We are living in the most technologically advanced time in human history. Children born around the 90s and later were said to have been born with technology at their feet. Now everywhere we look we can see kids brought up with tablets, phones, televisions, and computers. Little by little, Internet and mobile technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have with others, disconnecting us from the world around us, and leading to an imminent sense of isolation in todays society (The Bottom Line, 2012). From an early age we are shown to carry our pieces of technology everywhere we go. There is no wonder why we grow up and do the same thing we did as kids and fail to look around us instead of a screen. It seems the more we know somebody and are more comfortable with them the more we find it acceptable to change our focus to our handheld technologies. I am sure I am not the only one, but I find it funny when I am walking somewhere I am not too familiar with, next to people I do not know, I tend to unconsciously take out my phone and stare at it. It is almost as if staring at a screen doing anything little task like looking through my email for no sudden reason, will take me out of any awkward and weird situation. Instead of simple greetings to passersby on the street, we simply look down and check our phones for a quick second. I find the more advanced technology gets, and the more technologies come out we as people get so intrigued that we get more attracted to it. For example, I have had my current phone for years, I know the basics of this particular model pretty well. Because I am familiar with it, I dont find that curiosity I once had when I first got it anymore. Companies come out with the next big phone, video game, app, console, TV, and computer with what feels like every other week. We are consistently looking at continuous change around us that we arent as excited as we once were earlier in our lives. As a kid, I had to have the latest console to play the newest game just to keep up with my friends. I cant recall every time my mom would waltz into my room and tell me to do something and shortly after yell at me because my eyes were glued to my screen. Now, not a lot has changed. I dont stare at my television anymore with as much excitement or find as much amusement from video games. But my focus has changed to my cell phone along with all the fun applications on it. And instead of my mom yelling at me, my wife is there to take her place.
In conclusion, due to my own experience I cant help but realize that technology is only going to push us farther apart socially. Technology is not going to stop, and we are always going to find an excuse to need the latest gadget. The more overwhelmed and mesmerized we are kept with the newest tech, the more times we wont think twice about getting it and continuing the trend. The human race will continue to try to resolve this antisocial problem we created with more technology. Let me be clear: Technology has absolutely been instrumental in shifting our world to become what it is today. Because of technology, were able to get tasks done more quickly, get in touch with friends and co-workers across the globe with the touch of a button and seem more connected to the world around us (Ashworth, C., 2019).
References
The Bottom Line (2012) Technology is Destroying the Quality of Human Interaction retrieved from
Ashworth, C (2019) Are We Losing the Human Connection? Retrieved from
