Technology Changing Social Boundaries

Within the essays, “Our Cell Phones, Our Selves,” by Christine Rosen and “Disconnected Urbaism” by Paul Golderger, both authors expressed concern about the usages and the path our society is heading down. It is remarkable that within 30 years the cell phone went from a large mobile phone called the brick to what it is today. If we are not careful with the cell phone and our dependence on it, our social communication skills will be permanently damaged. Cell phones have inhibited the way we interact with each other and the way we communicate.

In the article “The Flight from Conversation,” Sherry Turkle makes a point that technology has changed people in their ways of interacting with each other. She states that people have lost the skills for interacting face to face because they prefer to text or email each other. In the text, the author spent over fifteen years studying people and asking them about their lives. She also found that cellphones have changed what people do and who they are. People are accustomed to technology, it is a new way of being “alone together.” This means that people could be sitting at a table together, but not having a real conversation because they are too focused on their mobile devices.

Cell phones and technology are wonderful tools for us to communicate and to grow as society but even though there are many benefits of using cell phones in the various social environments, there is also the greater disadvantage of the usage of the devices. The effects of being rude to one another, “light” unimportant conversations, and weak relationships between peers or family members. In today's world people are way too connected electronically and disconnected emotionally. As there is a lot of controversy to if cell phones are running society's social lives or not, research has shown that they are in fact hurting and affecting how people are interacting and communicating with one another. Between the lack of empathy and the lack of face to face conversations, cellular devices “smart phones” are the major reasons society is seeing a negative effect in people’s social life

In the second chapter of her book, “The Empathy Diaries” Sherry Turkle argues that people are fleeing or running from normal conversation. She also states that even though we want to be with each other, we also want to be able to disconnect with reality and connect somewhere else. She claims “What we value most is control over where we put our attention” (19). We want to be close but not that far away, but just right. The writer acknowledges that our phones give us a sense of “companionship” without having to deal with the demands of an actual relationship. With that being said, even our conversations are being impacted by our phones. The writer even states that, “even the mere presence of a phone on a table (even a phone turned off) changes

Within the essays, “Our Cell Phones, Our Selves,” by Christine Rosen and “Disconnected Urbaism” by Paul Golderger, both authors expressed concern about the usages and the path our society is heading down. It is remarkable that within 30 years the cell phone went from a large mobile phone called the brick to what it is today. If we are not careful with the cell phone and our dependence on it, our social communication skills will be permanently damaged. Cell phones have inhibited the way we interact with each other and the way we communicate.

Though there is positive effects to having a smartphone, and many people in the world are fond of the device, smartphones have moreover increased the isolation of friends and family due to the daily consistency. According to

Cell phones are commonly the first and last thing that the people in our society look at before they go to sleep. All over the place you can spot children who "are all hanging out, but instead of looking at each other, they are staring at their phones." (Newsela, From phone-to-phone). In this day and age, people are losing the ability to communicate, and instead of doing so they text each other on their phones. No matter where in the world, kids spend more time "corresponding with their friends through text messaging rather than talking to them in person." (Newsela, From phone-to-phone). These phones are taking away the ability to speak to one another. Not only that, but they are taking away part of what it means to be human. Ray Bradbury sends this message as well in his novel, Fahrenheit 451. One of the characters in this book, known as Clarisse, talks about how she enjoys communication and how she thinks that "being with people is nice. But I don’t think it’s social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you?" (Bradbury 27). Bradbury shows that if humans do not talk to each other, even if they are together, they all not being social. Bradbury also expresses the fact that if people do not interact, they will not be able to remember one another. Montag can't even remember his own wife. He tries and tries but can only come up with "my wife, my wife. Poor Millie, poor, poor

“Can you remember the last time you were in a public space in America and didn’t notice that half the people around you were bent over a digital screen, thumbing a connection to somewhere else?” (Fredrickson, 2013, pg. 1). In a world today where sending a text message containing the message “I luv you,” is equally powerful to that statement said in person to your significant other. Today’s generation is surrounded by the constant need to have technology and mainly cell phones at your fingertips. Gone are the days when people would talk to one another whilst standing in line, now it is all about having and using your cell phone to pass the time. All of this takes bondage on having an interpersonal relationship with each other and conversing

