Technologies and Interpersonal Communications Essay Example

immorality rise among children. They lie about their whereabouts on the phone while in reality they are engaging in immoral behaviors like abuse of drugs. Parent child relationship has weakened, which has led to breakage of many families. Internet use is addictive. It starts with a short-term satisfaction each moment an individual access it (Selfout, Branje, Delsing, Bogt & Meeus, 2009). Increased use increases one’s depression and anxiety (Selfout et al, 2009). They use internet as a tool that satisfies their needs whereby people who has few friends on social Medias become highly depressed. It is not that these people cannot make more friends; the reason is that excess internet use inhibits people from exploring their actual environments, which negatively affect friendships growth. In the past, before the coming of internet, people had real interpersonal relationships.

Wives loved their husbands and vice versa genuinely. In present society, internet relationships has destroyed real relationships as people are attracted to the photos which others post on social Medias, where some of the faces are not real. With the invention of beauty apps, people can apply make-ups and manipulate their followers. Those communicating with them think of a person with certain looks, which are not real, which weakens the strength of internet communications. Face-to-face allows one to observe other party’s facial expression and real emotions, which creates strong relationships compared to that developed through internet (Forte, 2007).

Great human experience originates from personal interaction. Before the technological revolution, people developed and maintained personal relationships through face-to-face interaction or written communication. The coming of internet has affected how people in current societies interact with one another. People think that the more

they use internet communications the less stressed or lonely they feel. However, research results state otherwise. The more people use internet, they become less involved in social activities, which makes them feel lonely, which increases depression. In addition to social activities, increased internet use leads to a great decrease in communication among members of a family. People check progress of family gathering online where those present shares videos with those absent, making feel like they are in the event when they are not (Forte, 2007). However, internet communication or sharing does not lead to satisfaction like being physically present in an event. Children cannot approach their parents to ask them for something or a favor. The same case applies to parents’ side where they are communicating even those issues that required face-to-face communication through cell phones. This has created an emotional gap between parents and children, which is a matter of great concern.

The greatest percentage of population accessing internet more is mainly teenagers. At this stage, they are prone to cyber bullying. Young girls are being subjected to unwanted sexual advances and stalking. Some get embarrassed on class internet groups, causing negative effects on the victims. They go through stress and shame that makes them withdraw from family members or friends. They fear to approach others because they think other people see them in a certain way. This breaks interpersonal communications as a child going through cyber bullying opts to stay alone, due to shame. They even disconnect themselves from their families, which is a concern to growth of interpersonal communications (Giffords, 2009).

In a recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S, the participants are celebrity couple Kristen

Bell and Dax Shepard. The advert is an evidence of how technology or internet distracts ones’ lives due to poor interpersonal communications. One day, the couple is hiking and instead of using that time to catch up for the lost times or staying attached to each other and their table, the couple spends all their time playing online games on their different tabs during their dinner. The engage in other activities like video chatting to one another and the two are under the same roof, but in different rooms. The couple even skips a black-tie event, not to stay home holding each other, but to watch movie on their tablet. The event was supposed to be an all through face-to-face interaction; it is a screen-to-screen interaction.

The advertisement is a proof that increased use of internet allow individuals to communicate digitally, reducing face-to-face communication or interpersonal communications. It is surprising to note that what is going on between Bell and Shepard in the advert is happening to real homes in present society. Interpersonal communications continue to decrease each passing day. Couples use their PCs’ to carry out communications that were originally carried out face-to-face (Johnson, 2016). Like the celebrity couples parents, couples, and siblings are communicating through cell phones or computers while under the same roof. Parents do not understand real emotional reactions of their children, and whenever an emotional issue arises, the child cannot approach the parents to tell them the issue, as there is not such emotional bond between the child and the parents.

