Convergence of social media and digital technology and “real life”

One of the main things that has killed sociability in society is the smartphone. Different materials have evolved and invaded the aspect of socialization throughout history. One of the first things to contribute to this issue was the newspaper. Later, it was shown that Walkman was linked to less communal interaction (De Castella, 2011). A mobile phone, though, comes the closest. The ability of humans to interact with one another has been severely hampered by just one item.

The impact of cellphones on people’s lives was covered in a program from the PBS NewsHour. It can be identified that a phone although it is a single object, it contains various applications that can take the attention of a person. Social media is the biggest culprit when it comes to taking the most time out of people’s daily lives. The implication of these technologies has caused people to have fewer friends unlike in previous decades where people could interact at school, church, playgrounds and other social gatherings. The companies that develop these technologies are worsening the situation by providing products that can maximize the time of the user.

It is evident that the companies are carrying out massive marketing schemes to make the people love these products. The segment shows how twitter for example delays the notification so that it can maximize the users time. The anticipation of waiting for the notification is the sole reason why people keep checking their notifications from time to time even during meetings. Each year, better smartphones are produced ensuring that the people keep being interested as exemplified by the competition between Apple and Samsung. As such, people keep drifting away from each other. Virtual friends are increasing at the expense of real friends.

Sherry Turkle during her Ted talk discussed further about the impact of smartphones in peoples life. Many people prefer nowadays to have a virtual friend or rater a person that they can chat online rather than those individuals that are present there. As such, people are always engrossed on their phones rather than interacting with family members to strengthen their bond. It is common to find many people at one place but each individual is immersed in the content that the phone holds. It has reached a point where socially, people have become zombies. The content in the phones is important than what happens in the outside world. It only gets worse when age is factored in. Many young people are engrossed in this practice which is hindering their social circle.

The number of people that are riveted by this culture is worrying. It is probable that in the future, many people will have a social circle of less than two people. If the trend continues, it is highly likely that there will be many introverts. The effects of being fascinated by the contents of the phones are already being witnessed through increased number of cyber bullying. Obesity to some extent can be attributed to lack of activities through being always on the phone or computers. People need to start socializing or rather interact with their peers. This is the best way which the community can understand each other. People are losing touch with humanity. Technology is taking the souls of many people. As such, a person should keep the least content in his or her phone maintaining only the essential apps that can take the minimum time possible.

Work cited

De Castella, T. (2011). Has the iPod made us anti-social. BBC News Magazine, 27.