How Technology Affects Relationships

Social networking and other social technology allows for interactions to occur between friends and family regardless of their location. While people remain social through communicating at a constant rate, the essence of face-to-face interactions is in part affected. In romantic relationships, open and honest communication with one’s partner is critical to the trust and development of the relationship. Young adults use social technology such as the Internet and mobile phones on a daily basis to maintain their relationships. Due to the miscommunication that often occurs from not a lack of face-to-face interactions, social technology shapes the way romantic relationships function. Therefore, social technology impacts romantic relationships

First of all, data shows that 75% of young people reported seeing people kissing or having sex in TV shows or movies they’ve watched. The data conducted showed that 69% of young people have listened to sexual music. 19% played games with sexual activity and 25% found sexual material

It today’s society, pornography is a fast-growing epidemic that is evident in families, marriages, and teenage lifestyles. Supporters of pornography claim that it can be used as a tool to teach students about sex education. However, critics claim that pornography is unjust, influential, and dehumanizing. Pornography is unjust because it has the potential to break down intimate relationships and marriages. It can also have negative effects on children in particular young boys. More and more young boy’s minds are being influenced by pornography which is leading to misinterpretations about how to have a healthy sexual relationship. Most importantly, pornography dehumanizes women and it exploits children. Women and children are being victimized for the sheer pleasure of someone viewing pornography.

The term sexuality here in the U.S. has become a culture that mirrors an explicit image of sexual behaviors all in the media, TV, news, magazines, etc. Sexual behaviors have evolved into a type of valid entertainment; sort of similar to gambling, going to sports games or watching TV/movie. “Hypersexuality is a highly debated topic among psychiatrists and sexual medicine researchers, who have different opinions about whether "too much" sexual activity is truly a disorder, for either sex.”; according to Staff Writer of Live Science, Bahar Gholipour. Statistics and studies shows that 72 million people utilize the internet for sexually explicit literature satisfaction as well as 42.7% of internet users watch pornography (Timothy W. Fong, 2006)

According to the article “Is Porn a Threat to Public Health?” “The average age at which boys first see porn has dropped to 10 1/2” (Lo, par. 2). Many Americans would see this statistic as problematic and believe such exposure harms young people. However, there are several reasons why that is incorrect. Benefits of exposure to pornography include the minimal risks of sexual behavior and watching porn, the criminalization of serious sexual acts and crimes, and the multiple benefits of watching or participating in sexual acts. Therefore, pornography and/or sexual acts in teenagers pose minimal risks and should not be governmentally regulated or criminally punished.

According to a poll of 10 to 16 year olds done by the advocacy group Children Now, "77 percent say that there is too much premarital sex on T.V., while 62 percent say sex on T.V. and in movies influences kids to have sex when they are too young" (Clark, "Sex, Violence"). The influences of the media is felt everywhere and especially in terms of human sexuality. Everything from TV commercials to the newspaper has some form of sex in it, usually to keep the audience interested. In modern society, the changing times as well as media executives wanting more ratings(and therefore money) have lead to teenagers more willing to try sexual acts at a younger age and the country being more openminded about sexual issues.

The article supported their claim through collecting data from the website NevaEvaLand, a popular social media page used by girls in low-income areas such as Atlanta, Georgia, to display how different sexual scripts influenced the way girls acted on the internet. Stokes found that there were five groups that most girls would label themselves a part of the, “Freaks, Virgins, Down-Ass Chick, Pimpette, and Resisters” (Stokes 124). After analyzing the five different sexual scripts, the author described the attitude each person carried towards sex and how they acted on the internet. Her reasoning for why the girls acted in the manner they did online was because they were looking for different pleasures out of sexual partners. The Freaks and Down-Ass Chicks were more promiscuous and expressed that on their homepage, while those such as Virgins were finding someone who was fine with abstaining from sex. The data collected made her reasoning effective by providing credible support to her

