In recent discussions of technology, a controversial issue has been whether technology makes us more lonely. On the other hand, some argue that technology doesn’t make us lonely. From this perspective, many people don’t take into account how much time people spend online. On the other hand, however, others argue that technology hasn’t made us lonely since we can speak with anyone we want no matter where they live. People believe that they are connected because we have these remarkable tools, but in reality, they aren’t really connected.
Technology has always been ever-changing. There is always something new that is made every year and we are told that we “need” it. People say that it will make our lives that much easier. But in actuality, it has the opposite effect. Text messaging has always been thought of as a quick and efficient way to communicate with people and have a conversation. The problem with that is, most of the time you have conversation through texting, it lasts about five minutes. And the conversations are not that deep, they just scratch the surface.
There is no human interaction and face-to-face discourse like we think we have when we are Skyping or on FaceTime. Some other technologies that help us communicate are Skype and FaceTime, where you can see someone through a screen but again, it is not the same as being with a live person next to you. Another downside to this is that while you can see the person and talk with them, most of the time they are multi-tasking and not giving you their full attention. This is just part of why we aren’t really able to make a connection with someone while on FaceTime or Skype.
So, while technology has always been seen as something great, it might just be the thing that is making us lonely. We aren't really trying anymore. We think that these artificial conversations are OK, but they aren't. They will never be the same thing as talking or being next to a real human. While I'm not suggesting that we throw them away for good, just using them less will make it so that we don't get sucked into using them and thinking we are having real and meaningful conversations with people when in fact, we aren't.
