Essay Sample on Technological Advancement: Its Impact on Societies and Communication

Introduction

Technological advancement, mechanization, and industrialization have been terms and eras that introduced massive changes in societies and often spurred resistance, criticism, and negativity, but they grew anyway. Communication, production, transport and the labor markets were affected in either extreme ways and for each instance, stakeholders and agents of these advances held both positive and negative reactions to them. Communication has always been a vital tool in societies, and technology hence revolutionized it through the internet, the advent of mobile phones, ad social media platforms that created connectivity among friends, and family, and virtually made the world a global village. The utility of these devices and services were highly embraced, with a study by the international telecommunication union revealing the presence of 6milion mobile subscription by the end of 2011, a reflection of about 87% of the world's population (Isiklar, Sar and Durmuscelebi, 9). Connectivity in communication has since this insurgence enhanced, as individuals are enabled to create, maintain and sustain relationships at different levels. While this holds in many instances, a lot of these connections have as virtual as the modes of communicating are, and this has robbed individuals of the intimacy, proximity or tactility and significance of social interactions and relationships. The moral compass of many individuals have been shifted to ignore or embrace vices, and there have been numerous cases of internet addiction. The advent of the internet and telecommunication have created a matter of taking sides, blame games and finger pointing but like any other case, there is a silver lining. Undeniable is the fact that both of these extreme ends are facts that emanate from the utility of communication technology, but yet another controversial point is that with the current economic and social global patterns, the internet and mobile communication might be the only choice or channel that individuals have to explore their social world.

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The communication landscape has undergone massive dynamics over the past decade, and this has been dramatically attributed to the advent of the internet and mobile devices. It has led to the redefinition of social contexts from the proximity point of view to the connectivity one, and this has deprived relationships of the tactility, intimacy, and reality. This is a case that SherryTurkle referred to as being "alone together." Individuals have learned to disregard the social spaces between them, spaces that attached responsibility, consequences, and morality to relationships, and embraced the moratorium spaces offered by the internet (Turkle, 141). Geographical separation, low self-esteem and the urge to create and maintain relationships, termed as extroversion has created an over-reliance on the internet as the standard mode of communication (Isiklar, Sar and Durmuscelebi, 10; Ezoe, Toda, Yoshimura and Morimoto, 236). This has created internet addiction, and hence a reduction in the quality of life of the victims. The internet has also been utilized to create sexual relationships of different kinds; the "happy, tragic, mutual, one-sided, healthy, abusive" ones alike (Klass, 1). Children as a little as ten years can now access the internet via their mobile phones and this has increased the tendencies and risks for sexting. Sexting, according to Susan Lipkins, an American psychologist, "sexting is the act of sending anything that is sexually explicit over the internet, cell phone or any other kind of digital technology" (CBS News, 00:00:21- 00:00:29). Teenagers, middle-aged individuals and the elderly are all hooked on this morally degenerative act, and this is just a scope of the moral erosion that the internet brings along. Morality is the distinction between what is right and wrong, and it is often dictated by choice of action an individual takes. While all the criticism on the dark side of the internet lies on the decision individuals make while using them, perhaps these are the only choices they have.

The current capitalistic and individualistic American society has had a lot of impact on the lives of its citizens. It has reached a point that every individual does what is best for them, and often these acts have an economic value attached to them. Hence, parents work for long hours at the expense of the quality family times, so they can earn an extra dollar to cater to the needs of the family. Children are sent to far-off academic institutions to gain an education that would later accrue economic benefits, at the expense of their proximity to their loved ones. The internet has thus been the one part of these strained livelihoods that offer a consistent, reliable, and less demanding connection. Therefore, parents and children have no choice but to disregard the value of proximity and tactility in social relations and embrace connectivity as the ultimate communication tool. Time and space have been a limiting factor and hence "To those who feel they have no time, connectivity, like robotics, tempts by proposing substitutions through which you can have companionship with convenience" (Turkle, 157). Parents have also evolved their parenting due to this limitation, and have embraced the internet and other mobile phone services such as instant messages to pass their instructions, counsel, opinion, and compassion to their children. Phone calls have often been used as warning tools, text messages as advice tools, and Instagram as tools to show appreciation and love through "likes" and comments. It might not be the ideal form of communication, and many of the users are aware of this, but what other choice do they have?

