I saw this post on Facebook and it caught my eye, it is a video that talks about how we have these social tools but we are not really that social anymore. Yes we are able to connect to more than one person at once but we are looking at a screen. We spend so much time on these social networks that we do not interact with each other. I agree with this to some extent because when I see people sitting around the table for about an hour and all they do is look at their phone. They are all sitting at the same table but they are not speaking, everyone is just looking at their phone. When I see that I think to myself what is the point of being together in the same room if you are going to stare at your phone. You can do that at home by yourself. I also agree that children today do not know how to be children because I see little kids with tablets and cellphones. I know that there are apps that help them learn but they are so young they do not need to be exposed to the technology. Because they are going to become reliant on the technology.
On the other hand I do not agree with the video because I have a group chat and we still spend time together every week. There are times where we are playing on our phones but majority of the time we are talking and just spending time with each other. The group chat can be hectic but it makes planning and communication a lot easier. We also use these social tools to talk to family and friends that are far away from us and it is our only way to interact with them. Technology also keeps us updated which can be very important, for example school emails are very important. information on finals week, school work, blackboard updates, registration and much more. Yes we are reliant on technology but we can do so much more with it. When we are with other people we should put our phones away and just enjoy each other’s company.
I think that we should take our social tools and use them with discretion. Often when I am on public transit I look around and see everyone highly engaged into their electronic devices, no conversation or eye contact with anyone else. I have recently moved to New York so I can only imagine what these silent subways used to be like years before smartphones became so prominent in our lives.
Yea I agree with you. There’s actually a game for people when they hang out or eat at a restaurant. Everyone pools in their cellphones together and puts it on one side of the table. The first person who touches their phone will have to pay for everyone’s meal. I think it could be effective since it forces you to interact with your friends. I think we’re practically married to our phones.
Finally something I can relate to…..I love technology, I love my iPad, iPod, Kindle, Samsung S5 I’d feel a little put out without them (ok a lot) however I totally agree with the sentiments of this post. It’s so rude to sit at a table with others and constantly take calls or answer texts, unless you are the leader of the free world give it a rest.
All of these technologies and devices are tools to help us, not hinder us from connecting in real life settings and trust me they can hinder. The trick is to learn balance and some etiquette wouldn’t hurt either. As to kids and devices, it burns me when I see a kid with an iPhone etc, they don’t know the value of it and I think it starts them on a road of bad habits if not carefully monitored. As I said these devices are tools and should be treated as such, not as extensions of us.
I agree that we shouldn’t use our phone as much but I think it’s hard for us because it’s such an integral part of our lives. I think it’d be difficult for anyone to go an entire day without being so active on their phone. I definitely agree with your point that children shouldn’t be so exposed to technology especially when they’re so young. When I see kids half my age playing on tablets and iPhones, I’m surprised especially since I don’t even have either of those. It’s nice to know that there’s educational tools and apps on those devices, but I think exposing children to such devices causes them to become addicted to them. Children should enjoy playing with toys and interacting with other kids, not playing with apps. I think they lose part of that childhood experience when they would rather play with apps than play with toys.
The technology that we have now can be very useful but there has to be a limit to the usage of it. To use your phone while being accompanied by friends or family would mean that you would deny them your company (in other words, you’re present but you’re not really there, by which i mean not with the group at the time)
Social media tools has made our lives a little bit easier to contact with people and interact with them. I think they are really talking about social in a virtual aspect. I think they are talking about the physical aspect. For example, friends hanging out in a bar. Social media did implement a certain limits in our interaction.