How Technology Leads to Social Isolation or Increases Social Interaction

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The 21st century has seen an increase in the use of technology. Scenarios of individuals walking while listening to their iPods, people at restaurants using their iPads or mobile phones are common. Young children at homes are increasingly playing video games. In colleges and other institutions of higher learning, students are increasingly using technology devices such as the iPod, to listen to music between classes and sometimes during lectures. Based on different literature, there are very differing views on whether technology does cause social isolation or whether it increases social interaction. How technology leads to social isolation or increases social interaction depends on how an individual uses the technology. Additionally, the ability to manage technology use by an individual also affects the influence of technology on the individual.

Current technology increases access to the internet and social media. How individuals relate is being greatly influenced by the current technologies. People hanging in groups are more focused in their devices than with each other or their surroundings. Level of physical interactions thus tends to decrease among people who knew each other. Around the globe, there are increased reports of cases of individual overindulging in using the internet via various devices. The increase in the use of technology has greatly affected how individuals relate and interact with each other. A country like China, for instance, is currently experiencing increased cases of teenager being addicted to online gaming. Parents are more worried as they find it difficult to communicate with teenagers whose attitude become unpleasant. Internet addiction is considered a psychiatric disorder in some countries. Individual...

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