A person can now communicate with hundreds of people without speaking to anyone in the same

room. In Ghana, smartphones, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and other digital platforms have

become an important part of everyday life. We can contact relatives abroad within seconds, join

online communities, share information and maintain friendships across long distances. Beyond

this, depression is still on the rise, friendships are superficial and loneliness has increased. Behind

this remarkable level of connectivity is an important question: Are we becoming less social even

as we become more connected?

The answer appears to be increasingly yes. Although technology has made communication faster

and easier, it has also changed the way people interact. Face - to- face conversations are increasingly

being replaced by text messages, face-time, social media interactions and online meetings. People

may have many online contacts without developing equally strong personal relationships. In

Ghana, research among young people has found that social media is often preferred to face to face

encounters. The research further identify the negative effects associated with excessive social

media engagements. Therefore, the problem is not that technology has eliminated communication,

rather , it is that convenient digital communication can sometimes replace the deeper social

interaction that people need.

To understand this issue, it is important to consider how quickly digital communication has

become part of Ghanaian society.

Data Reportal reported that Ghana had approximately 24.3 million internet users in January 2025,

representing 69.9% of the population. The country also had about 7.95 social media user identities

at the same time time ( Data Reportal-Global Insights)

These figures demonstrate that digital communication is no longer something used by only a small

section of society. It is becoming part of everyday life for millions of Ghanaians. People use their

phones to communicate with friends, conduct business, study, obtain news and maintain family

relationships.

This development has many advantages. A Ghanaian working abroad can easily communicate with

family members at home. A university student can collaborate with classmates through WhatsApp.

A business owner can communicate with customers without requiring them to visit a physical

shop. Technology has therefore made communication more accessible and convenient.

However, convenience can have an unintended consequence. When digital communication

becomes the easiest option, people may begin to choose it even when face to face interaction

would be more meaningful.

One of the strongest arguments that are becoming less socially engaged is the decline in the

importance of face to face interaction

In the past, visiting a friend or relative was an important part of maintaining relationships. People

made time to sit together, talk , share meals and participate in community activities. Today, a

person can maintain contact with someone for months without meeting them physically. A

WhatsApp message or social media comment can create the feeling that communication has taken

place, even when meaningful interaction has not occurred.Research conducted among young people in Community 8 in Tema, Ghana, provides particularly

relevant evidence. Tetteh and Kankam studied 16 young people between the ages of 16 and 25

using interviews, focus groups and observation. Their study found that social media was a

preferred method of contact over face to face encounters among the young people studied. The

researchers also reported a reduction in some face to face communication abilities, although

participants identified some improvements in expressive through digital communication (

University of Ghana)

Although the study involved only 16 participants and therefore cannot represent every young

person in Ghana, its findings are significant because they show how digital communication is

influencing real social behavior among Ghanaian youth.

Consider an ordinary example. Two friends may live in the same neighborhood but communicate

mainly through WhatsApp. Instead of meeting after school or work, they send messages

throughout the day. They may know what the other person is engaged in because of the social

media updates, yet they spend very little time actually talking in person. They are connected, but

the quality of their interaction is fleeting.

Social media thus encourages us to confuse the number of connections with the quality of

relationships. On social media platforms, a person can have hundreds of friends or followers.

However, most of these people may not be close friends. They may not know one another well,

spend time together or provide emotional support during difficult situations.

A person may receive many birthday messages online but still have very few people they can call

when facing a serious problem. This shows that social connection is not simply about the number

of people we can reach. Meaningful relationships require trust, understanding, time and shared

experiences.

This issue is particularly important in Ghana , where family and community relationships have

traditionally played an important role in social life. Visiting relatives, attending funerals,

participating in religious activities, joining community gatherings and spending time with

neighbours are all ways through which people build social bonds.

If these activities are gradually replaced by online interaction, society may become more connected

technologically while becoming less connected personally.

Technology has made communication extremely convenient. Unfortunately, convenience can

sometimes reduce the effort people are willing to make for one another.

