Technology & Socialization: A Complex Interplay Paper Example

Introduction

The role of technology in socialization cannot be quantified; however, unlike the other agents of socialization, the effect of technology on socialization id dependent on other issues. The role of technology on socialization is dependent on the interplay of context, content, education, family, and cultural background. In this digital era, technology in different forms permeates all spheres of life and age. Children are not left behind; the primary type of technology through the predominant form of media affects children. Some of the most dominant forms of technology exposed to children comprise of cinema, radio, computer, television, internet, and mobile communication. Having identified that the role of technology cannot be quantified; it is only fair to determine through an essay; the detrimental effects technology has on children's social development. This research further analyzes how excessive internet, social media interaction, and mobile phones limit children's socialization ability. Secondly, the text examines the negative impact that television creates on children. Lastly, the research seeks to provide sufficient proof that excessive consumption of computers and other forms of visual media limit the ability of children within the contemporary age from proper socialization.

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Effects of Excessive of the Internet, Social Media Texting, and the Use of Mobile Phones to Children

The impact of technology on socialization depends on the individual's motivation to use the specific form of technology. Gratification approach of socialization identifies that the use of technology among children there is something they are trying to look for, which helps them escape reality. The Gratification approach of socialization identifies that children choose technologies for a variety of measures. The most common gratification children get from technology include; cognitive gratification, affective gratification, and social motivation. Cognitive satisfaction is when a child chooses technology so that they learn the world around them. Emotional pleasure is when children want technology to have a good and proper mood than what the environment presents. Lastly, social gratification is when children seek technology to get an anti-social interaction. Despite all this kind of satisfaction that children find from the media, technological forms like the internet create the following detrimental effects in their ability to socialize.

In a study conducted in America, there was a revelation that children are exposed to the internet, social media, and smartphones at the average age of nine. Such early exposure to the internet affects children's social development in the following ways. The use of excessive internet affects children's social development through impacting social growth. Studies have shown that interaction through the internet leads to limited attention span on children who are developing. One of the reviews conducted a survey relating one concentration condition, and how the internet causes it. The study analyzed how autism and ADHD, which are attention span conditions in children, are caused by excessive exposure to the internet at an age below 11 years (Wilmer et al., 2017). Once the child develops attention disorder due to the internet, it will affect their social skills, their social growth, and their social development. Children with attention span deficits cannot socialize as expected of healthy children since they are easily distracted, and less likely to focus on one thing for long periods. As explained above, the first detrimental effect of the internet as a form of technology to children's social development is that it interferes with the child's attention, limiting their ability to socialize and interact. Secondly, the internet exposes children to attention disorders. Once a child is exposed to attention disorder, getting them to communicate and socialize with their peers requires a lot of effort, which is detrimental.

Excessive exposure to the internet by taking a lot of time on social media pages has a lot of effect on children's mental outlook, affecting their ability to socialize. The privacy and safety of children are not safe on social media pages. Social media pages expose the child to online bullies, sexual harassment, and explicit conversation (Gottschalk, 2019). These mentioned aspects of the internet have a lasting impact on a child's social development. Children on the internet and social media pages do not interact with their peers. The internet exposes then to anyone. The child's interaction on the internet or a social media page with a bully makes them think that everyone within their environment is bullies. Children exposed to bullying on the social media pages at the age of below 11 years become hesitant to practice conversations and social skills in real life. When children continuously get bullied, they are likely to find solace in being lonely. Such children become hesitant to interact with their peers in a free social environment, which creates a negative long-term social effect where children compromise their socialization ability (Gottschalk, 2019). To deal with bullies' online children should be exposed to sufficient social settings. At the same time, they are young enough to gain adequate maturity to handle conversational bullies, harassers, and other negativities that occur on social media pages.

