With the advancement in computer science, the accessibility of teledevices and recreational digital services rockets. Some may worry about the use of it would impact face-to-face social interaction. I think that technology ties the bonds stronger by breaking physical barriers. I think the convenience in the ditigal services benefits social interaction and I would explain more below.
It is possible that the abusive use of internet by people with less self-control would further impede their social development. They are easily attracted by online games with skilled marketing tactics. Pragmatic skills are required to be practiced often to calibrate our own skills with the dynamic social norm. Some people being addicted to computer games would spend most of their time engaging in virtual world. Synthetic connections with imaginary “friends” significantly decrease in social interaction quality in the real world as they do not have adequate exposure to the actual dynamics of society.
However, I think using technology wisely brings people together. A wider coverage for teledevice breaks the physical barrier. I believe that we had hard times during the pandemic lockdown where physical gatherings were impossible. During the pandemic, some hospital staff did an angelic movement by making video calls to families of those patients at their last moments to say their last goodbye. Text messages and real-time video calls supported by 4G to 5G bandwidth technology create seamless and convenient communication at a low cost, which was unaffordable in the past with international dialing service. People treasure these moments connecting with their love ones even if they are in isolation or in different countries due to various reasons.
The technology itself would not cost a decline in interaction quality, but instead it is about people choosing how to utilise this invaluable tool. These is no absolute right or wrong in using a tool and I think technology being more accessible tightens the gaps between people.