The passing of every second or minute in today’s society means that internet communication is about to completely take over face-to-face

communication. People have become addicted to internet communication to a point that they cannot express real emotions. This has made interpersonal communications difficult, as people are unable to show true feelings towards each other as they hold face-to-face communications. It is always annoying when a person talks to another, but instead of paying attention, the person keep staring on their smartphone screens busy texting. People feel dissatisfied as maintaining a face-to-face communication leads to a connection that makes one feel satisfied after holding a sound conversation without technology interruptions.

Research indicates that people communicate with their family members or friends more through internet, compared to face-to-face. However, these communications are always weak. For example, students who send much of their time interacting with a screen compared to the time they spend with close adults or other kids find it hard to understand others emotions, create strong relationships, or dependent on others. The students find themselves performing poorly at school since they cannot approach other students or teachers to ask a question. They stay alienated in their own internet world, which is a threat to interpersonal communications.

Students at young age need to spend more time playing with other kids instead of playing online video games. Lack of interpersonal communications makes a child develop poor communication skills that make them find it hard to express themselves in future. According to Bracket (2016), lack of emotional connections among kids makes them not to get the interpersonal connection they require (Johnson, 2016). Kids at their age require hugs and touches not texts. Feeling of the social bond is of crucial importance to both young and old.

In present day, internet inventions

have led to creation of emoji to replace real emotions. However, the friendly emoji cannot replace a real hug. The increased use of internet emotions instead of real physical emotion is breaking many families within the society as one factor that keeps a relationship strong is face-to-face sharing, not the internet one (Giffords, 2009). Growth of kids is at risk. They are spending too much of their time sharing through internet, which is hindering them from learning the basic communications that humans have been applying since time in memorial. The use of internet communication has gone far to an extent that schools are introducing some units like ‘how to ask a person out on a date’. An example of such schools is Boston College. People have lost connection ability. The internet is hindering the development of interpersonal relationships.

According to Paul Booth, people are rarely meeting as opposed to before. In today’s society, one prefers to write an email rather than meeting. This has led to rise in addiction cases. Research shows that even when those addicted to internet find themselves in face-to-face events, 11% wish they could have stayed at home and use their devices in communicating instead. The trend has changed which is a big blow to the interpersonal communications. People prefer to stay online sharing information or photos with people they do not know rather than spending the time hanging out with friends and make real memories.

It is therefore evident that use of internet in communications alienates people from realistic relationships. According to Kraut (1998), people think that the more followers they have, the greater their social circle is, but the truth is

devastating (Emerson, 1976). Use of social media decreases one’s social circle. As explained earlier, people utilize their good time texting, posting photos, or contributing to different online debates. However, the more time they devote to internet, the less moment they have with their family members. In early years, family parties and gatherings were famous. People travelled from all corners to attend these gatherings. Today things are different as many people are using virtual appearance rather than physical one.

Virtual presence has continued to weaken family bonds, which has made holding of sound interpersonal conversations, is difficult as they only connect through internet and therefore no one understands each other’s emotions. Citing support from the critical social theory, low face-to-face communication lowers sensory consciousness and human contact one requires for psychological and well-being (Emerson, 1976). When people share photos or feelings online, the emotional quality involved in this sharing is very low. In an illustration, it is wonderful for a person to see their friends posting photos about an exhilarating. However, being with them physically at the event has deep emotional impressions. Only cold machines are involved when people share via phones or laptops. Therefore, communicating with people online is an interference with structure of interpersonal communications, as it does not meet the need emotional connection between family and friends in the real world.

Interpersonal communication lacks due to use of internet due to fact that privacy is not guaranteed in social Medias like Twitter, Facebook, and others hard to maintain. People stalk their partners using Facebook, Twitter, or other social Medias. Issues of hacking are on the rise where people hacks one’s social media account, which makes

them have access to victim’s personal details. The victim develop mistrust issue as they keep guessing who would have hacked them. They become suspicious of their friends or family members. The victims separates themselves from the society as they do not know who to trust. People alienating themselves from a society due to a problems created by internet use is an evidence that presence of internet leads to inadequate or no interpersonal communications.

