Being able to talk to your friend half way across the world and staying connected with old friends is something that we may all want to do but not have the time to do. With the introduction of social networks, it has been made easy and accessible. We can chat with friends who are on vacation and browse through silly photos. But are we too addicted to our online relationships and browsers than real tangible relationships?
Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc. are all great social networks that connect people together. But these sites along with dating sites, Craigslist, ROPGs, etc. are taking people away from the world. We often joke around about those gamers who are locked in their parents’ basement who only have relationships with their tiny graphical characters and their pixilated friends. But they are just like those who are addicted to Facebook. These people are not doing anything wrong. They are doing what marketers want them to do. They are intended to make people want to stay online, just like in any other industry. But these social networks have become too addicting and sometimes even dangerous. They start taking away time that these individuals could be spending making meaningful deep connections with the people around them and replacing it with chat windows and abbreviated words. Children are going online at younger and younger ages and they are getting attached to mini forms of social networks like Penguin Club and the online world on Build a Bear factory.
I personally do not think one person can have a solid relationship with someone on the Internet. As human beings, we learn by using all of our senses. We see the facial expressions and the body language. We learn about people through seeing through someone and learning about their habits. We cannot do that through a chat window. Sitting in front of a computer also leads to health problems. Obesity, back pain, high blood pressure, bad eyesight, etc. are all things that can occur due to immobility for extended periods of time. Children are maturing way faster than they should. Social networking sites and other sites are a danger to them. News of cyber bullying or such things prove this as do other news. We as a community should be careful about not only what we put on the Internet and whether we should decide to trust those we meet.
As a society, we should try to captivate the individual to want to go out and meet people. Social networks are tools that help us keep in contact with those who are far away and to meet new people. But they are not there to dominate our lives. We rely on technology today so much that it may seem that we may not survive without it. A day without checking up with friends may let us feel out of the look. But in reality, if we take the time to set up a meeting, it will help us improve with our social life in the real world. Our government and community should try to help us and protect us from virtual reality.
I think you make a good point when you talk about the physical affects that sitting in front of a screen. We forget that these exist too, yet these are probably the most prevalent. But not only are these the dangers but also the pyschological issues exist as well such as you were talking about on the maturity level of children. Youth are exposed to literally everything on the internet and can become a serious problem. It leads to more controversial issues such as privacy and protection settings.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the person above me, the physical effects of sitting in front of a screen are pretty prevalent. It came up in the Frontline video that we watched today when they were interviewing the mother with a son who was "addicted" to video games. In fact one of my friends got glasses within the past year because his vision was so bad from being on the computer so much and playing video games. I myself have experienced this, sitting in front of a screen for hours on end gives me a headache. It is amazing what sitting in front a screen can actually do to you.
ReplyDeleteMy mom tried to peel me away from my phone because I was complaining that my wrists hurt. She was so scared I had carpel tunnel syndrome cause I was online all the time, texting, and playing online games. Nowadays, since we are more knowledgeable about these health risks, I find myself getting up and moving around to release tension in my muscles and lower back.
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