Why would you visit when you can just call them? Why even call when you can just send them a text message?! Oh! Better yet, why don't you post a quick "hey" on their "wall". DONE! Posted! Now off to the bank!....but why would you go to the bank when you can just call and have that money transferred into your account? Oh! Better yet, you can just get on the web and transfer it yourself so don't put away that smart phone just yet! Good thing you are already online and you can order your groceries or else you'd have to go out for that. Now you don't have to deal with anyone today! Technology is great!
This may sound like a plan for an ideal and hassle free way to complete a couple of daily tasks on someones to-do list but while it may have been quicker to achieve and almost effortless due to today's technology this person is missing something that is definitely on every one's psychological to-do list: social interaction. Although he or she may have the choice to meet and socialize with as many people at any time, they have chosen to do what they are slowly being convinced is just as good or even better in some ways. Online social interaction grows at an increasingly rapid rate every day... however... does it qualify as a substitute for physical and real life communication rather than being an enhancement? Are they both the same? Which is preferred most in our society and most importantly why? In some instances we have become so psychologically dependent upon technology that it becomes even a necessary part of intimate and cordial relationships, e.i. showing public displays of affection on online social networks. One would think the relationship itself is suffering without an occasional profession of love over a public social network...as if PDA needed to reach a new level. Realizing that you could go to that significant person and tell them or actually show them that you care about them is no longer a top option but isn't this real life or have we reached some type of twilight zone where the Internet is now reality?
Technology has even reduced social interaction on a less psychological level. Take for an example the completion of common tasks such as shopping, banking, scheduling events, and handling medical affairs. How many times have you called an institution in search of a simple answer to a rather simple question and reached several recorded operating systems before somehow maneuvering yourself to a human being? Countless times no doubt on the basis of security and accuracy. Convenience has reached a whole new level but has the price become too high to pay? I s technology reducing our much needed involvement with one another and what effects will this have on our society's future?
It is already apparent. A lack of social involvement in our daily lives will hinder us and reduce the value of daily life activities, events, and situations. Things that were once deemed inconvenient will become things we will pay a high price to have. These are called "hand crafted" or " hand made" merchandise versus "manufactured" or "distributed " items. Our vocabulary has and will see significant changes. Consumer satisfaction will see significant changes as well. Relationships with others have already changed mentally and physically because of increased technology. Although we crave our gadgets, our easy accessibility, and the social universe we have created online, we must consider the results of such cravings. Do we really want to live in a world with billions of people and limit ourselves to all the possibilities physical social interaction can have for one that is shows half of who we really are? I don't want to be seen as just a "profile" in this vast world of opportunities and people. Neither do I wish to have a form of communication but rather communication itself. A recent study shows that because of television and computers people are staying inside more often. Instead of going out to meet a potential life partner they can now find one online on match making sites where it is predetermined who is right for them. Is this an example of giving away the right to think for yourself or is it an example of the new age in social life effected by technology? Technology of all forms tends to agree with humanities attraction to easy, fast, and convenient ways of doing things. The less troublesome the better but perhaps we're shooting ourselves in the foot by seeking to create this utopia by means of technology. Can we really do this without the creation becoming an ultimate creator of what we cannot control?
It is already apparent. A lack of social involvement in our daily lives will hinder us and reduce the value of daily life activities, events, and situations. Things that were once deemed inconvenient will become things we will pay a high price to have. These are called "hand crafted" or " hand made" merchandise versus "manufactured" or "distributed " items. Our vocabulary has and will see significant changes. Consumer satisfaction will see significant changes as well. Relationships with others have already changed mentally and physically because of increased technology. Although we crave our gadgets, our easy accessibility, and the social universe we have created online, we must consider the results of such cravings. Do we really want to live in a world with billions of people and limit ourselves to all the possibilities physical social interaction can have for one that is shows half of who we really are? I don't want to be seen as just a "profile" in this vast world of opportunities and people. Neither do I wish to have a form of communication but rather communication itself. A recent study shows that because of television and computers people are staying inside more often. Instead of going out to meet a potential life partner they can now find one online on match making sites where it is predetermined who is right for them. Is this an example of giving away the right to think for yourself or is it an example of the new age in social life effected by technology? Technology of all forms tends to agree with humanities attraction to easy, fast, and convenient ways of doing things. The less troublesome the better but perhaps we're shooting ourselves in the foot by seeking to create this utopia by means of technology. Can we really do this without the creation becoming an ultimate creator of what we cannot control?
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