The Internet as an Abstraction of Reality
The extensive number of hours spent on computers today is "masking" many human needs. In the United States today, over 57 million people are using these hours by getting Online (Telesys). Information can be accessed through 320 million different web pages with a single push of a button. Hours are spent receiving and giving information. People are now, more than ever, able to communicate with others by using the World Wide Web. Someone once said, what is one mans gain is another mans loss. The computer age, especially the new use of the Internet has caused a drastic loss of personal, face to face human interaction. People feel more secure typing a hello rather than saying a hello. Understanding that throughout the day, people are still communicating in many ways, the numbers suggest that human interaction will only continue to drop through the use of the Internet. The Internet has interfered and substituted a main facet of communication that is imperative for a human's psychological and physiological needs. Everyone understands that humans need interaction with one another on a daily basis. Without it, we become withdrawn from society and from others. Although the World Wide Web offers opportunities to communicate, this new form of human interaction is simply a substitution for the psychological and physiological needs of humans. Our computer screens are simply masks for representing human interaction. These masks are showing others a façade of our true selves.
Abraham Maslow developed a biological sketch of the human hierarchy of needs. In this hierarchy he describes five personal characteristics a human being needs for survival. Each contains specific elements that are critical for one to achieve and maintain a high self-esteem as well as a physical wellness. These needs include physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization (Huitt). In society today, especially here at the University, the number of hours spent "online" is astonishing. The University of Texas Internet server, Telesys, has over 3100 lines for outside students to use. These lines are constantly being used throughout the day and night. What time of day are the students using the Internet the most? According to Telesys, from around ten o'clock at night until two-thirty in the morning, all lines are in use (Telesys). These are times that are spent in "chat rooms" and browsing throughout the web.
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
In the world today, people are constantly surrounded by technology. At any given moment, we can connect to others around the world through our phones, computers, tablets, and even our watches. With so many connections to the outside world, one would think we have gained more insight into having better relationships with the people that matter the most. Despite these connections, people are more distant to one another than ever. In the article, “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk," author Sherry Turkle details her findings on how people have stopped having real conversations and argues the loss of empathy and solitude are due to today’s technology. Turkle details compelling discoveries on how technology has changed relationships in “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk,” and her credibility is apparent through years of research and the persuasive evidence that supports her claims.
With the entry of technology, humankind built up the capacity to communicate around the world. However, there were many debates whether technology changed the way of socializing with people. Despite the fact that technology has its positive sides, it ought to be found in a negative light. As technology made people's lives easier, they lost their social skills. The problem is that Nowadays' generation is failing to understand the epidemic of communicating via internet and its side effects.
Various electronics are frequently used to go on pointless websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, which ruin society’s social abilities. More and more people use social media on the internet as a communication source. This does not apply merely to kids and teens, but adults as well. Using these sorts of websites as a way of communicating causes many individuals’ social skills to decrease. A plethora of children and teens would rather stay inside and interact with their friends through the internet than go hang out with them. Before technology people were not afraid to go up to a random person and talk to them. Now many friendships form through the internet and these friendships are not genuine. When these “friends” meet in person, they find nothing to talk about. For example, I remember after watching Perks of being a Wallflower, a movie taking place in the early nineties, my friends and I discussed how all the characters communicated in person and during hanging out they played games and talked. Now...
The online personality of a person might be different from his/her offline character. People become dependent on the technology and forget how to socialize in face-to-face context which can lead to a life of fantasy, solitude, and isolation. Social media is an ever-advancing part of modern society. However, it often has a negative impact on a generation of people who use their devices: laptops, cell phones and Ipads, to hide from interpersonal identification and communication resulting in the tendency to lose touch with reality. There needs to be a constant reminder that face-to-face interaction must remain a staple in our society because it is of a much higher quality and has the ability to satisfy so many more of our inherent social needs such as a sense of belonging and touch, sharing, cooperating, laughing, and loving. Social skills foster the building blocks of real relationships: trust, empathy and overall connectedness, and bonding. If we use technology to define ourselves, it may easily lead to a life of loneliness, always fearing the exposure of our true
As we know it today people are more connected to the internet than five years ago. The technology has involve into our daily tool to know what is around, as was to know the daily news, and connecting with love ones, shopping, and having personal space. But there comes a time when people have gone to in depth “like” with cell phones constant texting that are forgetting how to interact with others, and having face to face conversations and becoming less aware to questions. According to a research...
