Technology is Causing People to be Disconnected, Lonely and Anxious

In terms of social interaction and ease of doing things, technology is one of man's greatest achievements. This has mostly occurred in the area of social media, where the advent of sites such as Facebook and Instagram has resulted in humans becoming more linked than ever before. Since major business companies have retained their social media pages to exchange business and make purchases with their clients, social media has significantly changed the way people perform their activities with others. It's amusing and fascinating that people can see what's going on around them and around the world through social media. Advancement in technology has made relationships long lasting as people do not break away completely from their friends and family once they decide to move out of their birthplaces in an attempt to start lives in other locations. By the help of social media, people can communicate, send pictures and initiate video calls in an effort to stay connected with friends far away from them.Just by the touch of a button, one can move from the real world to the virtual world, and even answer a random question that may cross the mind. This transition is made possible through technology in the modern world as it evolves. Technology has advanced rapidly over the years especially regarding indirect communication. It has provided an efficient and quicker way to manage our personal chores, work related tasks and above all to communicate with others. The world can be thought to be a global village as every information is just at the fingertips. But can technology be considered a blessing or a curse? The evolution of technology over the centuries has completely changed how we interacted with each other and brought a lot of positive attributes with it. But we cannot ignore the demerits that it has come with especially in the physical, social aspect. The negative effects have also had their impact, and have slowly, and dramatically, changed how people live their lives and relate to others. The ease of tasks and connecting with others should be adding more happiness to people’s lives, but this has not been the outcome for society as a whole. Although technology is extremely helpful today in connecting people, it has also disconnected more people from reality. Its consequences cannot be ignored. The negative side of technology has immensely affected us in various ways. Change in communication technology has jumped from cave dwellers carving messages on stones to communicate to the invention of the plow, which made the accomplishment of tasks much easier. From past studies, it can be noted that with progress in technological advances, there has been consequently less interaction of people physically. According to (Slade), in his work, The Big Disconnect, he talks about technology and its impact on our lives today. The change of living in solitude was felt as early as the late 1800s. The sudden shift in technology can be attributed to the Industrial Revolution when there was a desire to move to a world of machines. The development of machines paved the way for most of the technology used in the world today (Slade). In his book, The Big Disconnect, (Slade) demonstrates this advancement in his quote “The introduction of phone booths, private sleeping arrangements, and privacy curtains were just a few examples of the conveniences that added to the isolation that was growing during the 1800’s” (Slade).However, research has shown that despite the benefits that technology through the social media offers us, it is also the major cause of boredom anxiety and loneliness among people. This is because, through the internet, people tend to only share the good things about their life in order to impress the friends they are connected to in the social media. Due to this, these friends tend to also share good things about themselves so as to catch up with the cycle of good news that everyone shares. This now reduces the extent to which social media helps connect people because everyone tries to create an imaginary picture that they want their friends and family to see. Thy does not share the challenges they face in life because it is illogical to lead a life without challenges. This has killed the genuine character of social relations and the closeness that exist in one on one communications and relations. The truth is that most people always make a picture of themselves that they would want the world to see. This has in most occasions led to breakage of friendships as relations in this socializing are neither open nor genuine.Today people are more networked to each other than ever before in the entire human existence thanks to the internet and social media. Despite the fact that these connections may at times have shortcomings to human relation, it has played the most part in making sure that people coexist well with each other irrespective of distance and geographical locations. However, these sites have made human beings more lonely and increased the distance between people as far as the genuine problem solving, and relations are concerned. Sherry Turkle says that online interaction is not only changing the way we interact with each other but also with our own self. Turkle (2011) analyzes the way in which social media relations has affected the way people relate to other society members for example friends and family.The large populations who mostly rely on the internet are the youths who apart from staying for long hours on their phones and personal computers chatting with friends, they would rather text or call rather than walk to the person and tell them what they need. This has led to a generation that is not confident enough regarding having mature conversations one on one with others. In this case, youths may seem to have a lot of skills on the internet, but in actual sense, they have blank minds (Michael 3).Technological advances are a sample of the changes brought about to make life more efficient and independent. The individual private lives were now replacing the ancient community setting. Along also came easier and faster ways of conducting jobs. Industries and businesses were doing away with humans and implementing machines in doing some of the employment and also automation of machinery hence there was very little contact with people. This clearly shows that