The Interpersonal Skills of 'Digital-Natives'
* Today 's 'digital natives ' – people who have grown up with computers, video games and the internet – may lack the interpersonal skills that are necessary for success in the real world. Discuss.
The Interpersonal Skills of 'Digital-Natives '
Name: Al Mutairi, Abdullah Musabah Saif.
A study by The National Youth Agency in 2008 reveled that more than 80% of young youth spend considerable time on social-networking websites (CommUnity, 2012). This fact raise worries about the impact of the digital landscape on teenagers ' ability and skills to interact with others in the ordinary social intercourse. This essay is going to refute the notion that the digital-socializing is a hindering factor of social relationship skills. First, some light would be shed on the arguments regarding how unfavorable is the outcome for such phenomenon. Then it is going to refute the unfavorable outcome argument with counter evidences. Finally, it will illustrate how 'digital-natives ' have an edge in social relationships over 'digital-immigrants '.
Cyber-socializing is perceived by many adults as handicapping the new generation from 'real ' social skills (CommUnity, 2012). According to Engelberg and Sjoberg, social networking yield considerable unfavorable outcomes such as that it may result in poor engagement in social life and it may break off actual relationships. Furthermore, captivation with internet socializing may raise a feel of loneliness as the usage turns into a time depleting exercise (Engelberg & Sjoberg, 2004). The statistical experiment carried out by Engelberg and Sjoberg suggested that internet addiction has a high positive correlation with deviant behavior and loneliness. It also demonstrated that frequent internet users score lower on average in Emotional Intelligence tests, and hence, concluded that they are less emotionally competent when compared with less frequent internet users. Mullen, in his review of the existing literature presented number of
The Interpersonal Skills of 'Digital-Natives '
Name: Al Mutairi, Abdullah Musabah Saif.
A study by The National Youth Agency in 2008 reveled that more than 80% of young youth spend considerable time on social-networking websites (CommUnity, 2012). This fact raise worries about the impact of the digital landscape on teenagers ' ability and skills to interact with others in the ordinary social intercourse. This essay is going to refute the notion that the digital-socializing is a hindering factor of social relationship skills. First, some light would be shed on the arguments regarding how unfavorable is the outcome for such phenomenon. Then it is going to refute the unfavorable outcome argument with counter evidences. Finally, it will illustrate how 'digital-natives ' have an edge in social relationships over 'digital-immigrants '.
Cyber-socializing is perceived by many adults as handicapping the new generation from 'real ' social skills (CommUnity, 2012). According to Engelberg and Sjoberg, social networking yield considerable unfavorable outcomes such as that it may result in poor engagement in social life and it may break off actual relationships. Furthermore, captivation with internet socializing may raise a feel of loneliness as the usage turns into a time depleting exercise (Engelberg & Sjoberg, 2004). The statistical experiment carried out by Engelberg and Sjoberg suggested that internet addiction has a high positive correlation with deviant behavior and loneliness. It also demonstrated that frequent internet users score lower on average in Emotional Intelligence tests, and hence, concluded that they are less emotionally competent when compared with less frequent internet users. Mullen, in his review of the existing literature presented number of
Bibliography: CommUnity, 2012. Social Networking Provides Opportunities for Teenagers to Develop Social Skills Online. Department of Internet Studies, Curtin University, Australlia, CommUnity: Online Conference on Network and Communities. Engelberg, E. & Sjoberg, L., 2004. Internet Use, Social Skills, and Adjustment. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(1), pp. 41-47. Mullen, J. K., 2011. The Impact of Computer Use on Employee Performance in High-Trust Professions: Re-Examining Selection Criteria in the Internet Age. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(8), pp. 2009-2043.