For some social media is more real than real life because they are in more control. The illusion or fantasy world can be more intoxicating, the pressure to live up to certain standards or expectation isn’t a factor there. We are in the technology age. The more it advance the less many feel the need to do things the old fashion way. I don't think it can be stopped at this stage. I don't think it can ever take the place of real life either. Social media for some is where they exercise their art of deception and manipulation. Of course that’s not everyone, but it takes time to know who is who. If we use social media to increase, develop, or enhance our relationships that would make it real, but if it’s only stays limited to chat rooms it’s then an illusion.
All of us can be social with strangers. But in reality we would never tell all our personal business to someone we don't know, of course we are cautious. Real life sets a stage to accept or reject people completely by the good or bad energy or vibes they give off. But the net is different, we can’t depend on our 6th sense for right or wrong completely with typed words. What make things real sometimes is the ability to use some or all of our 5 senses.
I admit that social media does sometimes increase social anxiety for me. I worry more about making social mistakes online than face-to-face because I can easily interpret how people are reacting on face-to-face.