the society is moving towards the world based on individualism rather than the traditional community life. Nowadays people eat in restaurants and go to movie theaters as a form of entertainment, and this does not require other people. In the past, people used to eat together as a community eating large meals. Jean Baudrillard lamented that the beggar was the man who ate alone in public. In the past, history showed that physical contact was the major cause of problems in relationships. This continued up to the radio and television era. Technology is considered a distraction in life and technology is pushing people further into separate states. Sade further explains that the advance in technology has made people believe that they can live together virtually yet completely far from each other physically. At the end of the twentieth century, most people had access to the Internet in the palm of their hands. The development of organizations becoming less personal and extra automated, to the creation of the display screen, which takes people away from people. This progression is likewise visible with using headphones and video games which might be both eliminating human beings from meaningful connections. So one can live to tell the tale nowadays, inside the workplace, as well as the existence, it's miles almost a necessity to very own a cellular phone, a couple of headphones and a computer. These pieces of technology preserve the sector properly organized, informed and linked, or so it seems.The development of technology has brought about the need to have a look at the consequences of isolation and the psychological effects it can have on someone and their lives. These mental effects are essential due to the fact they may be closely linked to healthy relationships throughout life. The finest effect that generation has had is in the region of verbal exchange. Communique is the most excellent tool in the toolbox of human interplay. This is what helps human beings increase and preserve friendships, experience a feel of being understood and develop empathy toward every different. Today humans can be in a conversation but additionally be completely linked elsewhere. It’s far a distraction of distraction and it has a terrible effect on dating in addition to true connection. In her ebook Reclaiming communique: The power of communicating in a virtual Age, Sherry Turkle explains the importance of face-to-face verbal exchange this way, “Face-to-face verbal exchange is the most human – and humanizing thing we do. We learn to pay attention when we are in face to face contact. It’s in which we increase the capability for empathy. It’s in which we enjoy the pleasure of being heard, of being understood” (three). This shows what's lacking when human beings try and use technology in a way that acts a substitute for face-to-face interplay. People are always left trying extra considering that text message, email and social media never substitutes for genuine interaction with every other human being. Human relationships are messy and occasionally complex, however full of existence and important for improvement. The use of era has an enormous impact on our potential to be a gift and completely engaged in these human relationships. At any given second it isn't always uncommon to look a set of teens, or maybe adults, in a group together but engrossed of their cell smartphone or a different device. Hiding behind gadgets, society is dropping the capacity to speak efficiently. In her ebook Reclaiming communique, Sherrie Turkle explains, “What phones do to in-character conversations is a problem. Research show that the mere presence of a smartphone at the table (even a turned off cell phone) adjustments what humans speak approximately. It has emerged as a conventional practice to take a run from a human interplay to respond to a text or message of a few kind. This exercise leaves people feeling unimportant, and as a result, much less communique will take vicinity. The truth that era is constantly simply to be had and those are commonly tethered in some manner to a device or also weakens the conversation we have with those around us. Although this is real, many people could confess to deciding on speaking via era because it offers them a feel of control over the situation. If they do no longer feel secure calling a person, they could be textual content. If that seems too private, they could e-mail or use Facebook or Instagram to talk. This puts distance between the sender and the receiver a feel of “digital distance,” however, it isn't always teaching both birthday party the price of the face-to-face communique (Turkle 34). It’s far less difficult to influence clear of undesirable emotions or keep away from war while speaking with generation. If there may be a scenario a person does not want to cope with, they stop the communication or stop replying. An era has ultimately made face-to-face communication and choice in preference to need.By using weakening communication, the human need for connection has been grossly undervalued. The human need for connection is one that every human being calls for to expand fully. From delivery, it is scientifically tested that youngsters want human interplay so that you can broaden. The want for human connection does not prevent there. We are wired to be social beings, and era has emerged as an alternative to human interaction that is inflicting damage in our relationships. Nicole Brambila addresses this idea in her article “As Isolation Grows not unusual, individual’s war to connect. Brambila states, “This generation has substituted hobby for relationships” (Brambila 1). This hobby comes in the form of generation that is by no means a long way from society’s fingertips. Which will study social abilities in addition to appropriate manners it turns into important to have face-to-face interactions. Due to the changing social requirements, the policies for etiquette are also converting. It turned into as soon as taken into consideration impolite to break a communication, and now its miles common to turn to another verbal exchange in the midst of a face-to-face verbal exchange. Sherrie Turkle, in her book Reclaiming Communication, explains how the university surroundings have changed due to generation. She indicates this in through a communication she had with a university pupil that said, “When college students go to