Do you like to text? If you are younger, text messaging is pretty much a major part of your “life”. You probably send around an average of 2,000 to 4,000 text messages a month. But could you imagine sending 36,666 text messages in one month? That’s right, a teenage girl in the United States sent a record 36,666 text messages in one month! Now would you call her socially normal? In America and several other countries, such as in Europe, the people have quickly become taken over by the rapidly advancing technology. The technology that has quickly become the most popular is texting and social networks. Million and millions of users everyday are joining Face Book, Twitter, and MySpace. These websites allow people to talk to each other over the Internet, but sometimes, people become so accustomed to talking to one another over these website, it begins to damage their social skills of talking to people in person. Instead, these websites have made it quite awkward for some people to talk to one another face-to-face, which has a harmful on their overall social skills. Technology has seriously damaged social skills to where it has become awkward to even have a face-to-face conversation: Instead people rather hide behind a computer or a cell phone.
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in texting and IM (instant messaging). Why? People are trying to follow the trends of constantly texting or always on IM. But some people have become so obsessed with these new sources of communication; it becomes their only source of communication. People now appear to act like they never learned to socialize face-to-face, and sadly I’ve seen a couple of my friends become like this. “ For some people the main appeal of iPods is that it preoccupies you so you are no longer obligated to interact with the uncontrollable factors or everyday life” because when they are listening to their iPods, no one will bother them cause they know those people are busy (Song 1). This just shows that people feel safe with technology cause they do not have to interact with other people. Technology has taken over these poor people’s lives and seriously had harmful effects on their social skills.
Lately, some people seem to have lost the natural ability to talk to one another face-to-face because they have become to accustomed to hiding behind metal. That’s right, if some will forget how to talk to people face-to-face because they has become so accustomed to talking behind a cell phone or a computer. “ (Technologies) work against the learning of what are called ‘social values’,” which are vital to our civilization (Postman 1). But what happens when these people go in for an interview for a job? You cannot be interviewed through iChat, email, or texting. You have to go meet the boss in person and have “talk”. Not an IM conversation, but go in and have a face-to-face conversation. And what happens to these peoples’ families and friends? Statistics show that, “people who use the internet are less likely to spend time and interact with their family and friends,” because they are too consumed with the latest post on Face Book, your most recent tweets, and who has friend requested you on MySpace (Nie and Hillygus 1).
Lastly, people begin to feel lonely after using technology. A recent study held at Carnegie Mellon University shows that internet use leads to increases in misery and loneliness plus an overall decline in psychological well-being. “They also are spending less time talking with their families, experiencing more daily stress, and feeling more lonely and depressed,” due to daily usage of the internet and several pieces of technology (Affonso 1). Technology is taking a toll on people’s psychological well-being! How can this new advanced technology be good for people when it is making them depressed, lonely, and miserable? The point is that is cannot.
Some may argue that technology can allow those who do not have good social skills to escape and feel comfortable talking to people without having to be nervous about talking to them in person. “ The internet can foster openness, self-confidence, and a greater sense of ease and comfort in dealing with others,” so that people can have the chance to socialize (Coget and Yutaka 1). While this may be true, it can only lead to more worse social skills if they do not learn to physically in person interact with other beings. Plus they argue the technology is good and it can help bring people together through clubs such as the iPod club that has playlist parties. “’ Some people talk about iPods being an isolating thing … here you’ve got a setup where individuals use a personal technology and make it a social event’,” (Harris 1). iPod parties are probably great for those enjoy that kind of stuff, but it just keeps people on the computer longer trying to make a good playlist for the party so they will not embarrass themselves. It just creates more stress and pressure on people than is truly necessary.
In conclusion, technology is bad for people. It can create an addiction, make people lose their natural social skills, and it makes people lonely, stressed, and miserable. Technology has seriously damaged social skills to where it has become awkward to have a face-to-face conversation; instead people rather hide behind a computer or cell phone. This method of hiding behind metal is unhealthy and should be stopped. “So what if we allow more and more people to become hooked on to these social networks and texting? Some people just do it because we are not with our friends and family at the moment.” So what? So what will happen when the only source of communication that people use it texting instead of talking face-to-face? It will be the downfall of civilizations all over the world.