Technology has changed the way we communicate in ways that were once unimaginable. It has made communication easier and more efficient, and in some cases, it has even reduced the amount of time we spend communicating with each other to almost nothing at all. There are also some downsides to this new technology-based form of communication, however, and these can have negative effects on our relationships as well as our individual productivity. Here are three ways technology has affected communication and what you can do about it!
The good
Technology has enabled instant communication and information on a global scale. You can email your grandparents from anywhere in the world, post an update on Facebook from the train station you’re waiting at for a delayed train, or Skype with your friend on the other side of town about what to do for dinner. Not only does technology allow for quick communication among friends, it also lets people connect with like-minded people from all over the world. However, not everything is perfect in this technology utopia. Social media has enabled mass-bullying as teenagers post nasty comments to their victims (unintentionally exposing themselves to ridicule in front of their peers) while they sit safely behind their keyboards feeling protected by an anonymous username.
The bad
Technology has changed how people communicate by having them spend more time texting or on Facebook than speaking. With everyone doing their own thing, relationships are strained because you can’t really connect with someone when it is so easy to be distracted. Technology also makes it easier for us to judge others which in turn causes more bullying. This means people get scared of stepping out of their comfort zone for fear that they will become a victim of cyber-bullying. Even though technology makes life so much easier at times and keeps us up to date on what’s going on in other parts of the world, it does not make communicating easier but rather does more harm than good. It doesn’t help anything when you can type a sentence in two seconds and only must read the sentence once instead of talking face-to-face where you must listen and read your words over and over again until your message gets across. Texting just takes away from being able to convey emotion in our speech which then translates into an unemotional connection between two people who should care about each other.
The ugly
Technology has had a drastic impact on our communication. Gone are the days of gossiping with friends on a bench or confiding in a stranger. Today we share secrets with anyone who will listen through social media. Technology affects communication by allowing us to instantly chat about anything from personal problems to global crises with complete strangers who may be hundreds of miles away. We form connections without taking time to get to know someone in person first; we open more easily than before without worrying about how it will make us feel tomorrow when we see them again. Our private conversations can be stored digitally indefinitely so that every moment of every day is documented without fail.
Conclusion
Technology has affected communication on a large scale. It is no longer simply talking to someone on the phone or passing someone a note in class. For most people, we have never known what it was like before cell phones became an essential part of our everyday lives. People can communicate with anyone anywhere in any situation with ease. This has also led to people not speaking at all because they are worried that they might miss out on something by not constantly being connected to their electronic devices. Technology can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to communication – it only depends how you use it!\
