Many people say that apps are making people, especially young people, unhealthier, stupider, and less social. And I can see their point, instead of going out for a walk we sit inside on our phones, rather than going to meet our friends we just talk to them over various social medias, often in a maximum of 140 characters. However I have a contradicting argument: apps bring people closer together.   The most obvious way is that you can now connect with people half way around the world, without it costing a penny. For instance, I have never been to Portugal but thanks to the Tumblr app I am now close friends with someone who lives there. Language barriers are being knocked down by translating and education apps, making communicating with foreign people so much easier. Apps like Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter allow people with similar hobbies and interests to meet each other and talk, all from the safety and comfort of your own home. Not only does this mean more friends for individuals, it could also contribute to the growing awareness and support of other cultures, since the app generation is growing up with not only (hopefully) unbiased education but personal connections with people of other races, religions, sexualities and so on.

As well as making the international world more connected, apps can also help relationships closer to home. For me, the Facebook messenger app has allowed me to keep in touch with many of my friends and family who I couldn’t otherwise speak to in day-to-day life. A lot of people, of all generations, find it difficult to keep in contact with their not immediate family. They could be spread out all over the country, or the globe. Apps like Facebook allow you to stay in their life, and them in yours, without having to travel for long periods of time, which is especially hell with young children (who can be kept entertained with games and shows, oh look, another use for apps). Also, for young people in school, the summer holidays is a time where traditionally everyone promises to meet up loads and then you meet up once, missing half of your friends because they are on holiday, and not see each other again until September. Apps like messenger, aside from allowing you to talk to your friends anytime and anywhere, can also make it easier to organise meeting up, or if you are quite happy with the afore mentioned situation, you can keep in touch with your friends without having to leave your house.

So to conclude, apps, especially social media apps, are incredibly useful to our society, allowing our local communities to grow stronger, and allowing our world as a whole to become more connected.