technology and introversion/extroversion

I work in IT, but I still think technology is ruining communication. I do not have a facebook or twitter account. Not on principle or anything. I just prefer to talk to people face to face. I don't deny that for some, it has helped bring people together, but on the whole I think technology is hurting communication. If at the very least, by butchering language into a new 'acronymic' one (there goes another butchered word). Though perhaps it is the many years that I've worked in IT that nurtured my disdain for the abuse of acronyms.

NOTE: I realize that though I take an anti-online communication stance, I spend a lot of time chatting here on the forum. Sue me.

 

I just took a developmental psychology class and we talked about this. I guess this is obvious, but the professor said that babies need to participate in and observe face to face communication in order to learn how to read emotions and develop social skills. Lack of social skills and inability to read others' emotions obviously leads to feelings of isolation and disconnectedness, which then can lead to depression. But the internet definitely has positive benefits for adults in terms of sharing and learning about new ideas and being aware of what's going on in the rest of the world.

 

Maybe we should make the Internet -- Rated R? At least half of it technically is anyway.

 

Yeah, I think technology really fucks people up on a lot of levels, not just social ones. Look at all the funky stuff it does with our pre-frontal cortex and executive functions:

• it lowers our inhibitions and desensitizes us
• lowers our ability to delay gratification
• interferes with our impulse control
• shrinks the capacity of our working memory
• wrecks havoc on our attention span
• prolonged hours in front a screen directly contribute to adrenal fatigue
• prolonged usage is also directly linked to states of apathy and inertia, wherein the subject's brain make up begins to correlate with that of a patient showcasing negative symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations and psycho-disturbances are considered positive symptoms).

And that's just on a personal level. The fact that it eliminates the need to leave our house and eats up a lot of our time that cuts into our levels of mobility and social interaction fucks us up even further. We live in our heads a lot more and we're not paying attention to what's going on with the world at large because we're busy introspecting and gaping at stupid cat gifs.

 

I think there are certain personalities that just aren't going to understand each other no matter how hard they try, so that's where the superficial face to face interaction is necessary in order to avoid drama. At least I use it for that purpose, like at work for example when I need people to get something done for me. But the face to face interaction at least gives you the opportunity to get closer to the people who will understand you.

 

It's worse than R Rated. More like crazy shit nobody should see o_0

 

As long you're balanced and aren't addicted to cellphone/internet/whatever its absolutely fine.

HOWEVER there's nothing more annoying in this world than being with someone who just keeps texting when you're trying to talk to him/her. Those people deserve to drown in their phones.

 

My parents let my brother spend literally every moment of his free time playing video games and surfing the internet. He did graduate with a degree in engineering, but it's been 3 years now and he does not work and rarely ever leaves the house. Once in a while he goes to the grocery store with my mom or takes his cat to the vet.

 

Oh, technology, how I love thee and despise thee! Although I'm part of the "computer generation," the only access I had to computers growing up was at school. I can remember a largely computer free childhood. However, hen I was in the second grade my godmother spoiled me and bought me an NES, which I played nearly incessantly until I got the SNES, and eventually the Nintendo 64. I don't know how many hours I lost to playing the Legend of Zelda series, but it was certainly considerable. I often wonder if I could've mastered a second language or a musical instrument with those hours spent, or maybe just spent more time not doing anything but enjoying my childhood. I guess I was rather lucky too, in a way. I spent a lot of time with my friends riding bikes around the neighborhood, playing baseball, building tree forts in the woods, boy scouts, and camping. I have fear that my kids won't be as interested in that as I was because there are so many electronic gadgets that are out there today that society says everyone needs: laptops, cell phones, ipods, and the like. I know it makes life easier, but people don't have enough time in a day to devote to friends, family, and their gadgets. So, I do little things that help me cope with all the expectations that technology has sprung upon us all. I turn my cell phone off for most of the day, and only check it periodically. I only check my email twice a week. I don't have Facebook anymore. I make sure my phone is off when I have company over. I go for walks to soak up the outdoors. I teach my kids all about nature and how to appreciate it. I keep tabs on only a very few close friends and immediate family members, but those relationships are deep and that is how I love them. We'll get together for meals and cheer as often as we can. Lately I've been on the internet a lot and I'm trying to work on that, but my work hours can make me feel lonely sometimes and it's nice to interact with the world from time to time. I'm trying to reduce my internet time with more time reading. New Years resolution?

 

Everyone and their mother wants to spend less time on the internet. The more someone talks about doing it, the less likely it is to get done.