What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? What is Lady Gaga's real name? In the past, the answers to these questions would have been quite difficult to find. One would have to find a book, or read a newspaper. In modern times, the answer can be found at the click of the mouse. The evolution of technology, the Internet especially, has substantially enriched the lives of those searching for answers. There are endless articles and even medical journals waiting for curious students or just curious internet-goers to find. This positive aspect of technology seems perfect, but what happens when it takes away from social lives, and even causes psychological damage?
"While our culture heralds the Internet as a technological wonder, there are suggestions that Internet use has a negative influence on individuals and their social skills. A recent study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University concludes that Internet use leads to small but statistically significant increases in misery and loneliness and a decline in overall psychological well-being" (American Psychological Association, 1998). Social networking sites and online chat rooms allow people to be more open about their lives, and even be extreme extroverts when they are in deed absolute introverts. You can be whomever you want on the internet. This causes a reality gap between the virtual world and the real world. Social skills begin to decline, and the only time people can be happy is on the computer. This cycle can causes extreme depression. People need to interact with others face to face. It is part of the human condition. The impersonal nature of technology is a negative aspect in my opinion; therefore internet use and the use of technology in general should be limited.
I think its really interesting that you brought up people being different or being perceived differently on the internet. I feel this is a huge problem in chat rooms and also facebook type sites. But this can be a problem for both adults and children. Adults for example maybe making a profile on a dating site when they feel they have met their significant other...then they go and meet the person they "thought they knew" face to face and the person seems completely different. This could be a scary and even dangerous problem. For children, many young children explore facebook and chat rooms at an age that I feel is way to young to be on the internet alone. In some scenarios this can be very dangerous. I watched a television show on how 13 year old girls would be on chatrooms and talk to 20 year old men; they would then love the attention from the men and begin to like them as more than just a chat friend online. The men would then convince the young girls to be their sex slaves and would sell the young girls at hourly rates. If thats not disturbing, then I don't know what is. And this all began because of technology gone wrong. Technology is great but it can also be very dangerous which I feel people of all ages overlook.
ReplyDeleteI know many people who have used dating websites and chat rooms to find their significant other. However, exactly how well do you actually get to know the person you are talking to? All the information one posts on this site can be completely false. They can make up stories about their life. One of my friends meet this guy on a chat room. There conversations were never dull and always flowed; however, when they finally decided to meet in person the entire confrontation was awkward. They did not know how to react to one another. They never talked to one another ever since that encounter. This goes along with your point that everyone can be extroverts on the internet.
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