it's interesting to me that the more technology works to make communication and entertainment easier, the more it isolates the individual. think about it--how much do you really talk when you're watching tv? listening to your iPod? working on the computer? do you call or text more often? how frequently do you email or call when you could just walk over and see a person?
one of my pet peeves is going to a movie on a date, especially a first date. how much do you learn about a person when you're both just watching a screen? it doesn't seem like you're building much of a relationship with that. playing games in the park or going hiking gives you a lot more information about the person.
another example i see a lot of is the antisocial iPod. so many students plug in and tune out. instead of talking to people around them, they stuff their ears, forsaking all kinds of social opportunities and lessons.
i have a lot to say about cell phones, but i don't want the soap box to explode while i'm on it.
it seems like human interaction and interpersonal relations are growing less and less frequent. it bothers me that the more advanced communication becomes, the more we willingly isolate ourselves.
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sometimes i very willingly isolate myself with an ipod, cell phone, or computer. anything with headphones.. like about an hour ago i just couldn't take people in general so i turned up my ipod to just about full blast and stared out the window for like 3 hours. it sucks that society doesn't actually talk to each other anymore, but the world is crowded.. sometimes i need to be alone when i'm around lots of people. but i'm just dramatic and constantly on the edge of breakdown so you knjow.
i can understand that. i do the same thing. it's just too easy sometimes. it short-circuits communication and coping skills.
well if i didn't have a readily available way to get away from the world, i'd probably run away and join the circus or something.
but i have noticed i actually talk to people in real life now that i don't have a cell phone. and i'm able to remember phone numbers better :)
Yes, I do agree to a lot of this. It is essential to learn real-life ways of communication on many levels – it's just going to become increasingly important as one enters "the real world" of work and dealing with people who did not grow up with the Internet (à la my boss... Who can never get her cell phone to work...).
But technology doesn't have to "short-circuit... coping skills." Really, it can be a coping skill. An iPod is better than an eating disorder, which is another defense mechanism/way to cope. I'd personally rather listen to a song about how miserable my life is than throw up to show it.
But that's just me. :P
true story. it all depends on usage.
Same way with anything. Practically everything in existence can be used for good or bad. Take an axe, for example. Useful for cutting wood to keep a family warm--sustaining life. Also useful for serial killers. It's not the axe's fault it was used to murder people.
There must needs be opposition in all things...
oh miss terri, you're such a mystery...
that's profound, that is
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