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Effects of technology on relationships essay
Technology and the effects on relationships
The negative effects of cell phones
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There was a time when people communicated mainly through writing letters, talking on the phone, or speaking personally to others. Our communication capabilities and the dynamic of our social world has changed drastically with the introduction of electronics – especially cellular smartphones. In today’s world, hand-held cellular phones have transformed the way people communicate. While these devices have made us much more productive and efficient, they are causing our society to lose the important life skill of interpersonal communication. People can be seen everywhere fixating on their phones instead of interacting with others. Many are mesmerized by what they can do on their phones and are often seen using them while walking down the street, sitting at a restaurant during dinner, and even while driving. I believe cell phones are negatively impacting our society because they are harming our interpersonal skills, consuming our lives, and creating an imminent danger. Society’s reliance on smartphones has dramatically changed the way humans interact with one another. In the past, people …show more content…
would spend hours talking with friends and building relationships. Now, short text messages have replaced most conversations. People use photos or visual icons like emojis to share what they are feeling or what they are doing while writing has transitioned from long, thoughtful letters, to short, fragmented emails or text messages. “Six billion SMS (short message service) messages are sent every day in the United States and over 2.2 trillion are sent a year,” says Forrester Research. People may be less comfortable sharing ideas verbally or expressing feelings if they are only using their cellphone. Smartphones provide an easy way to hide behind emails and text messages. Further, since so much of the communication is done through the devices, people are not learning how to work with others and resolve conflict. As a result, friendships, relationships, and group interaction situations can be awkward or unproductive. All of this is influencing the effectiveness of our communication skills with others. According to Pew Research Center, “Today, nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults own a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011.” This number will continue to rise as technology enhances and everyone feels like they need the “latest and greatest” technology device. According to Explore Facts, “In a day, a person spends an average of 2.7 hours to socialize on his or her smartphone. This period of time is one-third the time spent on sleeping and twice more than on eating.” Clearly, this illustrates the enormous amount of time we spend on our phones each day. It is believed that the average smartphone user checks their phone up to 110 times a day. Since the devices are small and portable, it is convenient to take our phones with us wherever we go. Because of this, people are so consumed with living through their phones that they forget to go out and actually live! Some may say that smartphones are a quick and easy way to help us track and find information quickly. Although that is true, it is getting in the way of our ability to think for ourselves. According to Opposing Views, “ With most smartphones featuring a full Web browser, the potential for cheating has grown exponentially. Clever students can subtly look up the answers to test questions using search engines such as Google or online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia.” Nowadays, kids don’t need to work with others to get the information they need or even use their own brain - they have access to the internet right on their cell phones. What kind of society will we live in in 10 years when everyone is incapable of thinking for themselves and coming up with their own original ideas? Lastly, cell phones are creating an imminent danger in society.
With the increase in use and the constant advancement of features and interactive applications on phones, there is a growing addiction to using cell phones at all times – even when it can be dangerous. The greatest danger is using a cell phone to text while driving. The statistics are frightening. The United States Department of Transportation notes, “Cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year that cause a half million injuries and take 6,000 lives.” A simple three word text and those couple seconds to type it is not worth losing your whole life. Laws have been passed to address these statistics, but the habits of constantly updating and looking at information on phones increases. There is no text message or snapchat photo that can’t wait until you are safely at your
destination. Overall, while smartphones and electronic devices have helped build a more efficient society, they are weakening the social and interpersonal skills of everyone. These valuable skills are critical to relationships, school, and business in the future. How will Corporate America survive in ten years if no one has developed effective written, verbal, and group interaction skills? Will valuable ideas be sacrificed? Will business suffer? The only way to rectify the situation is to begin putting stringent controls around cell phone usage and increasing opportunities for people to interact socially.
