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Does Technology Make Us More Alone

Harita Patel

WRI1001

Professor Erygina

February 25, 2022

Does Technology Make Us More Alone (needs ?)

Introduction

In today's culture, when technology grows at an accelerating rate, technology has become an essential part of our lives because of the many advantages it delivers; technological advancements benefit education, universal healthcare, transportation, and leisure. Technology's positive benefits are often the first thing that comes to mind when people think about how it influences society. Despite the many advantages of social media advertising, it may also have the effect of making individuals feel alone or lonely (Bulmer et al., 2009). Technology offers many advantages, but it also has drawbacks. The more we connect through technology, the more likely we will feel lonely, even if it has enhanced our everyday lives in countless ways. As a result of our dependence on technology, I feel we have become disconnected from one another.

Several social media outlets might cause sentiments of jealousy and a false notion that others are more successful than you. According to recent research, because we can see so much but aren't able to participate, we feel more isolated and focused on "stalking" other people's lives (Primack, 2009). Contrary to expectations, it seems that social media has had the opposite effect, making people feel more connected and involved in one the other's lives despite their geographical distance. However, social media has created the impression that people are losing touch with one another, and many have gradually lost the significance of face-to-face dialogue.

Rather than obsessing over the lives of others, we should put more effort into cultivating (this sounds like an essay) meaningful connections and relationships with those around us. In nature, we are social beings, yet contemporary civilization prefers to divide instead of bringing us together. Even while social media may seem to fill this need, I believe that our study indicates that this is not necessarily the case (Cyr et al., 2009). (this should go after next sentence)According to the study, social media "disseminates more real social interactions since face-to-face interaction is more constrained." When considering that social media is intended to bring people together, why do we frequently overlook communicating with those who are close to us in favor of the demands of our mobile devices? Because of the scarcity of face-to-face contact, we're having difficulty mastering the fundamentals of communication.

Our phones have become an addiction for us.

It is possible that social networking may have a detrimental influence on relationships since it will reduce face-to-face connection while increasing time spent on the computer. "It's similar to any other addictive behavior; when you lose control, spend more time online than expected, and substitute online interactions with face-to-face ones, problems arise" (Morrison 2021). There is strong support for Dr. Morrison's results in a recent Relationships Australia study, which found that social networking may hurt relationships by reducing the amount of face-to-face contact and increasing time spent online. People also use social media to avoid reality, but it ultimately comes up to us and exposes our loneliness. "Vital Smarts, a corporate training company, conducted a survey in 2013 and found that 75 percent of users have witnessed a social media altercation, 20 percent have decreased in-person contact with someone because of everything they said online, and 90 percent believe people are less polite on social media than in person" (Saylor, 2013). With smartphones, laptops, and tablets at our fingertips, people are able to view events from the comfort of their own homes. Isn't it dreadful? When we stop appreciating the world around us for what it really is and instead focus on how many likes we can get on our Instagram images, we begin to compare our lives to those of others. Modern society is much more technologically advanced than true human contact (Simon et al., 2009).

Many people believe that social technology makes individuals more comfortable, yet there has been a great deal of investigation on the impact of mobile phones on romantic relationships. Texting and mobile phone communication with a spouse may be helpful, according to some, since it allows individuals to communicate freely and intimately with one another (Turkle et al., 2015). Nevertheless, it's possible that this isn't the whole story here. Cell phones have been the subject of several studies that have proven their drawbacks. If you're always checking your phone, your real-world interactions suffer, and the diversion given by a phone doesn't make the other person feel better (Viola, 2021). According to the poll, persons who were more reliant on their cell phones were less trusting of their partners. According to a new study, loneliness and dissatisfaction are more common among those who believe their spouses depend too much on their electronics.

Conclusion

Because of our over-reliance on technology, we will become more isolated as a society and lose our identity. Studies show that we are becoming more isolated as a consequence of our dependence on mobile phones and our constant monitoring of networking sites. We must take ownership of our mistakes and make a sincere effort to do better going forward. The next time you reach for your phone, think again. There is more fun with your pals if you put your phone aside and focus on them while you're with them. Even while technology is fantastic, if we don't shift our dependency on it, our civilization will come crashing down around us.( This sounds like an essay rather than a research paer.)

References

Bulmer, D., & DiMauro, V. (2009). Executive Summary from the Society for New

Communications Research Study: The New Symbiosis of Professional Networks: Social

Media's Impact on Business and Decision-Making. Journal of New Communications

Research, 4(2), 93-100.

Cyr, Betty-ann, Steven L. Berman, and Megan L. Smith. "The Role of Communication

Technology in Adolescent Relationships and Identity Development." Child & Youth Care Forum, vol. 44, no. 1, 2015, pp. 79-92, ProQuest Central, https://login.proxy078.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/164460

5723?accountid=11099,doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10566-014-9271-0.

Morrison C. (2021, November 5). Excessive internet use is linked to depression.

ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202193605.htm

Primack, B. (2009). Association of various components of media literacy and adolescent smoking. American Journal of Health

Behavior, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.5993/ajhb.33.2.8

Saylor, Michael. The Mobile Wave How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything. Da Capo

Press, 2013

Simon, Matthew, and Jill Slay. "Investigating Modern Communication Technologies: The

Effect of Internet-Based Communication Technologies on the Investigation Process."

The Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law : JDFSL, vol. 6, no. 4, 2011, pp. 35-

62, ProQuest Central, https://login.proxy078.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/132776

8889?accountid=11099 .

Turkle, Sherry. “Tethered to Technology”.New York Times Company, Oct 3, 2015, New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/tethered-to-technology.html?

partner=Bloomberg

Viola, D. M. (2021). Negative health review of cell phones and social media. Journal of Mental

Health and Clinical Psychology, 5(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.29245/2578-

2959/2021/1.1232

APA Research Paper – First Draft

Directions

Compose a first draft of your research position paper on the topic you have chosen. This first draft needs to be at least 750 words. (The title page and references pages do not count toward the word count.) Remember, the final draft in Week 8 shall be a minimum of 1000 words. 

The paper should contain the following elements (of course, each of these elements can be more than one paragraph):

Introduction

· An introduction that previews the topic and brings the reader into the existing conversation, offers a balanced discussion of the essential perspectives/positions on your topic, and provides a precise, persuasive, and pertinent thesis that encapsulates your position on the topic

Body of the Essay

· Sufficient and varied evidence to support your position throughout the paper, including logical reasoning and facts/data

· Sufficient clarification of the relationship(s) between essential perspectives (including yours)

· Anticipation and refutation of counter-arguments or common objections to your position

Conclusion

· A conclusion that demonstrates the relevance and impact of your topic and your position

The research paper should be written and formatted in scrupulous adherence to all APA style guidelines for its genre and include a title page, abstract, body, references page, and in-text citations for all outside material whether that outside material is paraphrased or quoted.