According to John Cacioppo, internet use reduces interpersonal communications in that; it negatively touches one’s emotions and psychology. He further states that, users can transfer their loneliness via social media. He states that if you share through internet with an individual who is lonely there is a 52% probability that you will feel the loneliness (Chung & Asher, 1996). Therefore, whatever the emotions the other party whom one has a direct contact through a social network is going through, it is possible for them to affect the person.

Technology advances have led to invention of Apps that allow people to block other people from reaching them through cell phones or other PCs. Blocking a person breaks the communication bond you had with that individual. People become stressed when they find out the other party had blocked them. Many people block their girlfriends when they are with another girl. Whenever the other party finds out, the relationship that existed breaks. People who were friends become enemies. This breaks interpersonal communications due to the hate created. People also suspect their partners whenever they call them on phones and fail to reach them (Greenfiled & Yan, 2006). One starts thinking ill about the other party, which creates

mistrust, which has a negative effect on interpersonal communications.

Interpersonal communication disruption also arises when people see their friends or family members share photos of maybe a new car, house, or a business. The one sharing does not know that sharing of such images may make others jealous, terming them boastful. When sharing reaches this stage, its main purpose is lost as making people negative emotions, is not the aim of any social media. However, this is always seen in the societies today. The bond existing between the users breaks because the person sees that his friends who are posting car photos have moved to another class, which weakens interpersonal relationships between these parties, making interpersonal communication difficult.

Use of internet comes with expenses. Increased surfing raises one’s expenditure, making it more compared to earnings. Increased expenses lead to stress increases as one keeps on thinking new sources of cash so that their followers do not notice their declining financial levels. Further, many people who spend much of their time on internet secures little working time, which earns them reduce revenues. As a result, these people find themselves participating in few or no social activities due to financial strains. This separates them with the society, negatively affecting their interpersonal communications.

Finally, internet use has led to increased moral decay in the societies today. Teenagers through internet accesses pornographic materials that corrupt their mind, making them change their behavior. Sex tapes have also been leaked on the internet, which bring shame to the victims (Chung & Asher, 1996). Other people find themselves covered in shame when their partners release nude photos they shared through internet. The victim finds it

difficult to approach their friends or families after such an embarrassment, weakening the interpersonal bond, which leads to poor interpersonal communications.

Some controversies can arise where some disagree with the issue regarding alienation of authentic relations. They can disagree stating that social media expands relationships of all users, both socially and geographically. This is true in that social media makes the world a global village. However, the distance relationships offers shallow emotional connections compared to face-to-face interactions. Other researchers like Kietzmann et al (2011) state that social media creates a platform where individuals and communities share and co-create contents. It has raised the interactive levels to higher heights. However, there is a lot of self-disclosure through these platforms. People with bad intentions do not see the platforms in that perspective. Their aim is to locate a hurting personal information, putting one’s privacy at risk. Therefore, although a controversy can arise regarding provision of interacting platforms and expansion of people’s relationships socially and geographically, the negative effects arising from social media use are more, compared to the stated benefits.

In contradiction with other sources, Putnam (2000) argues that social media use improves peoples’ living standards, shaping the national socioeconomic development. Others state that social media improve social relations as people can create virtual groups and use them to pursue their interests together, making them develop good friendship. Social media has led to increase use of computer-mediated communications. Through these communications, people are earning their leaving. For example, people use social media platform to advertise themselves or their products locally and international. This has led to creation of durable relationships of mutual acquaintance. The broad social network created by

some social media platforms has enabled users, to gain social currency. Social media also enlarge one’s sphere of influence by including people one wishes to like or know better, which may improve one’s interpersonal relationships.

Some can argue that internet connects many people globally making the world a global village. However, my opinion is that internet leads to poor interpersonal relationships. This is because internet separates people from real relationships, leading to stress, weak emotional bond creation, increased expenses, and moral decay that negatively affect interpersonal communications.

References

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