Has Technology Harmed Real Life Communication

All the new technology in today’s world has drastically changed the way that people interact. There was a time when people only communicated face to face. Now, we can send a message with the push of a button. Communication has certainly gotten easier over the years, but could it be harming us as well?

Texting
Texting is one of the worst offenders when it comes to harming your social skills. We are all guilty of sending a text over when we don’t really feel like talking. Why waste your breath, right? And then, you realize that when you have something difficult to say, it is so much easier to send in a text message. Not coming into work today? Just shoot the boss a text. Want to break up? Yes, people text for that, too.

What happens is that we rely on hiding behind text messages until we actually start feeling uncomfortable talking on the phone or in person. We stop having to speak clearly and loudly, we stop needing to actually listen to each other, and we have endless time to come up with the perfect words for every message.

The only upside to texting is that you are able to communicate much more often. However, is this really beneficial when your conversations consist of:
“hey”
“wrud?”
“setting a mouse trap”
“cool”

I think we can see how this is disastrous in terms of real conversation and social skills.

Social Networking
The problem with social networking sites, like Facebook, is that you can be someone’s friend without ever talking to them. So, people have hundreds to thousands of “friends” and they maybe talk to five of them. Social networking sites seem to encourage people to keep track of others’ lives by snooping rather than actually ever having a real conversation.

However, social networking sites help people from long distances communicate and this is an obvious plus. It is great that you can keep up with friends who moved away or long distance family members. Just remember, actually TALK to these people, don’t just look at their pictures!
 
Online Job Searching
The problem with the online job world is that it is much more difficult to make an impression online. When you apply for a job in person, you can impress potential employers with your appearance, your smile, your handshake, your manners, and your ability to communicate well. When applying for a job online, all you can really do is send out a black and white resume that probably looks just like hundreds of other candidates.

Even a good cover letter doesn’t have the same effect as a warm smile and handshake. As more and more employers accept applications exclusively online, the harder it becomes to stand out when job searching.

While technology has made our lives easier, sometimes the convenience comes at a price. Don’t let yourself get too caught up in the wires when it comes to communication.

This post was contributed by guest blogger Michelle Deaven, who enjoys writing about a variety of topics, from communication to how to use a mouse trap.