Technology Vs Social Interactions
My experience
Zakara Preston
I feel like when it comes to technology I realize a lot of people are not having face to face to face conversations. I remember one time when I went to Orlando Disney and I was waiting on this long line for a ride. the wait was around two hours. During that wait there was a family infront of my family. There was a little girl who distracted us from this long line. The little girl was 6 years old and she was talking. She talked very much and that shocked me because here was this six year old girl who was having full blown conversation throughout this 2 hour wait of a ride. I feel like I can't even hold a conversation to save my life. I also realized the little girl and her family was not on there phones much. when they were on their phones it was just to check the times very quick. my mom and I was engaging with her conversations it made the line go a little faster. I feel like having face to face conversations is important especially for the work force and being in the generation growing up with technology I feel like its effecting me because I want to have conversations but I feel uncomfortable with it. I don't think I should feel that way if I had more experience communicating face to face I wouldn't feel that way. Below is the research I did on Technology and social interactions and why it is important to have face to face communication rather than on our devices.
The Question
Is Technology having a bad impact on social interactions now and days? Are we as a society losing value in real communication? Although technology can have its benefits, it also has its downsides. The problem when it comes to technology, is that we are not interacting with people in our daily lives. Technology can allow us to avoid face to face communication. Everyone seems to be on a device from a variety of ages. You can see it in schools, restaurants, events just to list a few. Did you know that the addiction to the internet is becoming similar to the addiction of alcohol? Technology can connect us but it may be really disconnecting us. Are you seizing the moment? Are you being present in life? When is the last time you had a good face to face conversation?
What is the problem?
Sherley Turkle, author and researcher of social media impact, says conversation is the most humanizing thing that we do. It’s where empathy and intimacy are born (Suttie). Society stepped away from that. 89% of Americans say that during their last social interaction they took out a phone. If you put a cellphone into social interaction it does two things. First it decreases the quality of what you’re talking about. For an example, something as simple as putting a phone on the table. Decreases the emotional importance of what people are willing to talk about. Second, it decreases the connection people feel towards each other (Suttie). There's been a study that shows 100 friends having a 10 minute conversation, their phone was present. When those same couples conversed without a phone present, their conversation had more value. Conversations without a phone present holds more meaningful communication (Chris). Phones just being present in a social interaction seems to lower the value in face to face communication.
Technology requires us to avoid face to face communication and causes misunderstandings. A main difference with online communication, is that you can’t really tell if someone is being serious or sarcastic. So then there comes misunderstandings, miscommunication and assumptions, which can change the way we look at people (Geladi). According to Nikki Geladi, writer on website Medium states,“Conversations on social media have replaced traditional interactions causing people to not leave their house as often. Since they do not leave to communicate.” Using apps and social media allows someone to portray this image that they want others to see and not being true to who they really are (Geladi). We are not interacting with people in our daily lives when it comes to technology it is quick. There are apps when you shop that requires no communication. Also self check outs and food delivery apps which these are all eliminating the interaction with a producer and just to simplify and accelerate the shopping experience (Morrin).
For children, growing up with technology are going to have trouble with their communication skills. Young people are losing the ability to interact with people face to face, This is because much of our communication now and days is not done in person but online. we spend hours every evening sending messages. Technology can cause a shorter attention span. Studies show that kids are distracted when they receive a notification. The younger generation does not have much experience with communicating face to face. Which can hurt their social and professional lives(“Is Technology Ruining Kids). Melissa Ortega mentioned that children don’t know how to handle conflict face to face because so many things happen through technology(“Is Technology Ruining Kids). Children who have been brought up with technology and devices which are even being used at schools will lack communication. Communicating will be an essential part of life and when they get older and in the workforce.
​
Conclusion
Social interactions and technology seems to be a big part of our daily lives. Though the communication that is happening through devices are not holding the same as communicating face to face. With the modern technology that keeps advancing communication face to face may start to have less value. Why is communication so important? Communication is important because it allows us to make real bonds. Knowing how to communicate well is very useful in the work field. “Good communication skills are essential to allowing others and yourself to understand information more accurately and more quickly. While in contrast poor communication lead to frequent misunderstandings and frustration” (“Communication - Importance). The apps that are allowing us to avoid face to face communication and sometimes just having a phone present in a social interaction is causing us to lose value and avoid communication. This can not only affect us but affect the children that are growing up with technology and lack communication skills. It is up to us to decide if technology is getting in the way of our communication skills and to be aware of it.