Does technology harm

our relationships?!

By: Youssef moataz

Socially yes technology harm our relationships

Much has been written about the dangers of

Internet addiction. But mostly people don’t talk about
what technology is doing to our relationships. The
Internet is clearly the television of the 21st century;
technology is an electronic drug that often yanks us
away from the physical world. Like any addiction, the
real cost, for those of us who are truly addicted, is to
the number and quality of our relationships with
others. We may enjoy online relationships using
social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, for
example, but the difference between these kinds of
interactions and interactions with people in the
physical world is clearly vast. As long as we expect
no more from these online relationships than they
can give, no good reason exists why we can't enjoy
the power of social media sites to connect us
efficiently to people we'd otherwise not touch. The
problem, however, comes when we find ourselves
subtly substituting electronic relationships for
physical ones or mistaking our electronic
relationships for physical ones. We may feel we're
connecting effectively with others via the Internet,
but too much electronic-relating paradoxically
engenders a sense of social isolation.

Making our meaning clear electronically presents

extra challenges. For example even our laughter is
described by words like "LOL" and "LMOA" .But in
my opinion they’re no real substitute
for hearing people laugh, which has real power to lift
our spirits when we're feeling low.

I've also observed people using electronic media to

make confrontation easier and have seen more than
one relationship falter as a result. People are often
uncomfortable with face-to-face confrontation, so it's
easy to understand why they'd choose to use the
Internet. Precisely because electronic media
transmit emotion so poorly compared to in-person
interaction, many view it as the perfect way to send
difficult messages: it blocks us from registering the
negative emotional responses such messages
engender, which provides us the illusion we're not
really doing harm. Unfortunately, this also usually
means we don't transmit these messages with as
much empathy, and often find ourselves sending a
different message than we intended and breeding
more confusion than we realize.
A 2014 Pew Research Center poll indicated that one in four cell phone owners
in a relationship or marriage found their partner too distracted by their cell
phone. Nearly 1 in 10 had argued with a partner about excessive time spent on
the devices. The poll noted that many arguments between couples may have
something to do with tech use, such as deciding when to use devices and
when to abstain. They also found that younger users were more likely to
report both increased  tension and enhanced closeness in their relationships
as a result of technology.
DEPRESSION

Heavy use of social media has also been shown to

negatively affect mental health. A recent study
from the University Of Pittsburgh School Of
Medicine examined depression rates in younger
s depression among those spending the most time
engaged in social media.
Looking specifically at only personal social media
activity, they concluded that heavy use was
significantly associated with increased depression
and highlighted the importance of identifying
interventions for heavy social media users before
they experience any mental health issues .
The report also notes that multiple studies have
linked social media use with declines in mood,
sense of well-being, and life satisfaction. These
declines could be related to FOMO, or the fear of
missing out, which studies have shown is often
exacerbated by social media and technology use.
Does technology affected economic
relationships?

Technology has deeply affected the global economy

and its usage has been linked to marketplace
transformation, improved living standards and more
robust international trade. So, if technology has
virtually revolutionized every industry in the current
global economy.

Technological advances have significantly improved

operations and lowered the cost of doing business.
Currently, as an example, just a few technicians
controlling robotic systems can operate an entire
manufacturing plant, and innovative inventory systems
are capable of supplying needed parts within a short
time for assembly. Advancements in the computer
industry, coupled with advancements in
telecommunications, have increased job opportunities
and strengthened economic growth.
Technology has impact on the economy like in the
market is very significant, infusing even the
measurement of the market economy. Some of the
largest indexes known in the market, such as the Dow
Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500, have
changed. Tech powerhouses like Apple, Google, and
Amazon, whose stocks are valued much higher than
those of many long-time industrial members, are
replacing large industrial super companies. Apple, with
its high market capitalization, accounts for such a large
share of the DJIA, for example, that any hiccup in its
quarterly earnings can move the entire index, situation
that was once done by other large corporations such as
GM and Caterpillar.

Thank you for reading