In the essay “Our Cell Phones, Our Selves” written by Christine Rosen, the author presents a brief history on how cell phones were introduced into society and how this artifact changed people’s interactions in the physical space. Rosen describes the first cell phone that appeared in 1983 as “hardly elegant,” big and expensive (458). Cell phones at that time were mainly used by important and affluent people. However, seven years later, cell phones became smaller and affordable provoking a big change in society. This big technological advance did not only affect the United States, but the entire world.
Texting/using a cell phone while operating a vehicle is one of the front runners in technology related deaths/injuries. Statistics show that 660,000 people per day attempt to use a cell phone while behind the wheel, and that 1.6 million of reported car crashes per year are linked to cell phones. Eleven adolescents lose their lives every day due to texting and driving (“Cell Phone Use While Driving”), these are young lives that are being cut short due to recklessness and a lack of concern for others and even themselves. This is what technology has done to society. It is obvious that people today believe that liking an Instagram picture or texting back their best friend is more important than another person’s safety and well being. People have begun to put others in danger in order for them to fulfill their own electronic addictions. Humans once loved and cared for each other, now they love and care for their cell
Across the globe family and friends are losing their loved ones to fatal texting and driving accidents. These days, many strive to be connected with the world and their friends by using mobile devices. The problem is that numerous people tend to do so at bad times. For example, while one is driving, it is common to look down at the cell phone to send a short text message that could put their lives in harm. Across the nation, numerous advertising and support groups are spreading the word to encourage society to put phones down and focus on driving instead of texting. However, it really hasn’t stopped. There needs to be a significant change and with the way technology is advancing, there is an immediate, attainable action that can be accomplished.
In today’s society, texting and driving have become an issue. Many teens and adults, have formed a habit of using their cell phones while driving. Texting while driving can be very distracting, which can cause many accidents to happen. In trying to prevent this, new laws have been passed, making the use of cell phones while operating a car, illegal. However, too many people do not respect this law. People should stop getting distracted while driving because texting while driving is taking people’s attention on the road, accidents are getting higher and is comparable to drunk driving.
People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking social media and texting and they seem to have become accustom to doing this wherever they please, whether it be at dinner, at work or in the car. The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous and destructive to not only the driver, but also everyone driving around them. Every year, twenty one percent of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. This statistic is expected to grow as much as four percent every year. But, texting and driving is not just a problem among teen drivers. One-fifth of adult drivers in the United States also report sending text messages while driving (“Cell Phone & Texting Accidents”). To help fight this problem, the government needs much take a stronger stance and try to stand up against texting and driving to make the idea a bigger deal and implement harsher punishments, as well as stressing the damaging effects of texting and driving to children and teens early on in
Today’s society accepted phones so fast and easily, that most of the things that can harm us, are actually some of our social norms that we don’t even realize we are doing. Cell phones can have effects on the way people think and act, their interactions with people in society, and the amount information people retain from the direct result of multi-tasking. Cell phones are a very important asset to people, and good resources of information, but they can have negative effects on people such as depression, anxiety, and addiction to the use of the cell phone. Distractions from cell phone use have also been linked to many motor vehicle accidents as well. Cell phones were created to make our lives better, and more efficient, but do they harm us more than help
Social relationships are essential for one to function properly within today’s society. Cell phones have affected social relationships by changing them from social conduct to contacting someone through a text message. “ Research in human interaction using communication technology like text messages and phone calls could deepen an understanding on how society manages their everyday life” (Rippen). Cell phones have become such a necessity in everyday life that cell phone users rely on a device to manage their everyday social relationships. Cell phone users can manage their social relationships with the touch of a screen. The user can access facebook, send a tweet, send an email, text, or call anyone anywhere in the world. As of lately cell phone users seem to be driven by their own need to be connected to anyone with in seconds. Some people find it overwhelming when it comes to manage their social relationships and have issues when confronted with human contact.
