followers? We even share our private moments with total strangers, sometimes without alerting our close families and friends.

Becoming Addicted to Your Phone

Lin Xia, a 36-year-old journalist with China National Radio

There is no doubt that social media has changed the way we live and communicate. I believe that social media has both brought us together and pushed us further apart.

The first and main advantage of social media is connectivity. Without social media, it wouldn't be easy for us to communicate with each other with the press of a button. As a journalist, it is difficult to contact interviewees thousands of miles away. Social apps like Skype and Facebook brings us closer when we cannot always physically see each other. Texting someone through Facebook or other platforms allows me to be in contact with anyone anywhere in the world.

Social media has another function, which is to help people keep-up-to-date with the latest happenings around the world. Today, most of the time, the information spread by social media is much faster than that by television or print media. And users can also follow experts and professionals via social media to get information.

However, the addictive part of social media is not good and can disturb the personal part of our lives, especially for teenagers. They are at the age when they need to learn social and communication skills. However, looking at children on the streets, in subways or at restaurants, most of them have their heads down staring at their phones, phubbing and chatting through social media. They get extensively involved online and are eventually cut off from the society. Virtual communication has disadvantages as it is hard to sense what a person is really thinking.

Leakage of personal information and the privacy issue should also be concerns when communicating via social media, which can cause financial losses and exposure of one's personal life. I read reports of some celebrities' personal social media accounts being hacked and their reputation being damaged. This is one of the dangerous disadvantages of social media.