The 21st century is a century of information and telecommunication technologies. A large number of organizations specializing in a particular branch of computer technology have appeared since this is the most relevant and forward direction. However, technology does not always carry only benefits for the life and communication of people. In this paper, we will discuss the effect of the use of technology on people's face-to-face communication, on in-public communication and the quality of these interactions.
Introduction
Increasingly, we notice people buried in their smartphones: on the streets, in parks, in the subway. They cross the road to a red light, knockdown passersby and do not think at all about their safety. Are smartphones so devoured us that we do not notice the world around us? Without a doubt, the devices have made life easier for us: Internet banking, real-time news from around the world, instant communication with friends and relatives thanks to the Internet. However, one cannot deny the fact that we have become too dependent on our devices. In the long run, this can lead to disastrous results. In this report we will discuss are we in danger of losing the art of face-to-face communication, and what will be the consequences?
How does the use of technology affect people’s ability to communicate face to face?
Modern people communicate less in person and more and more transfer their communication to the sphere of media technologies. Statistics show that people spend a lot of time behind the screens of phones, tablets and computers and, accordingly, less and less time communicating with each other directly. The technique, of course, affects the process of communication, but the degree of this influence is not obvious. The impact of technology on communication is often overestimated. Communication is almost never direct, it is always mediated by language, gestures, social conditions, and many other factors. On the other hand, the impact of technology on the content of communications cannot be underestimated. Technical means often offer ready-made forms of certain messages: we all often use emoticons, templates, pictures from the Internet, which makes our messages less individual and often reduces the process of communication to a simple exchange of formalities. It would be more correct to say that the technique offers simplification and formalization of the communication process. And the more obvious and strong this temptation is, the more people struggle with it by one or another means. For example, among young people, there is an increasing understanding that distracted while talking on a mobile phone is not too polite and decent. Сompared to adults, the younger generation is even more involved in the digital industry. According to a recent study by psychologists at the University of California over the past 10 years, communication via the Internet has become a preferred way of communication among teenagers who try to avoid live interaction with peers. Scientists argue that such behavior can lead to an inability to start a friendship.
The use of technology also affected the ways of dating between men and women. Modern technology allows getting acquainted without fear and excitement that is inherent in acquaintance face to face. All this was due to anonymity and low risk. However, the level of insecurity of such acquaintances has increased. For example, in April 2011, an American sued a dating site after she was raped by a man she met there.
The mere presence of technology affects people’s ability in communication. Imagine that two friends meet in some bar and one of them often uses his phone because he receives notifications. Therefore, another friend also takes his phone for using while his friend is talking on his phone. They will interrupt communication because of using smartphones. It will be badly reflected on their relationship because each of them will be dissatisfied that his interlocutor is using his smartphone during communication. Thus, it will be badly affected by their level of concentration in their communication.
American scientists made a decision that electric devices can negatively affect people. They made an experiment where people were sitting in isolated rooms. In each room, there will be located a book and in one of the rooms they put the mobile phone. After that, the volunteers asked to tell each other any interesting story, and then the researchers asked them questions about the feelings experienced by the volunteers in relation to their neighbors. As it turned out, people who saw a mobile phone during the conversation felt less interested in the conversation and reported a lower quality of the existing relationship than those who did not see it. Statistics show that almost every person who uses mobile phones or any technological devices cannot be without a phone at least one day. Therefore, almost everyone uses smartphones during communicating with individuals.