For example, when a friend is sick, visiting the person may require time and transportation which

now is seen as an inconvenience. Such person will prefer sending a message saying " Get well soon

". When a relative celebrates an important occasion, a phone call or personal visit may be replaced

with a WhatsApp message or a social media post.

There is nothing wrong with sending a message. The problem arises when the convenient option

becomes the normal replacement for meaningful interaction.

This is especially important because relationships require effort. A genuine conversation requires

attention. Visiting someone requires time. Listening to a person's problems requires patience.Technology can make communication easier, but meaningful relationships cannot always be built

through the easiest possible form of communication.

In other words, the fact we can communicate instantly does not mean that we are communicating

meaningfully.

The effect of digital communication can be seen not only among friends but also within romantic

relationships and families.

A study of married couples in Northern Ghana examined the effects of social media use on

romantic relationships. The researchers found that frequent social media engagement was

associated with partner monitoring, suspicion, jealousy and mistrust. In the study, 61% of

respondents agreed that that social media was draining their relationship, while 64% reported

feeling jealous when their romantic partners communicated with people of the opposite sex on

social media ( PubMed Central ( PMC).

These findings do not mean that social media destroys marriages or that every Ghanaian couple

experiences these problems. In fact, social media can also help couples communicate, especially

when they are separated by distance.

The important point is that digital communication can introduce new problems into relationships

when it becomes excessive. A partner who spends more time monitoring another person's online

activities than having an honest conversation may create suspicion rather than trust.

Face to face interaction teaches people important social skills. During a physical conversation,

people listen, respond quickly, interpret facial expressions and understand changes in tone. They

learn how to disagree respectfully, show empathy and respond to each other's emotions.

When people increasingly depend on digital communication, they have fewer opportunities to

practice face to face communication.

The Tema study provides evidence relevant to this concern. Its researchers found that participants

perceived a reduction in some face to face communication abilities, even though social media also

improved certain forms of excessiveness and helped young people expand their networks (DOI)

Digital Object Identifier.

This balanced finding is important. Technology does not simply make people poor

communicators. Instead , it changes the communication skills that people practice most often.

For example, a student may be very comfortable expressing an opinion through WhatsApp but

feel nervous when asked to speak to a group in person. An employee may communicate efficiently

through email but struggle when required to resolve a disagreement through direct conversation.

Therefore, if face to face communication is practiced less frequently, some of the skills associated

with it may also become weaker.

It would be unfair to describe technology as entirely harmful. Digital platforms have created

genuine opportunities for social connection in Ghana.

A person who moves from Kumasi to Accra for work can remain in regular contact with family.

Ghanaians living abroad can participate in family discussions through WhatsApp. Churches,schools, businesses and community organizations can use social media to share information and

organize activities.

Online communities can also connect people who share particular interests. Someone who feels

isolated in their immediate environment may find encouragement and friendship through an online

community.

A Ghanaian student using WhatsApp to organize a study group is using technology to strengthen

social interaction. A family using video calls to communicate with a relative abroad is using

technology to overcome distance. A community organization using social media to mobilize

people for a clean- up exercise is using technology to bring people together.

The situation gets different when a person constantly uses a phone while ignoring the people sitting

beside them. For example, a family while at dinner has a member looking incessantly on his/her

screen. This is same with friends who meet at a restaurant but spend time taking photographs and

checking social media.

In these situations, technology is not connecting people who are far apart. Instead, it is creating

distance between people who are physically close. Thus the saying, very close yet very far!

Ghana does not need to reject technology . Instead, we need to learn how to use it without allowing

it to replace essential human interaction.

Families can create opportunities for conversations without phones. Friends can make time to

meet physically instead of relying on entirely on messaging. Schools can encourage students to

develop both digital and face to face communication skills. Workplaces can recognize that some

issues are better handled through direct conversations rather than endless messages.

Individuals can also make small changes. We can visit relatives instead of always sending messages.

We can put our phones away during important conversations. We can participate in community

activities, religious gatherings , sports and other activities that require physical interaction.

Most importantly, we should remember that technology should serve our relationships rather than

control them.The author is a thought leader and very passionate about writing on social issues and matters affecting everyday life.