Technology and Social Interaction

            To me, technology has become an inseparable part of social interaction. I feel as though, in our generation, especially as college students, technology is an almost required aspect of any social life and a highly influential one. The majority of people I know have Facebook accounts, emails address, and other Internet and technology based venues to interact with one another. In fact, it is more odd and attention grabbing when I find out of those who do not have such ways of interacting. The absence of technology in social interaction is weirder than its presence in social interaction.

            Facebook is a crucial aspect of all my friendships and my interactions with people my own age. I feel as though I am almost expected to know what is going on through Facebook, and that it is a necessary source for both forming new friendships and maintaining old ones. I find that because of my demographic, technology cannot be separated from my social life.

            Whether or not technology is beneficial or harmful to social interactions really depends on the nature and extent that technology is involved in an individual’s social interactions and also the light in which technology is viewed. There are both good and bad things about technology in social interaction.

            The benefit of technology and using the Internet for interacting, is that is provides another tool for our social lives. Technology allows us to keep up with people easily and effectively when other ways of doing so are not possible. The Internet allows people to talk to without concern of different time zones, expensive or ill-timed phone calls, and without the delay of mailing letters. The Internet also allows people to keep up with each other on a level more involved than phone calls, letters, or even face-to-face interactions, because using technology enables people to share pictures, see videos, and also view interactions and communication between other people. Technology allows a person to become more involved in relationships and other’s lives because understanding and viewing that person’s life is so much easier, and close proximity is not necessary. In this way, technology has such a positive impact on people’s lives.

            Similarly, technology opens up the number of people you can connect to and meet, and provides another venue to get to know a new individual. While I think there is still a negative connotation attached to meeting people online and online dating, I believe that view is changing to more positive outlook, and higher acceptance of such interactions. It is a way to find and connect to people who are looking for the same thing and who share your views and beliefs. In fact, it may be more effective and better because you are meeting people based on your shared values, beliefs and commonalities, rather than meeting based on the limitations of shared location or shared friend circles.

            The negatives of technology in social interaction relate to using such tool as a replacement for face-to-face time. When technology is used to replace actual interaction and the Internet is the only way a person socializes, and then technology is detrimental and can have a negative impact. For one, online communication has its pitfalls. For example, the tone of a person is not easily interpreted online, and much more information and understanding can be gathered through face-to-face interaction. While technology allows you understand a person in a different way and keep up with their life, is doesn’t allow you to truly know that person the way face-to-face interaction does. A person’s virtual self is simply the presentation that individual paints and chooses to share on the Internet, and does not provide all the information about themselves. Complete intimacy through the Internet, to me, is next to impossible. Also, face-to-face interactions provide positive aspects that the Internet cannot provide (such as physical contact, etc). Technology has a negative impact when it replaces actual interaction, and in that it lacks information that can be gained through face-to-face interaction.

            The bottom line in my view of technology and social interaction is that technology is a crucial aspect of social life, and a great tool for social interaction, but cannot and should not replace face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face interaction is best and should trump the Internet in our social lives. However, using technology and the Internet to maintain and broaden our social lives is necessary, beneficial, and has a positive impact. Technology is simply an aspect that can allow us to interact when face-to-face is not possible, and be more involved and connected to people, as well as, a tool for expanding our social network (by meeting and getting to know people via the internet), but not a way to replace invaluable face-to-face interaction.

            I find my own use of technology to be just so. I use it to connect with people and to further my own friendships and relationships, but not as a replacement for actual interaction, just as a tool to enhance my social life.