The digitalization of our world has significantly increased our dependence on cell-phones and the ubiquity of such devices as a whole. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 8 people are killed and 1,161 people are injured due to distracted driving. Furthermore, the dangers of talking and texting while driving have been compounded with activities such as, updating/checking social media profiles, taking pictures and videos, and casually surfing the internet, making it perilous to even carry such devices in one’s vehicle. I have fortunately never been involved in a car accident involving cell-phone usage. Thankfully, my parents are very cautious and do not use hand-held devices in the car, but the fact that they instead resort to using hands-free technology to talk while
In today’s society, cell phones have played a part in the lives of many people around the world. Tasks such as making phone calls, texting, taking photos and even have the internet to chit chat, have it not only been made easier but have also been made more possible for many more people. As a result, cell phone subscriptions continue to increase globally, As people continue to depend on cell phones for their communication needs, these devices not only become more useful but also more dangerous for us, especially when used at inappropriate times. One of the most dangerous ways to use cell phones is to text while driving. The available statistics sadly indicate that the number of the people who are engaged in accidents or even lose their lives
Today in life, many people use their cell phones to call, text, and use the web. Because of that, one in four car crashes are because of texting and
People may think that digital devices have changed our life a lot, and they can use these digital devices to communicate with each other immediately at the same time. It is true that digital devices are more convenient and faster than traditional communication methods like writing letters. However, these digital devices will influence interpersonal relationships, and people do not know how to talk effectively. Many people spend more much time on digital devices than friends, relatives, and children. Personally, I have dinner with my friends on every Sunday night, but some of them always look at their cell phones while we are eating or sharing interesting stories. It is very impolite, and my interest in this dinner gradually decreases. Moreover, there is a phenom...
Are Smartphones Destroying A Generation? In many ways, people are more connected with one another as well as to what occurs in the outside world more than ever. Local bulletins, newspapers, radio, live television, and news websites dedicated to the dissemination of information and current events are immensely popular and read daily. Interpersonal communication, however, has undergone-- and is currently experiencing--incredible change.
Cell phones have changed from an item of luxury to an everyday necessity for some people. Twenty five years ago, a phone was just a way to contact someone. Mobile phones have become one of the most common tools of communications for both young and old. Cellular devices have redefined relationships and social conduct, and transformed the daily lives of many individuals. Cell phones no longer function just as a communication device. Today it has many other uses. Cell phones are used for games, calculators, texting, calendars, social sites, and pictures. In addition, there are many apps that one can download on a phone. Mobile phones help us keep track of our lives.
In today’s world the vast majority of the population owns a cell phone. Cell phones are a huge part of people’s everyday lives. Since the 1940’s when mobile phones became available for automobiles, phone companies have made huge strides in making mobile phones more efficient, much smaller, and more available for anyone to use. There was a time where only people of wealth had these types of mobile phones. Now people from all social classes own a cell phone. They are extremely convenient and have the ability to do just about anything you can think of. There is an “app” for everything. You can make phone calls, text message, surf the web, pay your bills, read books, catch up on social media, and even listen to you music all from one small handheld device. Cell phones play a huge role in today’s economy. Businesses such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have become huge public corporations with large stakes in the stock market. Between these companies among several other phone companies they have created millions of jobs and opportunities. Cell phone companies have now created what are known as “smart phones”. These phones are typically slim and sleek and have countless versatile abilities. However, cell phones have not always been so “smart” or small for that matter.
Technology has advanced so much that nowadays we can access anything on the internet in one device: the smartphone. The difference between a smart phone and a cell phone is that smart phones are made to enhance our lifestyle ten times more than a cell phone. A cell phone’s basic use is communication via phone call or text message. This was and will always be the basic features of any phone, or so I hope so. Text messaging became extremely popular when my generation started obtaining cell phones. We realized that texting was a more convenient way of communicating with someone for hours and not having those awkward silent minutes that you’d have during a phone call. Shery Turkle, a radio and television media commentator describes our generation as “Modern Goldilocks.” She says, “Texting puts people not too close, not too far, but just at the right distance.”¬ Social media has made us believe that face to face encounters and phone calls are uncomfortable and can be avoided simply by texting or communicating through text messages or social network accounts like Facebook and