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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Technology's Effect on Interpersonal Communication

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Technology has brought forth a revolutionary transformation in the way we communicate with each other.

As we progress through the information age, various technological devices such as the television, hand phones, and personal computers have come and established themselves in our everyday lives.

This has definitely influenced interpersonal communication in many ways, both positive as well as negative.

This article examines the
impacts and implications of technology on the way we communicate with each other.

With the invent of internet, the world has effectively become an interconnected global village. People from all corners of the world are able to easily converse with each other quickly and easily through cyberspace.

Email has established itself as a fast, free and convenient method to send messages, replacing traditional mail in the process. The internet has indeed made it easy and convenient for people to keep in touch with one another.

This ease of communication has many profound effects. In the business world, deals can be made through emails and video conferencing, and mobile phone technology has made it possible for people to check and send messages on the go, allowing us to be connected 24-7.

The internet has also affected the way how couples are formed. Couples are now commonly paired through dating websites using computer match ups. Chat rooms have become a common form of interaction between people as well, replacing a face-to-face meet up.

The internet has indeed changed the way people socialize. Although this has broadened the social circle of many people somewhat, couples are unable to meet face to face and this has many implications. Each individual has only the information which the other person decides to release. This may cause both parties to have unrealistic expectations about each other.

In the office, despite all the advantages offered by technology as mentioned earlier, there are many negative implications to be considered as well. Simple messages which used to be delivered face-to-face are now being sent through impersonal means such as email.

This has effectively reduced socialization within the office, thus contributing to the weakening of bonds within the workplace.

In addition, the convenience of emails and video conferences, just cannot entirely replace the feeling and warmth of a person's handshake or presence. Deals may be negotiated through emails, but many businessmen today will still want to view their business partners face-to-face in order to size their potential partners up before committing to any deals.

According to government figures from the Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom, on average, adults in Britain spend - 41.5 days a year online at their computers. Bloggers whom are increasingly common today probably spend lots more time online.

This has reduced the communication between parents and their children due to the lack of quality time spend together. The bond is weakened as compared with previous generations and this has a profound impact on society as a whole.

In conclusion, we are now more connected in today's globalized world, but are ironically more isolated from our friends and family as a result of the new technologies from the information age.

The ease of communication
may have been improved but our lives have become more impersonal as a result. Technology has indeed made tremendous impact on society as well as on interpersonal communication.

10 comments:

Patricia Rockwell said...

Joe Walther is probably the country's leading expert on the effects of technology on interpersonal communication. His site is www.msu.edu/~jwalther/

Unknown said...

True. It's ironic to that someone can be so available and yet not.

Prime example being having lunch with someone but she/he keeps on looking at her/his blackberry and has to rush back to work at a moment notice. I mean, you might as well not meet up with the person.

Angel said...

While I agree that new technology can reduce quality time between parents and children, it was invented to make life easier.

I think it is still our choice as to what to prioritize first and these technologies should be used properly and with balance.

Anonymous said...

I guess there is always a downside to every sign of progress. As a blogger I spent more and more time in front of my notebook than I do with my friends. *sigh* With technology even the borrowing of money is done online ... I mean it improved our lives in a sense that it made things/communication easier and faster. Mails are sent in a few minutes compared to the traditional postage that could take days but it also made us impersonal in a sense that instead of telling what you wanna say to the person up front to avoid embarrassment, people nowadays do it via email.

Sherry Go Sharing said...

amazing.. I just added you link to my blog not long ago and I won an ad space from you in Prodinterios birthday bash contest.

Anonymous said...

Next time you should cite your sources, otherwise it's called plagiarism. I'll do it for you.

http://www.scienceray.com/Technology/Information/Technology-And-Its-Influence-on-Interpersonal-Communication.114851

Wenbin Nah said...

I'm Nah Wenbin, the author of

http://www.scienceray.com/Technology/Information/Technology-And-Its-Influence-on-Interpersonal-Communication.114851

as well as this blog. Hope that clears up any misunderstanding. :)

Unknown said...

negative effects is part of every changes.. every new advances has negative effects.. it will depend upon on the level of disadvantage and also to the choice of the people if this thing will come to bad or good.. all of us have choices to make this things as positive or make our weaknesses prevail over us..

Unknown said...

it is definitely appropriate to present this here.. to realize what we were missing in life...

Kenya Web Design said...

Very good points you have outlined!