Is Technology pushing us farther away?

Submitted by : David Wagner

Socially Interactive technologies such as text messaging, instant messaging and chatting online through websites such as Facebook are very popular among children and adult's these days. Using these technologies may negatively effect our offline social and friendship networks. Are social networks effecting the way we communicate  and socialize with others for the worse?

In my eyes i think so, because communicating with others over a text message (and or Facebook messages or some other form of instant messaging), there is a peace of humanity that is not there. The whole intimacy of face to face interaction is what is missing. Human's are social creature, we need a good amount of real social interaction in our lives to keep us happy and sane. Technology has brought us together in one aspect, but in the other is further isolating us from one another. When i was a child, if i wanted to talk to my friends i either had 2 choices, i either called up them up over the phone or I saw them in person. At the time, no one had computers or internet ( or cell phones) back then to rapidly send one emotionally devoid block of text one after the other.

ya know, you might be missing the world around you...

Social Networking has given us a chance to communicate with others we never even met before! Like back when Myspace was hitting big back in around 2006, it seemed that everyone had a page, it was insanely popular among teenagers.  I remember the Myspace days, back when i would get a bunch of random friend requests from strangers i never even knew, all because i might've "looked cool" or had a really neat HTML layout on my page that attracted others.  In reality, I did a lot of communicating with people who are complete strangers to me. Though in my mind i felt that i was connecting with all these different people, but in reality that is far from the truth.

I have a semi-embarrassing anecdote about meeting someone on Myspace that really illustrates my point of how online social networking can effect us in negative ways. One day, a girl randomly added me on Myspace who i thought was attractive. We both commented and instant messaged each other for months straight. We decided that we should meet up one day at a mall and hang out. I went up to the mall by myself and she went with her friend. ( this is someone who I've never spoken to on the phone or anything, all of our contact has just been through instant messaging). I approached her at the mall and said hello, and she said hi back. But there was an intense awkwardness surrounding the whole situation. I mean, I've talked to her for months and spent countless hours communicating with her through instant messages, but when i met her, it felt as if i randomly went up to stranger and started talking to her. The whole experience was generally uncomfortable and she kept texting her friends during it( Perhaps most of her social interactions were from behind a computer screen, maybe that could explain her awkwardness?) .  Basically my point is that sure, i was communicating with her, but at the end of the day, it didn't help me really form a good social bond with her in the long run.

In conclusion, technology like text messaging and online social networks are an amazing thing, but I feel that they are best used sparingly. I have a close circle of friends that i see regularly, I communicate with them through texting and social networks, but i also make the effort to see them in person to enforce our social bonds, which is much more important.  The video below pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter.

"technology can't ever be human"

Too Much Technology

Submitted by Umajah E.

Through out the century technology has played a major part in how people  interact with each other. Technology has evolved in so many ways. DVD players have replaced VCR, "Netflix" has replaced going to the movies, and social networks have replaced face-to-face interaction. People are barely talking on the phone or meeting up with friends. Everything is being done online. Technology is consuming us all and we are becoming lost. It's everywhere and some individuals think it is becoming too much.

 Everyone is becoming connected through the Internet. Shopping,banking, dating, and even college is being done online. People are beginning to feel safer and more secure in the comfort of their own homes. Families and friend no longer meet up or call each other to catch up. They now use "Facebook", "Twitter", cell phones and "YouTube" to stay connected. Everyone stays home to watch TV or search the web instead of going out. Cell phones are now equipped with a "Face time" feature that lets consumers see the person they are talking to on the phone. Teenagers find this to be much easier. Teens are the main individuals that are influenced by the media. Every company and advertiser puts up advertisements all over the Internet. When teens see various ads over and over again they start to feel as though they are connected or a part of that company. Social networking is starting to be too much now. Many people are becoming bored with all this social networking. It is very overwhelming. I honestly think society will not be able to survive without the Internet.

  The Internet is a great and resourceful place, but we need some time away from it.We spend up to eight hours of our day staring at computer screens, and during the remaining sixteen hours of the day we constantly on our phones. We eat, walk, and even use the bathroom all while sending text messages or updating our statuses on social networks. We do too much on our phones and computers. When will enough be enough.