The Digital Revolution and its Effects on People

1509 Words4 Pages

“These days, being connected depends not on our distance from each other, but from available communications technology.” Relationships today are being impacted by the digital revolution. Modern technology diverts time and attention from spouses, families, and friends. Japanese believe that cellphones, texting, instant messaging, email, and online gaming have created social isolation. The greatest ‘social skill’ nowadays is to maintain eye contact with another person while texting. In ways, texting could be a good thing as it helps people keep up with family and friends they wouldn’t otherwise keep up with. However, society is overwhelmed by it all. Children are complaining that they are trying unsuccessfully to get their parents’ attention away from their phones and concentrated on them. It has come to the point where distinctions blur. “Virtual places offer connection with uncertain claims to commitment. We don’t count on cyber friends to come by if we are ill, to celebrate our children’s successes, to help us mourn the death of our parents. People know this and yet the emotional charge on cyberspace is high” Sherry Turkle writes that when she was younger, there were always hopscotches drawn on the sidewalk. Now the children are still out, but they are on their phones. One of the many setbacks of communication via cellphones is that it lacks the nonverbal cues, therefore, communication is less personal and more open to misinterpretation. “Technology offers a ‘safer’... type of relationship… people can exercise greater degree of control… less demanding mode of interaction than a conversation that takes place in real time.” People like the idea of online identities because online they could be rich, slim, and “buffed up”. Pe... ... middle of paper ... ...me back with an internet-free smartphone and glowing reports. “Mimi,” she gushed, “he’s a tzaddik. You have to go meet him face-to-face yourself. It’s worth the trip from Brooklyn to Lakewood”. I was in Brooklyn at the time, but time did not warrant a trip to New Jersey. However, I am hoping to go see him while on the East Coast for the summer. It’s not like I have a smartphone or unfiltered internet, but sounds like it’s an experience!! Works Cited 1. Email. Text Messages. Cell Phones. Social Media. The Internet.” Mishpacha Magazine, (November 6, 2013); 33-38 2. Szumski, Bonnie and Karson, Jill, Are Cell Phones Dangerous?, San Diego, California, Reference Point Press, Inc., 2012 3. Turkle, Sherry, Alone Together, New York, New York; Basic Books, 2011 4. 5. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cell%20phone

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