technology and relationships

technology and relationships

Discuss the ways in which particular technologies and web sites have the potential to damage our interpersonal relationships, including those with our significant others.   Consider the ideas presented in the various articles, and feel free to use personal examples if you wish; however, it is not my goal to have you disclose personal information that would make you uncomfortable in doing so.

Certain technologies influence interpersonal relationships in all sorts of ways. They have the potential to effect our relationships in positive ways by bringing friends, family and significant others closer in ways that they normally wouldn’t be able to. They also have the potential to damage our relationships. Websites, text messaging and other means of non verbal communication can lead to diminishing face to face, or voice contact, and can harm a relationship.
Many different types of communication resources hurt our day to day relationships like the ones with our friends. For example, college students rely on Myspace and Facebook to keep in touch with old friends and get into contact with current ones. It minimizes the verbal and face to face contact and has us relying solely on a website to be in contact with people in our lives.
Websites like the ones previously stated also can harm our relationships by the communication process itself. People can see comments left by others and pictures posted and can make assumptions. For example, in my own personal experiences, I had been dating someone long distance who would check my Facebook and Myspace regularly to check up on me and see my pictures while I was away. Comments left by my friends and pictures that had been posted got him to make assumptions and he drew his own conclusions without knowing the truth. He felt the sites were proof enough and didn’t feel the need to call me and talk about what he was thinking. These all lead to trust issues which ultimately lead to the end of our relationship.
Another way...