Cause/Effect How Technology Influences Personal Relationships

A young woman misses the last bus because her nose is buried in a Nook. A teenage boy dumps his girlfriend of two years for a stranger he just met on Facebook. A group of kids get in a fatal car accident because the driver was texting. All of these people are real life examples of the negative impacts of digital technology on society. Technology has been evolving for hundreds of years. As it has become more advanced, the more it has taken a hold of the community. Digital technology is universal and there is no way to avoid it, but people need to start using it more responsibly. Everything gets taken for granted now that there are so many technological sources. Although there are a moderate amount of positive effects, the negative aspects outweigh them substantially. Technology use affects the social realm by creating barriers between loved ones, producing distractions, and instigating disrespectful behavior. During this age of information, relationships are continuously strained. When cell phones or the internet is present, it’s as if two people standing next to each other are on totally different planets. Loved ones become disconnected from face to face contact and start to rely on technology to keep the relationship alive. Prior to the technological age, couples were able to successfully communicate in person. Nowadays people depend on technology so much it even alters their personality. Avid technology users come to be so secure from the safety behind their laptop that it becomes uncomfortable to converse with others in a real life setting. It is as if you are talking to a completely different person when switching from a technological conversation to face to face. Technology has become a virus that millions of people are infected with. The technological virus spreads through Cell phones, laptops, iPods, etc. Just as someone with the flu has a weakened immune system, someone infected by technology has a weakened attention span. One cannot give their full

Cited: Dr. Rachna Jain: “How to Benefit from Social Media” http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/4-ways-social-media-is-changing-your-relationships/ Lutz Koepnick: Quote from “Quality Time, Redefined” – Alex Williams