How many times do you get on to facebook, text, call someone, or iChat? By doing this you are socializing with people. Do you use your technology like phones, email, or the computer to stay in touch people who do not live close to you? Whether technology helps socializing or not is being debated. People are arguing that technology such as iPods shut people away from the world, and internet classes do not help people learn how to act. While others are saying that phones, and computers are increasing sociality with people whom you would not usually talk to. Technology does not harm socializing; it helps people by socialize more.

With the invention of the iPods came an increase of people listing to music. People sing to the songs with friends, and talk about new songs coming out, old songs, and songs they do not like. People in London gather together to listen to music, “Anyone, and everyone show up at Playlist events: cross-dressing Goths, the occasional pregnant lesbian and, of course, average Londoners just looking to kick back after a day at the office” (Harris 1). People not only meet at Playlist, but at clubs were they can hang out together and listen to music. My friends and I however, are not allowed into clubs, but we still hang out and listen to music at our houses. Music has defiantly affected socializing because it allows people to meet, talk, and have fun.

The internet not only helps strength bonds with past friends, but it helps people make new friends. “In Untangling the Social Impact of the Internet”, Coget and Yutaka say, “ The internet is a common space to encounter new friends. Users have the potential to ‘meet’ a virtually unlimited number of people trough chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other services” (1). Through these resources people can expand their social circle to new friends who can impact our lives. People learn to socialize more with new people; this in turn gives them the valuable skill of talking to people, which can greatly impact our future. The internet can also help us be ourselves around people, “ The internet can foster openness, self-confidence, and a greater sense of ease and comfort in dealing with others” (Coget and Yutaka 1). This will allow people to see whom people really are and how to interact with them.

The internet as affected my life personally, because I have moved many places and have made many friends. Keeping in touch with my friends is very hard because some live across the world, in Asia, Egypt, and Europe. The internet lets me talk with them and keep in touch. The internet can help keep in touch with people that live hundreds of miles away, or people that live miles away. Talking to friends when you are at home is nearly impossible without using phones, internet, of computers. You would have to send letters, or just go out and drive to their house without technology. People use technology to stay in touch, do business, or talk about work.

People in the business world have many meetings. Sometimes they get sick and have to cancel them, putting them behind on work and building up stress. My father has recently been sick and had to miss a very important meeting. With technology people can virtually be in a meeting and finish important jobs. Students in all grades use the internet to check on homework, help each other on homework, and download study guides to help them get the A. Technology helps all people young and old.

Bob Affonso states in “Is the Internet Affecting Social Skills of Our Children” that the internet decreases sociality, and make people more depressed. This paper should be disregarded because it is an unreliable testimony; it was created ten years ago when technology just started to get more advanced. It also uses selective sampling, “ 169 people in Pittsburg during their first year or two online” (Affonso 1). The people using the internet were first or second year users in 1999 when the internet was just starting to be incorporated in households. The internet is always growing and people who have been using the internet for many years are learning new things. Thus, the testimonies of the 169 people must be re-checked. People today use the internet everyday to socialize and many of them do not feel depressed.


Neil Postman says in “Virtual Students, Digital Classroom” that online classes are bad for people to use because then we do not learn how to be civilized. People usually do not use online classes for elementary, middle, or high school. They use them for college. So for him to say that we do not learn how to behave is ridiculous because we would have 13 years of practicing our “social values”. Online courses help people who are too busy to go to college. They allow people to work, and learn, so why are they so bad? People do not need to go to school to learn social values. They learn them at home also with their mother, and father telling them what to do. This paper has the logical fallacy hasty generalization, because he drew a conclusion based on insufficient samplings. His conclusion is that online classes do not teach social values needed by the people leaving them educated, but not educated in the sociality side.

“Attack of the iZombies” has the logical fallacies unreliable testimony, and hasty generalization. It is an unreliable testimony because the whole paper is based on what she thinks and gives no proof that iPods give off a vibe of not talking. I know friends that talk and listen to music at the same time. I have talked to people while listening to music too, and I never did not want people talk. When I see people with headphones on that does not tell me they do not want to talk, to me it says no one is talking so why should I. This paper also includes hasty generalization. “Visible from a good distance away, white earphones signal one thing to most people: don’t bother trying to talk to me” (Song 1) this is hasty generalization because she is just assuming that people feel this way and has no real proof to say other wise.

Technology is needed to increase sociality with people through the internet, or phones. Technology helps people with schoolwork, work, keeping touch with friends, and socializing. We need to fight for technology because without we will be lost from each other. Technology keeps people in touch how would you feel if you could not talk to your best fried that you ever had because he lives in Egypt and you live America? Technology is what keeps everyone connected taking that away would be catastrophic.