Spending time on the phone creates a lot of effect on social growth and development of children. It is essential to realize that communicating through social media texts limits many aspects of social communication. Children stay a lot on their phones and use it to communicate through messages limiting face-to-face communication. One of the essential elements of socialization is the nonverbal aspects of communication. Talking face to face helps children understand the non-verbal aspects of communication. The importance of non-verbal forms of communication on socialization is that it helps children learn the social-emotional parts of communication. Through face-to-face conversations, there is the ability to learn body language and identify emotions expressed by the speaker, which is impossible when communicating or socializing through phones. Using mobile phones, a lot of the time to talk, and socialize limit adequate socialization and interaction by 93% in young children below the age of 11 (Khanna, 2016). The use of mobile phones to communicate does not convey the total palette of socialization through intonations, and the required facial expressions. As explained above, the excessive use of cell phones through texting creates detrimental effects on children's social development in two ways. First, socialization is affected by cell phones by decreasing the quality of communication, which is a pillar of social development and growth. Secondly, the excessive use of phones to communicate creates detrimental effects on socialization among children and the youth through decreasing the empathic aspect of socialization that people are supposed to feel towards each other when talking.

The Negative Impact of Television on Children's Social Development

The second thesis of this research analyzes that television, a form of technology that is now more than a century old, contributes to the adverse effects of technology on children's social growth and development. First, just like the internet and social media platforms, television creates a bad influence on kids. Watching TV from a young age limits children's brain development, exposing their brains to attention deficit disorders like autism and ADHD (Attention Hyperactivity Disorder). The American Academy of Pediatrician recommends that children should be exposed to many viewings of the television when they are above two years to save them from attention deficit conditions. Attention deficit conditions caused by viewing too much TV affect social growth and development of children. Children with attention disorders cannot easily socialize with their peers as it has effects on them. Socializing in a school environment makes such children uncomfortable, limiting their abilities in doing a lot of things correctly (Khanna, 2016). For healthy brain development capable of handling social growth, and development, it is only fair to keep children out of excessive exposure to television.

Besides limiting brain development, excessive exposure of children to the television leads to lousy influence and lack of social growth and development because of risky programs, and commercials. Television commercials and advertisements create a fallacy in children's minds that limit their social and interaction skills. A perfect example is liquor advertisements that expose children to aggressive behavior.

Product placement on television does practices like smoking and drinking active and adorable to children. Children exposed to alcohol and smoking notice are likely to develop aggressive behavior when interacting with their peers. Aggressive behavior and other anti-social behavior acquired through excessive exposure to Television limit the possibility of social growth and development among children frequently exposed to a lot of TV viewership. There is a lot of mass violence shown through television like never before making more children aggressive while undermining their abilities to interact with peers. A study conducted by NCBI showed that children exposed to television programs and advertisements were more energetic and less socially interactive when exposed to a school environment (Hertzman, 2013). The control group of the same study showed that children exposed to no Tv or tiny television program easily interacted, and adapted to the new school environment by quickly making, and meeting new friends (Hertzman, 2013).

Conclusion

Besides aggressive behavior from advertisements that limit social growth and development in children, Television programs create cultural stereotypes that restrict children from socializing with particular groups of people based on their race, gender, and sexuality. Ads have this interest in making women look like they are sexual tools. Children exposed to semi-nude pictures of women on television develop stereotypical beliefs in regards to women. When children develop such toxic feelings on women, most males will develop anti-social behavior towards women. In contrast, those of the children who are female begin having self-esteem issues, which again affect their rates of social interaction. Children with self-esteem issues rarely socialize and find solace in being lonely. Such children are assumed to have been limited in their social growth and development. Besides gender stereotypes, television advertisements create racial stereotypes in children's minds, which act as a recipe for limited social growth and development. A detergent advertisement was aired on televisions in China, which exposed gender stereotypes so much. The ad showed a Chinese girl dipping his black boyfriend in a washing machine before mixing it with the detergent. A few minutes later, she removes a Chinese White boyfriend from the watching machine to indicate the soap's capabilities. Children exposed to such kind of advertisements will look downwards towards people of color. This kind of publication is many on televisions, and they create racial stereotypes among children limiting socialization and interaction among children from difficult cultures. These cultural, gender, and political stereotypes developed on TV create not only educational gaps, but also social differences in our society, limiting social growth, and development of children.