Monday, January 26, 2015
Technology and Relationships
This post is in regards to my opinion on how technology affects relationships. I think is it awesome that technology allows us to remain connected with loved ones, friends, and family even when we are thousands of miles apart. Things like texting, Facebook, email, Skype and Snapchat keep us all connected. This is great for couples who are long distance they can remain in contact, see what the other one is up to, and even see each others faces though video. However, I feel that technology can also negatively impact relationships. I think that sometimes we feel responsible to stay connected at all times and this can lead to a clingy or even in the extreme situation an abusive relationship. Someone basically can keep tabs on you at all times, or at least try to. As humans I think it is important for us to have our privacy and alone time, time to unwind and relax with out contact with others. But, a significant other could text, call, email, Skype, Snapchat, Tweet, Facebook message or post to try and get your attention when your are just trying to relax. Staying in constant communication is glorified when really I think it makes us all too dependent on constant contact and makes people afraid of being a lone. I have so many friends who hate staying in on a weekend night just because they feel like they are missing out or are being left out. They see all the things their friends or significant other is posting and get upset or even jealous that they are not out doing something. Really they could be taking this time to do something they enjoy rather than get their head wrapped up in something insignificant. The ability to constantly communicate also creates conflict if a person does not answer quick enough. People get all freaked out when someone does not answer a phone call or message or text when really they could just be busy not ignoring you. So while I think is it great that people can communicate half way across the world I think that just like with diet, everything in moderation, it is always a great feeling to "unplug" on occasion.
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I also agree that social media and the internet can have a negative impact on relationships. I remember watching a series on MTV called True Life, in which it follows the daily lives of certain people pertaining to the topic they are portraying. One episode was about couples who obsessed over social media. It really affected their relationships. They could not trust each other and were constantly looking at what their significant other was doing. There is also another popular show on MTV called Catfish, which many of you probably know. It shows people falling in love with someone over the internet, without properly meeting them in person. Rarely, the person they fall in love with is the real deal - i'd say 85% of the time it's an impostor. These shows, and the fact that it's so commercialized and how the media makes it seem so normal, is what's really scary about social media affecting relationships.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great post. Often times people feel obligated to reply to texts or snapchats even if they do not want to. While technology, as you said, offers us a great opportunity to remain in contact with those we care about, it also serves as a distraction to ourselves. This idea of "unplugging" is great, as it is important for people to be able to be independent. Another point that I would like to bring up is that often times people have an easier time talking to people over text messages than they do in person so in a way technology can hinder people's social abilities. While technology offers an outlet for people to stay connected over great distances, it can make one question the quality of a relationship as conversations switch from face to face interactions to digital conversations.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this post. Although I love the way we are able to connect with each other every second of the day, technology has ruined the way in which we communicate. For example, I have seen that my friends will chose to text instead of call when we are in a rush to go somewhere. Texting has become such a norm for our generation that we don't even think about calling. Technology also causes people to become introverts where they only feel comfortable talking through technology like blogs. I have seen many people using tumblr and other services who become detached from actual communication. They tend to use these sites to vent their emotions as a substitute to talking to a friend. While technology provides a medium for these people, I think they should just get a good balance of technology and real face to face contact to ensure they do not become socially numb.
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