227). Among these females, 27.8% were forced to be sexually photographed or filmed by their partners, 75% were forced to consume pornography and 80.5% claimed that they were forced to re-enact sexual acts from pornography (Moreau et al. 227). With 9.4% having reported that they experienced forced sexual relations with other individuals, 38.5% forced with other couples, 53.8% forced into sexual relations with other individuals including family and 69.2% having experienced prostitution through the force of their partners (Moreau et al. 227). With most of these statistics demonstrating forced exposure of pornography to an individual, it could potentially lead to the solidification of sexual scripts involving the alteration of values and such. Which slowly and forcefully educates the females of subordination and objectification. Forcefully creating beliefs that women are tools for sexual gratification as a normality of society. Overall demonstrating that the exposure of pornography has positive correlations with the increasing of sexual

The internet, cell phones, and social media have become key actors in the life of many American couples. Of the 66 percent of adults who are married or in committed relationships use technology in the little and large moments. They negotiate over when to use it and when to abstain. A portion of them quarrel over its use and have had hurtful experiences caused by tech use. At the same time, some couples find that digital tools facilitate communication and support. In today’s society, we are more connected than we probably are aware due to not only social media but as well as its access being at the tips of our fingers. Since we have chosen to be so connected we have seemed to give up a large part of our privacy. This invasion of privacy mostly impacts our relationships with others- especially our romantic relationships. As well as it invading our privacy we now have studies that show how humans use technology for a form of attachment.

As of 2012, approximately 95% of all americans between 12 and 17 years old are online and ¾ access the internet by cell phone, tablet or laptop. ⅕ of United States teenagers who regularly log onto the internet say they have received unwanted sexual solicitation through the web. Only 25% of those have told a parent. Sexual predators on the internet tend to be between 18-55. There target are usually between the age of 11 and 15. About 75% of children are willing to share personal information online making it easier for sexual predators to find children.

What starts out as accidental exposure to sexual media can become a full-blown addiction (Kistler & Lee, 2010; Ouytsel, Ponnet, & Walrave, 2014). Early use of pornography is correlated with higher compulsivity as an emerging adult (Giordano, & Cashwell, 2017; Stinson, 2010; Willoughby, Carroll, Nelson, & Padilla-Walker, 2014; Willoughby, Young-Petersen, & Leonhardt, 2018; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2005). Virtually every individual who lives in modern society will be exposed to sexual media; even those who say they abstain still have a 20% likelihood of seeing pornography and sexual media incidentally (Willoughby, et al.,

In this generation we tend to use social media networks, such as facebook and twitter to communicate with our friends and family. Has social media replaces all other forms of communication?

Berl Kutchinsky applies an epidemiological study approach to describe the association between certain behaviors, physical, and psychological health through observation of real-world happenings via statistical data. In this study, Kutchinsky examined countries such as Denmark, West Germany, Sweden, and the USA. In this study, Kutchinsky proved that for the years between 1964 and 1984 when pornography had become increasingly popular, sexual crimes such as rape had not increased; instead, they had either decreased or remained constant. Denmark was the first of these countries to legalize pornography although massive demonstrations and harsh laws were linked to pornography in the US. Only in the US did sex crimes increase with increased availability of pornographic material in 1970 and 1980.

As much as I regret to admit it, I’m attached to my phone. I’m constantly reaching into my pocket to check the time, make sure I haven’t gotten a new update, or to send a message. I do this even when I’m not talking to anyone! It’s become an addiction, having to make sure I’m not missing anything, and I'm not the only one who has this problem. Seventy-five percent of the world population has a cell phone, and that number will only increase. With the creation of new technology portions of life have become easier. Technology has changed the way we go through life. It’s made talking to people easier, as well as keeping up with the lives of others. However, the effects have affected the aspects of our lives that don’t include technology.

Studies have shown that pornography has several significant effects on an individual. A study in 2000 conducted by Oddone-Paolucci, Genuis, and Violato revealed information on the correlation between pornography consumption and behaviour (Oddone-Paolucci et al., 2000). Out of 12,323 people, eighty-five percent of people were sampled from the U.S.A, eleven percent from Canada, and two studies were done in Europe (Oddone-Paolucci et al., 2000). Overall, the analysis of the results showed “a thirty-one percent increase in the risk of sexual deviancy, a twenty-two percent increase in the risk of sexual perpetration, a twenty percent increase in the risk of experiencing negative intimate relationships, and a thirty-one percent increase in the