The Illusory Effects of Technology
Marie-Lee G. Panganiban
August 11, 2014
“The Illusory Effects of Technology”
In our modernized world today, technological devices are a necessity, as it connects us to people around the world, the events happening everywhere and most of all, it fills up the gap between us and our loved ones who are far away from us. So, how could this possibly make us feel more alone? People created technological devices such as cellphones, computers, laptops, cameras, iPads and many more so that we could stay connected. But, is this really happening? Do we really feel connected with the people around us? Can we still build strong and rich relationships with people? Based on what is happening now, people become more uncomfortable talking to someone face-to-face. According to Melnick 2011, instead of having the presence of each other, people prefer to talk online and send text messages because they can control how long it takes for them to respond, leaving out the awkwardness of the sudden silence people make during face-to-face conversations. People are continuously reducing the importance and quality of real conversations as they are more comfortable talking and facing a computer screen instead of looking into someone’s eyes. The use of technology, social networking and social media sites is just an illusion that makes us feel more loved and known to the world, but the truth is that it only makes us feel lonelier because we do not spend real face-to-face conversations with the people who are around us. So, why does it makes us feel more alone? First of all, it does not really build real and strong relationships. We get a different view of people if we only meet them online instead of meeting them personally. For instance, if we meet people online, we get so comfortable talking to them in that manner. But when we finally get to see them in person, we often get disappointed and feel uncomfortable because we are not used to talking to them face-to-face. But isn’t that the
August 11, 2014
“The Illusory Effects of Technology”
In our modernized world today, technological devices are a necessity, as it connects us to people around the world, the events happening everywhere and most of all, it fills up the gap between us and our loved ones who are far away from us. So, how could this possibly make us feel more alone? People created technological devices such as cellphones, computers, laptops, cameras, iPads and many more so that we could stay connected. But, is this really happening? Do we really feel connected with the people around us? Can we still build strong and rich relationships with people? Based on what is happening now, people become more uncomfortable talking to someone face-to-face. According to Melnick 2011, instead of having the presence of each other, people prefer to talk online and send text messages because they can control how long it takes for them to respond, leaving out the awkwardness of the sudden silence people make during face-to-face conversations. People are continuously reducing the importance and quality of real conversations as they are more comfortable talking and facing a computer screen instead of looking into someone’s eyes. The use of technology, social networking and social media sites is just an illusion that makes us feel more loved and known to the world, but the truth is that it only makes us feel lonelier because we do not spend real face-to-face conversations with the people who are around us. So, why does it makes us feel more alone? First of all, it does not really build real and strong relationships. We get a different view of people if we only meet them online instead of meeting them personally. For instance, if we meet people online, we get so comfortable talking to them in that manner. But when we finally get to see them in person, we often get disappointed and feel uncomfortable because we are not used to talking to them face-to-face. But isn’t that the