Technology and Relationships

Technology has affected my generation in a way no one could've imagined. It has altered our languages and even the process of creating friendships and other kinds of relationships. So being I that grew up in a time where instant messages and texts replace real face-to-face contact, how are the generations that have come after mine being affected?

The average high school kid sends about 50 texts a day, if not more. Psychologists are researching this behavior to see if these kind of relationships can help teens to become social-functioning adults in the real world. While the research is still inconclusive and kind of vague, the worry that they have is that this kind of "connecting" is superficial, and could affect how these children function in the real world. Another big concern is teens engaging in cyber-bullying and "sexting" I'm quoting here from npr.com (and linking the full article for anyone to read) because it explains best what the main concern is:

"One of the concerns is that, unlike their parents — many of whom recall having intense childhood relationships with a bosom buddy with whom they would spend all their time and tell all their secrets — today’s youths may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language." (Stout,2010)

While people on the other side argue that technology has brought kids closer than ever to one another, there is still some research that needs to be done in order to find out whether this kind of communication is beneficial or not.

The arguments on both sides are valid. Teens who only interact with other people virtually could be missing out on valuable face-time with real people, but what's worse, a kid who only talks to people online or one who talks to no one...at all? It's a conundrum, and probably one that won't be figured out until we are a LOT older...and maybe a little blind from always having our faces on some sort of screen....