Technology and Social Interaction

It is clear that technology severely influences social interactions. Those of us who have access to technology often do not realize how much social interactions have changed because of the widespread use of social media forms. There is a convenience factor that is extremely evident. If I miss my parents, I can easily log onto my skype account and invite them to chat, have virtual interaction, see their faces, interact with them, completely free of all costs. If this technology didn’t exist I would have to pay for a plane ticket home to get this kind of interaction. For the most part, I would argue that technology has had a positive influence on my life, by allowing me to have continued social interaction by communicating across far distances free of charge.

The convenience factor presents itself in the countless different ways people use technology. If you want to sell your bike, click a few buttons, enter your information of Craigslist and voila, you get a phone call and make your profit. The same positive effects are evident in the consumers of websites like Craigslist. I know we’ve all heard those stories about the people who “found true love” via online dating websites. Even if we don’t know the people directly, countless commercials advertising these on-line dating websites assure us that they do indeed work for some people. The iPhone 4 even provides its users with the ability for “facetime” which is essentially face to face video calling. By utilizing this application, people in the business world can take conference calls to a whole new level and even avoid long busniess trips. It would be foolish to argue that technology has not provided our modern society with some major positive assets; the convenience of technology is undeniable.

On the other hand, I do fear that the excessive use of technology can provide some negative effects as well. Becoming dependent on technology for all social interaction is not healthy for our society. The first example that comes to mind are the kids who become obsessive with World of Warcraft. Online gaming addicts are clearly developing unhealthy habits by being so isolated and cooped up in a virtual world. They lose sight of reality and that is only one of the obvious, negative consequences. THey miss out on what is happening in the real world and fail to learn the importance of interpersonal communication with their peers. I believe that becoming to reliant on virtual interaction has a spiraling negative effect as the individual continues to grow. Without developing the ability to communicate well with others in real life, a child will have difficulty communicating with their peers, accurately expressing their concerns or triumphs with teachers and parents, etc. Being able to communicate with future employers, express your feelings, have an educated conversation I believe all stems from establishing proper communication skills at a young age--not by becoming addicted to Halo, but rather playing and interacting with other humans. However, to combat this problem of excessive virtual interaction and deficient social interaction, I don’t think that the use of technology should be regulated; on the contrary, individuals should actively be aware of the excessive use of technology and never forget to value face to face human interaction.