Graduation is an exciting time in a person’s life, especially a high school graduation. When I think of family and friends gathering together to celebrate a joyous occasion, I feel I accomplished my strongest goal. It never occurred to me that graduation would be the end of my youth and the start of adulthood. Graduating from high school was an influential event that gave me an altered outlook on my existence. Life before graduation, preparing for graduation day, and commencement day overwhelmed me for reality.
Tyler, Tom R. “Is the Internet Changing Social Life? It Seems the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.” Journal of Social Issues 58.1 (2002): 200-201. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Over the last century, information technology, such as the Internet, has brought our society forward and helps us get through life more efficiently and conveniently. In addition, it helps making global communication easier and faster as compared to hand-written mails that may take days if not weeks to reach its intended recipient. However, with such luxury and convenience, there is a debate whether the way we currently interact with fellow human beings with the help of technology is good or bad to our personal relationships. The Internet has increased the amount of communication globally, yet ironically the very technology that helps us increase our communication hinders our ability to socialize effectively in real life and create a healthy interpersonal relationship.
Change has always been for the better, but when it comes to change in technology; it’s not necessary that the change is going to be good. Technology has been advancing rapidly and is given more importance now than ever before. Every day, technology enhances our modern lifestyle. Although electronics allow us to connect and communicate our ideas with people, they also brainwash us into spending more time using our devices rather than spending quality time with friends and family. It may be hard to believe, but statics show us that almost sixty percent of teens that were surveyed said that they had a slight addiction to the internet and more than forty percent of teens are addicted to their phones. There is no doubt that the internet is very useful, keeping in mind all of its benefits, however its advantages are not the only things we need to focus on. Some of the negative effects internet is leading to are harming us online and in reality. The internet is negatively affecting major parts of our lives, such as affecting us online and in reality, internet becoming an addiction and lastly its negative effect on our culture and religion.
With 80% of Americans using internet, and that 80% spending an average of 17 hours a week online (each), according to the 2009 Digital Future Report, we are online more than ever before. People can't go a few hours let alone a whole day without checking their emails, social media, text messages and other networking tools. The average teen today deals with more than 3,700 texts in just a month. The use of technology to communicate is making face to face conversations a thing of the past. We have now become a society that is almost completely dependent on our technology to communicate. While technology can be helpful by making communication faster and easier, but when it becomes our main form of conversation it becomes harmful to our communication and social skills. Technological communication interferes with our ability to convey our ideas clearly. Technology can harm our communication skills by making us become unfamiliar with regular everyday human interactions, which can make it difficult for people to speak publicly. Technology can also harm our ability to deal with conflict. These days it is easier to h...
This article is relevant to my paper because it asserts that through the use of technology, the quality of interpersonal relationships is diminishing to an unacceptable standard.
High school. I never realized it would bring so many changes. As I walked on to campus my freshman year, my mindset was the same as it was in eighth grade; the young are invincible. And although I was excited to come to high school I had many fears. Would the classes be too hard, would I make new friends, what could I become involved in, and most of all -- what if I get lost? All of these fears eventually subsided and I, along with all of you, found the right classes and the right teachers. We all made new friends. We all got involved in something. During my freshman year, innocence surrounded me and although eventually my shell would crack, not until this year have I broken through. This year I decided that it is time to soar on my own. Graduation is the beginning of a new flight for all of us, the class of 1997.
The influence of the electronic devices, multimedia and computers are the things that dealt with our daily life. Especially the internet that is now giving more importance to each and every one, by giving the newest outstanding media that surely will give the outmost future ahead of us. (Temmel)
Having spent twelve years of my school life in just one small red brick building, the years tend to fade into each other. But the year I remember most clearly and significantly is my senior year of high school, where I finally began to appreciate what this institution offered to any student who stopped to look. Before, school had been a chore, many times I simply did not feel motivated toward a subject enough to do the homework well, and seeing the same familiar faces around ever since I was 5 years old grew very tiring soon enough. But I began to see things from a different angle once I became a senior.