dinner, they need the corporation of their pals within the eating hall, and they also want the freedom to go to their telephones. To have each a the identical time, they take a look at what a few name the “rule of 3”: while you are with a group at dinner you've got to test with as a minimum three humans have their heads up from their telephones before you provide your self-permission to appearance down at your cell phone” (20). This in reality shows that the reference to humans is being devalued and regarded as non-compulsory. This form of social conduct goes without delay in opposition to how people are stressed. In his article “The Neurobiology of Human and Social Behavior: A critical but unnoticed topic,” Simon Young states, “human beings are inherently social. We are not unique in this manner; it is hard to think about any animal for whom the regulation of social behavior isn't always critical” (young 1). Young explains that society turned into created to connect and not to stay in isolation. While humans start to alternate the inherent desires of people; there may be a threat involved with the intention to in the long run have an effect on how people relate to each different.Many psychologists have asked the question of whether the social media plays a role in increased anxiety through feelings of loneliness and lack of connection between people. When social media first came up in the technological advancement period, it seemed a good motive to extending relations between people by sharing information, important news and activities from all parts of the word. However as new technologies are always comprised of merits and demerits, social media is no exception. The loneliness that is brought about by the social media has a different connection with social anxiety. Social anxiety refers to the social unrest where someone develops a lot of fear towards social situations. Due to this, one tends to be lonelier because they always fear to interact physically with other people who they share similar backgrounds or who they fear might know their history fully. In contrast, loneliness also increases social anxiety in that when one spends a lot of time alone with their phones, they get bored and hence tend to be socially anxious when they meet people.Social media contributes significantly towards loneliness in that loneliness is caused by fake friendships that may at times exist when people who are far away from each other relate through other channels other than face to face conversations. It has been proved that the feeling of loneliness makes one have fewer friends as compared to staying socially connected to others. In the modern day, social media is a main cause of fake friendships as most people may perceive to be good users of the internet or very social in online social platforms but are likely to be lonely from time to time as social media does not guarantee full contentment. This may lead to paranoia and even mental problems. It is mainly due to loneliness and social anxiety that people are unable to relate very well with other people and hence they opt to stay for many hours on their phones checking what their friends are up to though updates.The modern phenomenon of social media that has been brought about by improvement in technology has given people more so the youths alternatives of maintaining friendships which are by viewing friendship in social media as a key tool in reducing boredom and loneliness. They at times say that it is because of these social media accounts that special social events are communicated to the people. In the social media, peers usually compare their success to those of their fellows and manage the Fear of Missing out (FOMO) by continuously monitoring social events and activities and contributing toward the same also. Technology has therefore completely replaced traditional interaction methods.Even though a lot of studies are being carried out on the negative effects of technology, such as those of loneliness and anxiety as discussed above, many would argue that the benefits of it outweigh its demerits by far. Social media is considered as an imperative tool for global connections. This applies only to those people who are far apart. This should not be a substitute for physical contact in any way. Others argue that technology is useful for those who are disabled in communication. This can only be true to a certain extent, but the physical contact has some aspects of the human side that technology is unable to appeal to such as smell, taste, and touch. This is important in living life to the fullest. It also aids in building personal relationships with each other. People’s relationships, social skills, physical and mental health are being changed by technology as it continues to grow. The use of technology also makes one becomes enslaved to it and forget about other important social aspects. Technology use is out of control, and it continues to grow every day. For this reason, it needs to be put in a check to avoid further deterioration of physical, social life as many people are becoming more and more out of touch with reality. Also, the overdependence on technology has led to depression, anxiety and a feeling of loneliness. If this issue of technology is not addressed and people are not educated about it, the world will continue to drift apart regarding human relationships and interactions.Works CitedBauerlein, Mark. The Digital Divide: Arguments for and Against Facebook, Google, Texting andthe Age of Social Networking. Penguin Books, 2011.Brambila, Nicole C. “As Isolation Grows Common, Americans Struggle to Connect.” The DesertSun, Aug 06, 2006, Gannett Newsstand,search.proquest.com/docview/439749598?accountid=61315Geidd, Jay N. “The Digital Revolution and Adolescent Brain Evolution” Journal of AdolescentHealth, vol 51, no 2, 2012, pp. 101-105.Giles, Slade. The Big Disconnect: The Story of Technology and Loneliness. Prometheus Books,2012.Michael, Price. "Monitor on Psychology." Alone in the crowd (2011): 26.Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From EachOther. Basic Books, 2011Turkle, Sherry. Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Penguin Press,2015.Young, Simon. “The Neurobiology of Human Social Behavior: An Important But NeglectedTopic.” Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the Department of Psychiatry, vol33, no. 5, 2008, pp.391-392.