The Positive Impact of Social Media over Socialization among Students in N.Macedonia

We are well aware that we are living in an era of rapid technological development. The advances of technology and its tools have changed and are still changing each aspect of our lives. At present, an enormous number of teenagers, adolescents, college students, check into social media sites and use them on a daily basis. With the invention of the social media, people are now free to share ideas, feelings, personal information, pictures, and videos at unprecedented rate. Furthermore, social media allows people to stay connected with friends and family, as well as meet new people, actively interact with them, and establish social relations, providing a new and different way of socialization. This process of “virtual socialization” is changing the way people, especially the younger generation, interact with each other, and it is also affecting and changing social behavior. The paper will try to identify and discuss these changes, as well as analyze the benefits and negative aspects of “virtual socialization” through the use of social media.