Technology and Social Interaction

With the rise of texting, skyping, social networking sites, internet dating sites, message boards and online game worlds, personal, face to face interaction in this world has begun to be reshaped.  People know text instead of calling, skype instead having coffee and catch up on their friends' lives through facebook instead of a personal conversation. In a world where technology and innovation are seemingly the keys to the future, society is faced with the challenge of maintaining human interaction and relationships amidst a world that draws us farther and farther from intimate, close connections.

Though some may argue that the internet, texting and other recent technological innovations have allowed for an expanded network of relationships and the privacy to interact freely in relationships, I personally believe these innovations as a whole are having a negative effect on society.   Instead of calling someone and enjoying the richness and connectedness that comes with a phone conversation, people can "talk" to one another with a simple text like, "what's up?" or "how's life?" Those these maybe the same questions that are asked on the phone, they take on a very different meaning and form when asked through a text.  A text doesn't allow the space and the security to answer and convey emotion behind an answer.  In this way, everyday relationships are potentially devalued and become impersonal when the main methods of communication take a written "text" form.

Facebook, like texting has the potential to devalue and create impersonal relationships.  For instance, what is shared on facebook is rarely truly reflective of an individual and their true personality. Rather, it is usually is more characteristic of the community or network an individual comes from.  Moreover, students, in particular college students, spend a far amount of time on Facebook each day.  I myself probably spend on average about an hour a day looking through Facebook.  This hour, spent pursuing others lives instead of living my own, is taking away from real, face to face relationships.  In my suite, my four friends and I will talk and have a conversation each night but each of us is always at least 50% immersed in our computer, usually on Facebook, while having these conversations.  One could argue that this interaction is undoubtedly negatively affecting our ability to connect and converse.

On the other hand, one can argue that Facebook, Skype and even internet dating sites allow people the opportunity to create and maintain relationships when face to face interaction is not possible.  This has some validity and as a college student who uses Facebook and Skype to keep in touch with friends and family I will agree that this argument has some merit. However, a relationship created merely over the internet has a greater potential to be misleading and unsafe. The internet provides a veil for individuals to create an identity that can be completely different from reality.  Even with the issues of safety set aside, the amount of information one can convey about the personality, interests, beliefs, background, biography through the internet is not the same and does not have the same impact needed to foster lasting relationships that comes through the natural progression and divulging  of such information in natural conversation.

As a society, it is important that we look and utilize the possibilities that social networking sites, chat rooms, blog etc offer in terms of discussion of societal issues and politics. The value of such innovations, particularly within the academic world should be disregarded.  However, these tools must be used in conjunction with real life discussions and environments where topics can be debated and affirmed face to face.  As a culture and academic community, we must never lose sight of the value and power that comes with open, honest discussion of topics in a public, face to face arena.

Likewise, as a society is important to find ways to continue to expand the imagination and technological innovations and also reconcile these new ways to relate to one another with new appreciation and value to personal, face to face relationships. As a species, we cannot survive with out tangible, touchable, personal relationships.  As a society, we have forgotten how to survive without social networking, texting and other innovations.  Therefore, as the next generation, we need to find a way to reconcile the two and install the value of both into future generations so society can maintain a healthy balance of both.