Monday, February 4, 2013

Essay 1: Technology the Inhibitor: The Downfall of Human Interaction



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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