It has been argued that the strength of a society lies in the social rules it adheres to. These rules, while sometimes simple and easy to identify, can sometimes be complicated by unwritten presupposed conditions that strong social communities rely on as a principle governing their conduct. This conduct can be exemplified by the way its citizens communicate ideas, interact with each other, accept personal responsibility for their actions, and participate in the community at large. The lack of direct contact on social media today leads to the breakdown of these social rules and, therefore, the decline of social skills in today's America. Over the past twenty-five years, technological advancements have combined with the rampant growth of social media. , has radically changed not only the methods used to communicate, but also linguistics. The meteoric rise in the use of new media sources has resulted in the creation of an abbreviated type of English. With today's social media, abbreviations like LOL, OMG, BRB, and ROFL are easily recognizable to their followers, but remain a mystery to those who aren't connected. The younger generation's preference for social media such as texting, Twitter and Facebook over face-to-face communication has not only had an effect on communication skills but has also led to an even greater disconnect with the adult population. Twenty years ago, when a family went out to dinner, it was considered family time; an opportunity for all family members to catch up on what was going on in each other's lives. Today, watching that same family outing, one is much more likely to see each of them sitting at the same table, looking at a smartphone texting, and very little, if any, in the middle of a paper... ...of the list. It has been said that what matters is not necessarily what you say, or even how you say it, but how the person you are speaking to hears it. The need to express oneself properly is greatly reduced when the comments are directed to someone thousands of miles away. This disconnect gives a false sense of security and the harmful consequences could be felt across an entire generation. As teens spend more and more time on social media online, the safety net of non-face-to-face communication is already taking its toll. “Teenagers are showing 'decreased risk taking' compared to previous generations when it comes to expressing themselves and interacting with other people,” says Katie Davis (Clemmitt 5). How can we expect our society to survive if an entire generation loses the ability or desire to communicate openly face-to-face? ??