Technology has changed the way that people socialize and has caused them to become aloof. There have been significant shifts in the way that this generation interacts with the general public. People lack the desire to engage in conversation with their peers. Individuals have lost sight of how much can be learned from the members of their community. The disconnect between the citizens of our society has been caused by our inability to function without technology. Technology negatively impacts human relationships as it causes people to avoid social interactions, become more distracted, and weaken familial ties.
Technology has influenced people to stop communicating with the individuals around them. Some may argue that due to technology, people are able to stay in contact with their family members who live far away. However, studies have shown that the use of social media has caused many divorces, which negatively impacts families. “Facebook enrollment was associated with anywhere from 2.18 percent to a 4.32 percent increase in divorce rates." Some conflicts are easier to solve face-to-face but can be made more complicated by the use of technology. Social media also provides misleading information about individuals that may not always turn out to be true which can cause many disputes in the affiliation they have with others.
Ray Bradbury depicts his viewpoints of how the excessive use of technology in the future might cause doldrums in our society in his book, Fahrenheit 451. Technology is said to have weakened familial ties within society in relation to Guy Montag and Mildred’s marriage. Millie and Montag were happy when they first got married, but after the surplus of technology, there was no affinity between the two of them. In the society that Bradbury portrayed, there was duress and hardship, which caused a plethora of individuals to be suicidal.
The younger generation is negatively affected by social media and video games. “The young men who opened fire at Columbine High School, at the movie theatre in Aurora, Colo,… had this in common: they were video gamers who seemed to be acting out some dark digital fantasy." Individuals tend to feel the desire to portray the violent actions that are seen on video games and television. This influences them to lose morals and commit inhumane acts that are unacceptable in society. If people continue to follow the atypical examples in video games, then soon citizens will start to think that such vicious acts are part of everyday life and will not stop to realize the consequences of their actions, much like the society of Fahrenheit 451.
As more technology is being developed, human connections continue to deteriorate worldwide. Technology has caused people to alienate themselves from the outside world and lack the ability to form their own opinions. Individuals have forgotten that there are more important things to life than a computer screen. Citizens need to start being in control of their own lives and stop depending upon technology. If technology keeps progressing the way it is, soon this society will mirror that of Fahrenheit 451.
