Does Technology Isolate People

Does technology Isolate people? It is a simple question but if you look deep enough you will see how deep and complex this one four-word sentence is. I will be showing the many reasons why technology, specifically social media and videogames, have brought people together more than ever before.

For example, the University of Florida surveyed 339 students about the intensity of their smartphone use and online social networking. They found that, on average, participants reported spending about 100-200 minutes per day using the Internet and about 30-90 minutes using social networks. Then the students answered questions about four dimensions of social capital:

Trust, measured with questions like, “Generally speaking, is there someone I can turn to for advice about making very important decisions.” Organizational participation measured simply by their number of group memberships. Political participation measured by how often they watched political debates or participated in demonstrations. Network resources, measured by the people of people they know who could provide different resources, such as a holiday home abroad or access to professional journals.

The results? Across the board, heavy smartphone use was positively associated with all four measures of social capital. So, it seems that all those people who are glued to their phones are not necessarily more socially isolated.

Videogames are different from social media because in videogames much of the time teams are working together, but I would be foolish to ignore that some people will be do what’s called “cyberbullying” and that has led to many users taking their own life, but video games can also be an amazing tool for people who may be ignored because of their looks to really connect with people because in games they can’t see your face most of the time.

And lastly technology has allowed companies to transport data over thousands of miles which has allowed companies to expand exponentially and even allow for online schooling. In short technology is like a medicine. Too much or the wrong kind will ruin you but using it correctly and in safe amounts can make people’s lives better.