Technology and Social Interaction

In recent years, there has been a huge explosion of devices that allow us to connect to the internet while on the go.  There has also been a significant increase the number of hours spent online and the number of social network sites to go to.  This all has combined to create a time where internet users are at an all time high.  With so much time spent on the internet, face-to-face contact with people has decreased.  Using this reasoning, I feel that technology has had a negative impact on face-to-face interaction because it has decreased the importance of it.

I believe that the internet is a great way to keep in touch with old friends that live far enough away that it is impossible to meet face-to-face and it is a good way to be introduced to people in your area that have similar interests, including dating sites.  As for message boards and online gaming, I think that the internet is a good place to meet people as well because you can find so many people that will have similar interests to you by expanding your horizon to all internet users.  And face-to-face interaction with these people is not necessary because you have a relationship with them solely for online interactions and discussions.

A meaningful relationship requires more than online interactions.  A meaningful relationship is more than an occasional online chat.  I believe that for a meaningful relationship to exist, face-to-face contact is a necessity.  You cannot truly know how someone feels online like how you can tell in person.  And sometimes, there is nothing quite like holding someone- an impossibility with a pure online relationship.  I feel like by engaging in online relationships we are sacrificing some personal relationships but overall adding to the number of relationships we engage in.  I believe that the time spent on online relationships should be kept to a minimum in order to maximize the time spent on personal relationships.  However, I feel like technology has significantly aided people in long distance relationships allowing them to get as much out of online communication as they can. 

I like the idea of going to a real place in order to interact with people, like a real life Facebook, but then I realize that I’m sitting in one right now.  Go figure.