The issue:
Social networking sites are being used in place of interaction.
n Our stand:
We need to make more of an effort toward face-to-face interaction.
From the Internet to cell phones, technology has given us a variety of ways to communicate with others. However, it has come with an unexpected cost: a slow and steady halt to social interaction.
While well-known websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter promote themselves as “social networking” sites, staring at a screen while typing a message to someone is a bad substitute for social interaction.
In a way, these sites are doing exactly the opposite of what they claim to do.
The convenience these sites provide is certainly one of their greatest attractions. This should not be the main way to communicate with someone, but unfortunately it tends to be the case in most situations.
Many take Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to be substitutes equal to face-to-face interaction.
However, it’s not. Instead of discussing outings or events, people are posting photos and expecting them to explain everything. Blogs, status updates and tweets are the way to go when updating people about day-to-day life.
These sites are in no way detrimental over all. The problem is many use them as a substitute for communication instead of a supplement to it, as they were meant to be.
Texting is also an issue. In a recent story by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) News, a study showed that it has become the most popular form of communication among teenagers in the U.S., surpassing mobile phone calls.
This is a prime example of how convenience is going hand in hand along with technology. The easier the method, the more use it receives.
Social interaction has also taken a backseat to online gaming as it has grown in popularity over the last decade, with major franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Craft leading the way.
People spend an exorbitant amount of time playing such games and the lengths they go to play them is astounding, spending thousands of dollars on systems and playing for hours on end.
In a recent story by GamePro, a man achieved the highest score possible on Bejeweled 2, a popular matching game.
In three years, the man played 2,205 hours, equivalent to about 92 days.
Spending 92 days over three years to play a game presents another prime example of just how far people are entrenched in technology.
Technology itself is not the problem; those who use it obsessively are.
The solution is simple: turn off your computer, put your control down, put your phone away and just be around people.
We need to begin listening to our conversations again, not reading about them off a screen.