Nowadays, technological progress has taken over most aspects of our lives. One thing is for sure: a future without technology and social media is now unimaginable, however people’s opinions on this development are in conflict. Many people believe, that technology has made us closer than ever, others- that is has put a major distance between us. I believe, that while both opinions are partly true, technology has made human contact easier than ever.
On the one hand, people have begun to spend a vast part of their free time online. As a result, they sometimes forget how to live in the reality and how to communicate with each other face to face. Children are given smartphones way too early, which prevents them from developing essential social skills. As a result, they turn out to be cold and distant adults, who cannot form and maintain healthy relationships. Moreover, people have forgot how to entertain themselves without the help of technology. The moment a conversation becomes slightly boring, people grab their smartphones and plunge back to the virtual reality. This has resulted in the lack of abilities such as active listening, empathy, low attention span and a deep understanding of the conversation’s topic.
On the other hand, this trend has not affected everyone. There is still a large amount of people, who have not forgotten to live in the real world and interact successfully with friends and family. In addition, technology has given us the opportunity to communicate with people worldwide. Distance is no longer an impossible obstacle for relationships- video chat and texting can preserve the connection between people, who live far from each other. The busy and stressful everyday life normally leads to people drifting apart because of the lack of time to invest in their relationship. However, technological progress allows people to keep each other informed about their lives, when live contact is not possible. Technology should not be blamed for people’s inability to keep and nurture their relationships- this is nowadays easier than it has ever been. Instead, they should reflect on the reasons for the distance between them and their loved ones, communicate them and find a suitable solution.
In conclusion, technology can make people forget how to communicate in the reality to some extent, but should not be held fully responsible for the downward trend, that is being witnessed. People’s relationships are their responsibility and they can always make them work, when compromises, communication and empathy are present.