On the same issue on limited social connections, parents have dramatically failed to be there for their children in their crucial developmental stages. The internet and peers have hence takes the front stage in addressing the different issues that developing children have. Sexual curiosity is among the many stages that teenagers face, and with limited time shared by their parents, they utilize sexting as a tutorial for this aspect. This has become a reality as the dominance of the internet is, and psychologists have even recommended that parents address the issue of sexting as part of sexual education, rather than being shocked that it is happening (Klass, 1). Availing a choice for these teenagers to talk about their doubts, curiosities, and dilemma concerning sex is the only way that these individuals will refrain from sharing sensitive and at times offensive pictures, narrations, and thoughts of themselves.

Social connections, communication, and relationships are often created in different settings, and to those who adapt to the economic demands of their lives, and decide to maximize on their time together, social companionships do happen. For offspring exposed to this luxury, they tend towards being "extroverted, outgoing, active, and high-spirited, and like to spend time with people around them" (Ezoe, Toda, Yoshimura Den and Morimoto, 236). However, once these individuals are subjected to sudden geographical separation from the people they form social links with, they are bound to look for alternative ways to keep in touch with them. They hence fail to recognize the new social settings around them and focus on the ones they had established earlier. These individuals thereby restore their social relationships by continually connecting to their kin, friends, and role models, and this gradually causes them to be dependent on the different forms of communication platforms and gadgets they use. They spend endless nights chatting and texting, most of their days reviewing photos on Instagram, and tones of their free time on Facebook connecting to their friends through conferencing groups. They do this because they have to keep in touch, and there is no other way to do so due to unavoidable and limiting circumstances.

The American dream has over the years turned out to be just what it is; a dream and many Americans have had to live the lives they never intended to due to various social, economic, political and cultural forces operating within their lives. Real relationships have been strenuous, demanding, and materialistic and individuals have opted to create more manageable relationships online. This is the genesis for the term 'hooking up' in place of dating as people, mostly teenagers have come to see real relationships as a lot of work. When virtual relationship become troublesome or hectic, as with the case of too many texts, too many demands, the internet avails the chance of depersonalizing these demands, and one can ignore them, or just put an end by a single click on the remove button. Other internet applications and platforms enable an individual to create a virtual reality away from their sad realities, and it is such instances as Second Life that allow individuals like Pete to create a perfect marriage with an ideal woman who understands him. "We have now moved from multitasking to multi-lifing" (Turkle, 160). There is no reality that could retrieve such an individual from their virtual realities into the real societies they live within.

These alternatives have however adverse consequences in the users from the apparent moral erosion and addiction, to more complex repercussions such as a lack of self-reliance, and independence. "We used to equate growing up with the ability to function independently. These days always-on connection leads us to reconsider the virtues of a more collaborative self" (Turkle, 170). Parents have also come to over-rely on phone calls and messages to monitor their children, and this has denied the latter from attaining self-reliance and independence.

Conclusion

While the internet and telecommunication offered a precise, available and convenient communication tool, it has also caused harm to its users. People have grown to overlook the social structures around them, failed to recognize the relevance of the human factors surrounding them and have also ignored the value of interpersonal tactile, and intimate relationships with each other. This might have been attributed to the prevailing economic, social, political and cultural forces that continue to shape the society. Lack of interpersonal proximity due to geographical limitations, lack of familial contact due to parents working patterns and lack of meaning in relationships have made people opt to the internet due to its convenience. At the instant of these activities, it seems like the right course of action, but gradually, it rips off autonomy, and self-reliance in individuals.

Works Cited

CBS News. Sexting and teens. October 29, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfs43usw9es&t=19s

Ezoe S.,Toda M., Yoshimura K., Narotimi A., Den R. and Morimoto K. relationships of personality and lifestyle with mobile phone dependence among female nursing students. Social behavior and personality. 2009. Volume 37 issue 2. Pp. 231-238. Doi: 10.2224/sbp.2009.37.2.231

Isiklar A., Sar A. H. and Durmuscelebi M. An investigation of the relationship between high school students' problematic mobile phone use and their self-esteem levels. Education. 2013. Volume 134 issue 1. Pp. 9-14. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1032948

Klass P. teenagers and sexting- now what? The New York Times. 2018, march 12. Pp.1-3. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/well/family/teens-are-sexting-now-what.html

Turkle S. Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic books. New York. Pp. 1-370