I own a cell phone, computer, tv, and radio. Though sometimes I feel like those things are vital tools, other days I feel as though I'm becoming more and more of a hermit, relying almost exclusively on these things for communication. What are your thoughts?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Email me, Text me, Leave a message after the beep...
Do you think our various forms of technology are helping or hurting our human communication and interaction? For example, is it harmful that we'd rather watch a marathon of the show Friends than actually go out with our real life friends? Is it unhealthy that our emotion in a text or IM has been reduced to two symbols resembling a smile? : ) Or on the other hand, do you think things like tv, the internet and cell phones are simply broadening our horizon of communication?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well, I'm more of an extrovert so I only use those things when it is an impossibility for me to communicate with people in person. I don't mind the treks across campus to the student center even if there is only a slight chance I might run into my friends. I personally hope that our use of technology (though I love Technology)will never hinder our sense of adventure as humans. Where's the fun in that?
ReplyDeleteI think that any technology can be both inherently helpful and hurtful. The wide use of smart phones, laptops, netbooks, and texting has opened up more avenues of communication and allowed for easier access to information than ever before. I regularly check weather conditions and read news on my Blackberry, but at the same time being able to access all this information has caused just as many problems.
ReplyDeleteTexting has opened up new avenues for people to cheat on tests or according to some even a decline in the standard of written work in schools according to some. The latter is greatly debated, read http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/16/academicexperts.languages It is true that texting has become a hazard in some cases, take the 2008 derailing of an L.A. train which killed 26 people (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/15/national/main4449292.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4449292) in which the train's engineer was texting while working which may of caused him to run through a stop signal. Several states have either implemented or are considering a ban on texting while driving.
I'm naturally an introvert and spend quite a bit of time to myself, even while with groups, but I don't blame technology for this. I will admit that it provides an outlet for this tendency. But in no way is the technology itself the problem, we are. As with the Terminator movies, technology can be used for good or bad and it depends on how it is used. I don't think one can say that the change toward a more tech integrated is bad or good, it’s simply happening.
I don't think that technology in itself is inherently good or bad. It's all about how we use it.
ReplyDeleteWe can use things like smart phones or laptops to access information on a moment's notice, but the problem comes when we do that every moment of every day.
I for one am definitely guilty of using my iphone way too much. I often find myself looking up random things on wikipedia whenever I'm in a crowd of people I don't know--simply to occupy myself.
And it kills me how, especially in youth groups, teens will pay money to go be with each other for a weekend and spend the entire time texting people who aren't even there rather than growing closer to those around them.
So I don't think technology is necessarily hurting our communication as much as the abuse of technology.
Like nearly all other technological advances, the nature of the rapid expansion of our means of communication hinges on our ability as a society to utilize such endowments responsibly. In many ways, one example being emergency response, we have been successful. However, I would argue that in most respects, we have mismanaged our resources, with an increasingly detrimental effect. This catastrophe extends from the obvious breaches in privacy and morality to the more subtle damage being done to our ability to manage the most basic features of humanity: the community. The concept of interpersonal relationships has experienced a virtual revolution favoring indirect speech and contact over the innate human needs of physical proximity in relationships. Often, the most base vices stem from man's attempt to "correct" the nature that he was created with, and it would appear that the current situation created by our handling of communication is headed in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Maerz. Technology can be a two-edged sword when it comes to communicating. For instance, I can't tell you how many times I sat through my first period class in high school just to listen to some friends prattle on about the latest episode of Survivor. Sure it was torture for me, but it was an example of technology providing fodder for a meaningful (or at least it was meaningful to them) dialogue between two people. On the other hand sometimes I feel as though technology has us too plugged into the world. I think there is definitely something to be said for over communication. For instance, if I'm in an intense game of ping pong I don't to have to stop every few seconds to respond to a new text message. Or if I'm trying to do homework, I don't want to answer a phone call about the latest drama that's happening between my mother's coworkers. Sometimes I feel as though technology has made communication too easy, and in some way cheapened the experience. During those times I almost pine for the days when I didn't have a cell phone...almost.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our society in general relies on technology too much. This past summer almost half of our city lost power for nearly a week. No one could charge their cell phones, and laptops were used sparingly. It was hard to contact people because phone lines were down all over, and without my cell phone I don't know peoples' phone numbers. If a power outage like this occurred on a larger scale, think of the problems that would occur. I think that we rely on technology dangerously too much.
ReplyDeleteI too find myself thankful when I look at my phone and have no missed calls or messages. It means I do not have to respond to anyone. I feel restricted when I have my phone on me, like I have no freedom and people can find me wherever I go. But at the same time, if I forget my phone, then I feel unsafe, knowing that if something happened to me then I would have no way to contact anyone. So there is a delicate balance between being attached to your phone, and using it in a good way. I think we just need to find that balance.
Technology, like just about anything, can most certainly hinder interpersonal communication and interaction, but I feel that overall, it has been a benefit.
ReplyDeleteCell phones, the internet, etc have all provided us a means of communication with people who are not in our direct vicinity. They provide a convenient means of keeping in touch with friends and family, both those near and far away. I also see, in my case at least, that the majority of my technological communication leads to physical communication, such as meeting up with friends later. It also provides a way of keeping up with the lives of more people.
I can certainly see the ways that technology can be a hinderance but, I mean, who isn't happy to get a text message from that friend who you haven't seen in a while?
I actually wrote an essay on this subject last semester. The thing is, while technology really seems to be making it easier for people as a whole to be connected, we are actually driving people away. Face-to-face communication has been elimiated in favor of convenience. While I do enjoy being able to text my friends in Hampshire, England, it doesnt make sense for my friends down the hall from me to rely on a cell phone or email to get in contact.
ReplyDeleteAnything in excess can become a problem. Americans have a tendency to try and make themselves constantly available. It is not a bad thing to miss a call. People were thriving for thousands of years before telephones were even a thought. So if the power goes out, you won't die. If your phone malfunctions or gets dropped in the toilet, that doesnt mean Armageddon is near. You'll get over it, I promise.
I'm pretty average, as far as the American teenager goes. I have a laptop, a cell phone, an iPod, an N64 and a TV in my dorm room. I'm just as connected as anyone else. But this question makes me wonder... Why are we relying on a blog to communicate our thoughts? Wouldn't it be better and more meaningful to have this discussion in person?
Oh, the irony.