Today, he says the two spend more evenings staring at their phones than they do at each other.” (Morris). The article provides information that families are affected by technology and can not keep conversations or continue relationships. Similar to Montag and his wife being so intrigued in their technology they forget about each other and the bond they could have if they had conversations after work or at the end of the night rather than making their devices seem more important to them. “If one partner in the relationship disengages from a face-to-face interaction while engaging in technology...the other person may experience a sense of threat to their need to feel attached and in control in that relationship.” (Morris). The lack of communication in a relationship due to technology seems to push away others in the friendship or relationship, the article proves that when others are more interested in their phone or other devices other party/parties feel distant and pushed away and do not want to continue the relationship.People can start building stronger relationships by putting down their pieces of technology and making time to have a real conversations with the people they

“...between 2005 and 2012, 35% of the couples marrying in the US had met online” (González). The internet is used in many ways such as, communicating, posting status updates, and discovering new information. People most commonly argue the internet to be the source of loneliness and depression, whereas others say that it generates more relationships and friends. Electronic devices, such as mobile phones and laptops are utilized in everyday life, whether it be for work, school, personal matters, and in many other ways. It helps promote interactivity and involvement in a community, where you are not alone. It also permits transparent discussions, between friends, family, and others, that are beneficial in everyday life worldwide. Technology does not make us more alone as it gives people the opportunity to meet new people, supplements communications, and aids those who are already lonely.

With time comes the constant change of technology, its advancements and our reactions over the refinement itself. In ‘ Distracted: The Erosion of Attention And The Coming Dark Age”, Jackson makes ungrounded statements concerning the negative effects of technology and the benefits it has acquired however Jackson accurately reveals the truth behind Jackson’s opinions on the effects of technology are one sided and very biased. A study by Edward Hallowell states that the way we are living our lives, controlled by balancing multiple task, is contributing to the attention deficit disorders (Jackson 149). As a result of our speedy generation, fast-acting systems and programs perfectly embody what is appropriate to our society at the time.

When people are too into their phones they forget about the people that are actually around them. In “The Pedestrian” Mr. Mead explains a futuristic world where people do not go outside or do much of anything that does not involve a screen. The story makes the statement, “... deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone.” This shows that by being too “plugged-in” people lose touch with what being human really means. Even though most people use technology as a way to stay in touch with people who they normally would not talk to in real life the conversation lacks what an in person conversation would contain. Some of these are the empathy that is not all the way there when sent through technology also, context is shortened and not as in depth than if it was in person. Right before Sherry Turkle’s TED talk in 2012 she got a typical text from her daughter saying “Mom, you will rock.” Sherry explained that getting this text was “like getting a hug” but even though this was a good message in her eyes people should acknowledge that no matter how much a text could touch someone being there in person to deliver the message yourself will always be better. These are the reasons humans should watch how much time is spent on technology instead of time with the people around

“Little by little, Internet and mobile technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have with others, disconnecting us from the world around us, and leading to an imminent sense of isolation in today’s society.” (Melissa Nilles “Technology is Destroying the Quality of Human Interaction”) Because of technology, the interactions with other people have no meaning, and that we are no longer in touch with the world that we live in. Since technology makes it easier to connect and converse with friends, family, etc. it gives people the opportunity to avoid face to face interaction at all, which leads to isolation and loneliness. This is because as human beings, physical touch is something that we

Many people assume that they are self-reliant or put self-reliance in the perspective of living on their own or taking care of themselves. Today, this is just the world we live in. Initially technology directs and diverts our minds away from witnessing what is truly out there in our world and what is in front of us. Generally, I will find myself caught up and distracted in technology or use it as a way to avoid certain situations. Additionally, social norms and the ideas to be the same as everyone around you prohibit our ability to be individuals. Simply Phycology gives us the idea that, “Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave. They provide us with an expected idea of how to behave in a particular social group or culture.” Conclusively,

Technology separates people because it nurtures addictions. For example, in her CNN article, Sandee LaMotte says that the overuse of cell phones has made people addicted to them, and as a result, has negatively affected people’s relationships with friends and family. Specifically, she says that people can get ‘nomophobia’ characterized by anxiety when they don’t have their phone on them. This can cause depression, which in turn distracts people, and affects relationships, because no one wants to have face-to-face conversations. LaMotte quotes Caglar Yildirim, who created a scale to test addiction ‘ “[Overuse of phones] might negatively affect your social life and relationships with friends and family," [...] those who score high on the test tend to avoid face-to-face interactions, have high levels of social anxiety and maybe even depression” ’ LaMotte believes that addiction to phones can reduce physical time with other people, to an extent at which it can harm relationships, and slowly tear people apart. In another example, in her 2011 social media article, Deborah Mackey that addiction to phones and social media can limit the amount of time people spend with each other. Mackey states that a large percent of people use their phones while with friends or family, and many even use their phones at meal times.