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Running head: DOES TECHNOLOGY MAKE US MORE ALONE
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DOES TECHNOLOGY MAKE US MORE ALONE
Does Technology Make Us More Alone
Mary Tidwell
Herzing University
Does technology make us more alone or does it keep us connected? That is the number one question of all times. “Get connected” is a phrase that we have grown accustomed to hearing and seeing in the 21st century. With technology developing faster than ever, the digital world is (literally) at our fingertips. Some might say that the introduction of social networking has helped to bring people closer together. I am going to point out some of these, though the online communities may have a likeness to real-life societies, they are in fact nothing but numb conceptions of our day to day lives fueled by self-pride and egoism. With our reliance on social media sites such as Facebook actually cutting us from real-life society, it’s a sad truth that mankind is looking at a very forlorn future.
By definition, the term ‘digital’ represents “values of a physical quantity” expressed as a series of digits: 0 and 1. So on the opposite end of the spectrum, humans are identified as having character, weaknesses, imperfections, and fragility – attributes that characterize us as a species like no other on this planet. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer that words, speech and song can convey a range of human emotions but, in my opinion, doing so eloquently requires aptitude. In spite of this, you will see a number people popping up on social media sites documenting their lives and feelings as though they were a best friend or their private diary.
Nowadays, we’re less likely to hear someone say: “I can’t wait to tell my friends”, and more likely to hear: “I can’t wait to put this on Facebook”. So why has Facebook suddenly become everyone’s best friend? The younger generation of today perceives Facebook as being a part of everyday life and has become addicted to consulting news feeds and notifications. In this day and age, technology seems to get in the way of flourishing friendships. The days are gone from the days when one could spend time chatting and getting to know a friend; all it takes is to have your friend request approved and then you can find out almost anything about that person (where they live, whether they are in a relationship, where they work, and what their favorite quote is, and so on.) Not only is it affecting the nature of human interaction, our heavy dependence on social media sites has also been proven to result in children and adults alike doing fewer outdoor activities as well as studying and working less. People are feeling more connected online, but very alone in real life.
Society is becoming obsessed and is sharing too much information on the internet and spending pointless hours on it when they should be spending time on more important things. Despite the fact that technology now allows a person to communicate with lots of people all over the world, in reality, no matter how m...
