Allie Cuccoli
ENGL
102-039
Causal
Argument Essay
28
January 2013
Technology the Inhibitor: The Downfall of
Human Interaction.
It seems that a
majority of the population are proud owners of a fancy piece of
technology. Walking around places such
as Boston, or on a college campus, individuals are engulfed in their iPads,
laptop, or smart phones. Over the last
few years, this observation has become increasingly apparent wherever one goes. However, what has become less noticeable are
physical and verbal interactions in large group settings. In social settings, individuals fail to start
conversations with those surrounding them, and instead they opt to communicate
with the world via technology. Due to
the improvement of technology and the increasing usage of these gadgets and the
Internet, people have become less social; society is impeded from forming
strong social connections and relationships on a physical, intimate and emotional
level because of a disconnect from the physical world.
In order to form
solid relationships, one must be actively engaged in their environment, and in
the here and now. It is much easier to
meet new people, and maintain conversation with another person when the phone
is tucked away. The new digital tools
are rather distracting and take people’s attention away from things that
matter. For example, in the article, “Your
Life is Fully Mobile,” a survey conducted by Time reported that “48% said they
spend too much time looking at their mobile device and not observing the world”
(Gibbs). Also, according to Angela Moscaritolo, the
United Kingdom reported that data usage has risen dramatically, which indicates,
“smartphone users are growing increasingly reliant on their mobile devices” (Moscaritolo). People
are spending too much of their time honed in to their electronic devices, thus
they are not immersing themselves in the surrounding environment. The first
step to establishing social connections is to become aware of your surroundings
and realize what is transpiring around you in that moment. However, people are so enamored by their
phones it has practically become an addiction that inhibits us from functioning
socially. Another shocking statistic
from the survey is that 17 percent of the participants said that they “check
their phone at every meal regardless of who they are with” (Gibbs). Rather than socializing with those around
them, people are more engaged in their conversations online than the
conversations in the physical world.
Along
with this increasing dependence on smartphones and other digital tools to
communicate, there has been steadily increasing amounts of people using the
Internet and apps to access Facebook and other social networking websites to
establish and maintain relationships. However, these websites are preventing
members of society from forming intimate bonds with one another. According to the article, “Me and my 400
Friends: The Anatomy of College Students’ Facebook Networks, Their Communication
Patterns and Well Being,” intimacy is defined as “disclosure of private
information requiring high levels of trust and confidentiality between
partners” (Mango, Taylor and Greenfield).
Furthermore, intimate relationships are crucial in maintaining
individual overall well being (Mango, Taylor and Greenfield). Facebook and similar websites may offer more
chances to meet new people, however these sites allow for the creation of passing,
empty friendships and relationships.
According to the previously mentioned article, a study that was
conducted produced the theory that “technology, like urbanization, will enable
manifold instrumental relationships with relative strangers or superficial acquaintances”
(Mango, Taylor and Greenfield). Online
social networking sites are a product of the improving technology, however, they
are impeding peoples’ abilities to form close friendships or relationships with
significant emotional connections. In
the article “Electronic Intimacy,” Rosen discusses the results of a
meta-analysis of online dating.
According to the study, “people become cognitively overwhelmed when they
search through hundreds of dating profiles.
To cope they ‘must objectify’ the people they are sizing up for some
sort of emotional connection” (Rosen 1).
Society has easy access to the Internet via their phones, thus they can easily connect with other cyber users;
however the best connections that occur are those formed through physical
confrontation.
On the other hand,
some may argue that technology has improved societies ability to stay connected
even if thousands of miles separate individuals. According to an article written by Gibbs, “in
a poll conducted by Time Magazine, 73% of civilians in India said they feel
more connected with their families, which was 21 points above the national
average” (Gibbs). Because of
technological improvements, people are saying that they feel more connected to peers
and family members who are distant.
Although there are
certainly more means of communication, these methods decrease the likelihood of
forming meaningful and intimate relationships because there is no face–to-face
contact. Face to face contact is vital when forming and maintaining a strong
relationship with another individual. It
is possible to accurately interpret the tone of their voice, their body
language and their eye contact to determine the strength of the relationship. Furthermore,
it is untroublesome to convey the true meaning of one’s message via
confrontation than via text messaging, Facebook chat or email; it is easier to
understand the message because one can pick up on social cues through
face-to-face contact. However,
technology acts as a barrier; it enables the user to hide behind a shield that
prevents the true underlying message from being understood. In the article,
“Friending, IMing, and Hanging out Face-to-Face: Overlap in Adolescents Online
and Offline Social Networks” studies have shown that interacting online with
friends limits opportunities for face-to-face contact (Reich, Subrahamanyam,
Epsinoza). Physical contact is the most
crucial step in forming bonds of intimacy and trust in relationships, whether
it is a familial, friendly or romantic relationship. Furthermore, it is much
easier to convey messages in person rather than via text messaging, Facebook
chat or email. Without physical confrontation,
communication is ineffective.
At first
technology may seem as though it is improving the way society communicates,
however it is preventing us from creating enduring, confidential
relationships. Smartphones, and other
similar electronic devices are constantly being updated so that we can access
our emails, and communicate faster with our peers. People have immersed themselves in their
devices so much that they have become overly reliant. This dependency is serving as a distractor;
people focus their time and attention on what’s occurring in the digital world
on their devices rather than concentrating their attention on the physical
world, where the real people are. As a
result of the improvement in technology, the Internet has become the home of
famous and useful social networking sites.
Although these sites seem to connect the world and enable better
communication, the emotional connections that solidify relationships are lost
because of the lack of physical confrontation.
It is time for society to look up from their cellphones, put them away
and say the words, “Hi there, how are you?” rather than texting the impersonal
“hey! :)”
Works
Cited
Gibbs, Nancy. "Your Life Is Fully Mobile." Time 180.9
(2012): 32-39. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Manago, Adriana M., Tamara Taylor, and Patricia M. Greenfield.
"Me And My 400
Friends: The Anatomy Of
College Students' Facebook Networks, Their
Communication Patterns, And
Well-Being." Developmental
Psychology 48.2 (2012): 369-380. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Moscaritolo, Angela.
"U.K. Provider Sees Data Usage Double In One Year." PC
Magazine (2012): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Feb.
2013.
16.1 (2013): 8-13. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Reich, Stephanie M., Kaveri Subrahmanyam, and Guadalupe
Espinoza. "Friending,
Iming, And Hanging Out
Face-To-Face: Overlap In Adolescents' Online And Offline Social Networks." Developmental Psychology 48.2 (2012): 356-368. Academic
Search
Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Rosen, Christine. "Electronic Intimacy." Wilson Quarterly 36.2 (2012): 48-51. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
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