A Falling Society Essay Example

After reading, Lovenheim Peter's "Won't You Be My Neighbor" the harsh reality in our current society comes into perspective. We are born into a society where people are losing sight of what made the society great. Years ago, people found it mandatory to know their neighbors, families, place of work and interests; however, as it turns out, the current society has become disengaged. People are engrossed in their issues, and they no longer find it necessary to know people they meet on a daily basis, people whose houses they pass going on their businesses, etc. They simply do not care. The advent of the internet may have made the world a global village; nonetheless, it has only widened the gap between next neighbors, communities, and families. By reviewing the uses of the internet and other upcoming technology, this analysis will identify how the society has grown apart in a world of global interconnectivity.

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Different researchers have tried to develop their hypotheses about the impact of technology on the people, mostly the internet. Some of them have taken a liberal view on the matter, whereas others are more skeptical about its increased use in the society. Change is usually good and welcome for the society, however, the rate of change is usually overwhelming for most of the people, which explain why they are usually reluctant to accept these changes in their society. However, skepticism bringing into critique the nature of changes exhibited in people's lives is at times warranted, for example, in cases where the change does not make the society any better. For example, the cynicism around the use of the internet is warranted considering that it has minimized face-to-face interactions between some of the people. As a result, the community is left with people that are disconnected from the entire society and devoid of the fabric keeping the society together.

Most of the people, especially the millennials, are too occupied with activities on the internet to such an extent that they do not realize how much they are missing on in the real world. Critics note that in as much social media can be used to make life colorful, increase happiness and the nurture of social circles; however, it can also make people unhappy and isolated from the society in general. In an article published in Phys.Org, Holsten explores the duplicity in nature of the internet in the world. Holsten clarifies that the internet has good benefits to the societies since it can help develop and cultivate the relations between individuals; however, its negative side is dire to the society especially considering that their social life and well-being is affected.

In addition to all the other issues that may have come as a result of the advent of the internet. Holsten notes the narcissism and superficial nature of relationships that are maintained over the social sites. This is common with people that visit the social sites with a high frequency and also use it excessively. For instance, a typical US teenager spends over 8 hours on a daily basis on social media like FaceBook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc., as well as texting their friends. An article published in the Business World notes that the internet gives people the chance to explore their narcissistic nature, which could lead to the acquisition of a different personality. In fact, some of the people could end up imposing their virtual selves to their realistic lives. This becomes a challenge because people may end up expressing their narcissistic and super-aggressive side in the real world. Some of the youths tend to live a deceptive life as they try to match the identities that they portray online (Business World). A good number of the youths tried to portray themselves as rich people, yet they may not belong. Therefore, the people end up concentrating more on their e-personality and forget about the societies they live in, as well as the real friends that they already have.

An article published in Boston.com also expounded the issues regarding the deficit in empathy exhibited among the youths. In the article, O' Brien uses research done in the past to show the extent to which the internet has influenced the youths. According to the article, students in the current generation cannot be described as soft-hearted or concerned about other people's feelings. In fact, they are more likely to agree that they are not bothered by other people's misfortunes in as much as they may know their neighbors, Millenials this knowledge may not translate to genuine concerns for these neighbors. Connecting to the world is one of the most important aspects of humanity that strengthens the fabric of our society. As a result, its lack thereof indicates that the world has changed significantly and it lacks the connection that makes humanity more admirable. The changes that have been exhibited as a result of the advent of the internet are far from admirable when observed from a negative perspective. Empathy is a basic foundation or 'super-glue' expected to keep this society held together; however, its absence makes the world empty. Therefore, it prevents people from exploiting the world and people around them to their level best. In consequence, the society cannot be as exciting as it ought to be for the people.

On the important issue of contention to the current society regards the nature of friendship that is formed within the society today. Curtis Silver develops his theory starting from Dunbar's number theory, which notes that one can only maintain about 150 friends within their social circle. However, this number has been exaggerated by the modernization of technology that is exhibited on a daily basis in our world. Nonetheless, the current definition of friendship today is vague and impossible (Silver). It is no longer about individuals that were held close and their genuinely cared about each other's life and existence. However, Silver notes that the kind of fondness and comfort that people have around strangers ought not to exist. People may have up to a thousand friends that are literally strangers, and the number of interactions that people have with them is minimal. Dunbar's number may be inaccurate in the current society; however, featuring the online 'friendships' appears fictitious. The number of people that the millennials meet online cannot be defined as actual friends and only helps promote their narcissistic and superficial nature (Silver). Generally, the internet has misled people into believing that they have friends while in reality they do not have any real friends and they may not even reach Dunbar's number of friends in the social network.

To sum up, the arguments that are made in the current discussion, Pangburn makes a compelling argument that is impossible to ignore today. Pangburn notes that singling out the negative impact of social media these is almost like shooting fish out of a barrel. However, the discussion proposes an important solution to the current issue in that she notes that it is the best time to delete our social media accounts and reconsider the important things in life today. He cites that Zuckerberg may have begun with the dream of helping connect people yet end up disconnecting people in the society (Pangburn). People, therefore, should consider becoming the part of the real society and avoid dwelling in a virtual society where people cannot connect with people in their actual society.

Conclusion

In general, the world has changed since the advent of the internet and other technological advances made since. However, the question as to whether these changes have been positive or negative in the society is up for debate since the internet has been remarkable and at the same time negative. In fact, when it comes to the impact in the society, debates and research carried out over the years demonstrate that it has worsened or diminished people's ability to relate to each other in real life. Children born today are engrossed on the internet and spend over 6 hours daily in the internet updating their status, uploading pictures, chatting and consuming media files, which means that they lose out on quality time that could be used to interact with actual friends in schools and neighborhoods. In fact, some of the research indicates that some of the people may end up developing an e-personality that is parallel to their real personality. For example, a teenager famous on Instagram may end up becoming narcissistic once they impose their e-personalities in their real lives, which could make it impossible to make new friends in real life. As a result, people may no longer cherish being part of a physical community or neighborhood since their online is much more appealing and interesting for them in real life. As a result, the world and society ought to find a way to control the use of the internet, especially among the youths, to reestablish the social connection that was once part of the society's fabric.

Works Cited

"The Digital Media is Responsible for Split Personalities" Business World. July, 2018. http://www.businessworld.in/article/The-digital-media-is-responsible-for-split-personalities/12-07-2018-154587/. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.

Lovenheim, Peter. "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" The New York Times. June 23, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/opinion/23lovenheim.html?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Opinion&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.

Silver, Curtis. "The Quagmire of Social Media Friendships." The New York Times. https://www.wired.com/2012/08/social-media-friendships/. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.

"How Does Internet Use Affect Well-Being" Phys. Org. Feb 26, 2018. https://phys.org/news/2018-02-internet-affect-well-being.html. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.

Pangburn, DJ. Delete Your Account. Fast Company. July, 20, 2018. https://www.fastcompany.com/90187840/delete-your-account. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.

O' Brien Keith. "The Empathy Deficit." Boston.com. October 17, 2010. http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/10/17/the_empathy_deficit/?page=1. Accessed on 21 July, 2018.