Digital Connections and Relationships Essay Example

This essay will explore how digital connection has impacted family relationships and political movements. Moreover, the essay will examine how new technologies have impacted networks and hierarchies as well as social relationships.

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Over the last few years, technology has increasingly become a powerful tool that is employed to connect individuals with entertainment, communication and education. The influence of technology and social medial impact every family in a broad range of ways. Smart devices, as argued out by Villegas have a wide array of apps that can be downloaded for children with the aim of interacting and playing (3). The way parents communicate with their children is different from the way it was before technology was invented. Parents and their children spend a significant portion of their time on their phones or laptops until dinner time. One of the important reasons why technology has a significant impact on family relationships is the portable nature of it. Specifically, phones and laptops are portable and people can travel with them anywhere.

The use of new technologies, including laptops and phones has resulted to a growing privatization within family life. Family members employ new technologies independently as opposed to collectively. Communication between family members is increasingly revolving around a broad range of new technologies such as game consoles, mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, and smart phones. The email, the internet, computer games and video games have now become a fundamental part of children's lives (Villegas 4). The internet plays a significant role in social links between family members. Specifically, the internet allows family members to establish and increase family relationships through constant communication and interaction between family members. To this effect, the internet has increasingly become a new form of online interaction that has played a critical role in improving offline relationship.

Although some studies have demonstrated that new technologies can positively assist and encourage interaction between family members, other studies have demonstrated that new media technologies, including smart phones, video games and laptops are increasingly having a negative effect on family relationships. Villegas highlights a broad range of ways that new media technologies have negatively impacted family relationship. Firstly, children's social development is increasingly being at risk as a result of continuous use of game consoles, computers and televisions. Specifically, children's imagination and intellectual development are at risk when they play by themselves using game consoles and computers.

Gopnik in his essay "Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli" argues that life for modern people can be best described as a virtual grid. In other words, Gopnik is of the opinion that modern life is different from the way it was during the 19th and 20th century. Traditionally, people used to communicate by talking through the telephone of meeting face to face. However, that has changed over the last few years. Gopnik denounces the influence technologically-driven busy life on his young daughter known as Olivia. Specifically, according to Gopnik, Olivia creates an imaginary friend called Charlie Ravioli. Although Olivia frequently communicates with Charlie, he never had enough time to play with Olivia. As argued out by Olivia, people are increasingly becoming fearful of intimacy and instead of seeking or pursuing connections and relationships with other individuals; they are increasingly seeking intimacy with new media technologies. Malcolm Gladwell in his essay "Small change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted" closely examines the idea of social and a broad range of ways to attain it. Specifically, Gladwell makes a clear demarcation between current activism and traditional activism. Traditional activism, according to Gladwell implies physical devotion and sacrifices. On the other hand, current activism is grounded on social networks. Today people employ social networks with the aim of connecting people globally. In a context of animosity and hostility, Gladwell asserts that social networks and real-life connection is powerful tool for survival.

Gladwell argues that social networks played an integral role in facilitating Arab Spring. In other words, the tools of the internet play a critical role in facilitating wider mobilization and making the ideas public (Gladwell 15). Weak-ties, as pointed out by Gladwell is not strong enough to motivate individuals to make a broad range of sacrifices. Gladwell is of the opinion that social networks and sharing information is in most cases regarded as enough. In our modern time, some people strongly believe that a few clicks can play an integral role in transforming the world. Certain tools of social networks, particularly retweets and likes can play an integral role in encouraging individuals to feel regarding themselves. The internet, according to Gladwell distracts individuals to the point of inactivity and in most cases results to a paralysis of action. In the United States, the number of individuals who are employing electronic tools, such as smartphones, laptops, and video games is rapidly increasing.

New media technologies have both negatively and positively impacted political movements in a number of ways. Specifically, the internet played a critical role in facilitating the Arab Spring. Social networks were employed in facilitating wide mobilization and enhancing connections between individuals. However, as argued out by Gladwell, the increasing use of the internet can create a sense of inactivity among people. In other words, Gladwell is of the opinion that people can become less motivated or lazy when they rely so much on the internet.

New media technologies are increasingly making us more and less sociable. Specifically, the use of the internet has resulted to a decline in communication between family members. However, other studies have demonstrated that the internet or digital communication can play an integral role in supporting social relationships. Specifically, Villegas is of the opinion that the internet can play an integral role in fostering relationships between social networks and family members (10). Some scholars have predicted that the internet will create improved social links as a result of lack of constraints on time and place.

Conclusion

Conclusively, new media technologies have positively and negatively impacted family relationships and political movements. Communication between family members is increasingly revolving around a broad range of new technologies such as game consoles, mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, and smart phones. The email, the internet, computer games and video games have now become a fundamental part of children's lives. With respect political movements, Social networks have played an integral role in facilitating wide mobilization and enhancing connections between individuals. Moreover, new media technologies have impacted social networks in a number of ways. Specifically, the internet has facilitated social networks. People can use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to connect with one another and to mobilize people.

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not be Tweeted"

Gopnik Adam. Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli

Villegas, Alessondra. The influence of technology on family dynamics. Proceedings of the New

York State Communication Association. <https://docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=nyscaproceedings>