New Technology Same Old Criticism

Keith Hampton in his article NO: Relationships Are Being Enhanced, not Replaced perfectly illustrates this prong: “Yes, some things have changed—but maybe not as much as you might think. Consider ‘what a strange practice it is…that a man should sit down to his breakfast table and, instead of conversing with his wife, and children, hold before his face a sort of screen on which is inscribed a world-wide gossip.’ These words ring as true today as when they were written, in 1909. They were the observations of one of America’s first and most renowned sociologists, Charles Cooley, about how morning delivery of the newspaper was undermining the American family. Thank goodness the scourge of the newsman is in decline.”

Enhanced Relationships Across the World

Not only does the Internet allow society to be conscious of the world around them, it also allows them to interact with the world on an unprecedented level. This interaction is not causing individuals to be less sociable just because it is not in the typical face-to-face method of interaction. Furthermore, this virtual world interacting does not come between individuals in the real world but rather promotes new insights and diversity of thoughts, which were gained in the virtual world, into the real world.

Far Less Meaningful Social Interactions

Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and cultural analyst who recently did a TED Talk on her studies on how technology is shaping our modern relationships, notes when society is being “social” online they are only getting sips of connection and not real communication. Ms. Turkle further highlights this prong of the argument by noting that society is drawn to the Internet because it can provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of intimacy. However, society confuses postings and online sharing with authentic communication when in reality it is far from the virtues of person-to-person interactions. For instance studies have found that emotions including empathy can only be dispensed in the virtual world one-sixth as effective compared to real world person-to-person interactions.

Distractions from Real World Interactions