New technology replaces social interaction
Elizabeth Knapp
Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: Opinion
For humans, social interaction is vital to mental and physical health. It has even been proven that people maintaining healthy relationships live a longer life. With the introduction of new technologies, communication between humans has been transformed, and often eliminated. Although the positive outcomes of such technologies are endless, it is becoming more and more common for people to use a simulated means of socializing, ultimately replacing a part of human behavior that is crucial in order to function in society.
This type of simulated social interaction starts at a young age. Spending a large part of my summer babysitting children of all different ages, I was introduced to many new forms of entertainment - from Webkinz, a stuffed animal with computer capabilities, allowing children to take care of their pet virtually; to World of Warcraft, a multiplayer online role-playing game with somewhat of a cult following. Furthermore, the shows on TV now, though they claim to be "interactive programs", are textbook examples of overstimulation, and I was rarely able to get anyone's attention while they were mesmerized by such shows. After sitting down myself, I found it extremely difficult to look away from the outright absurdity of Yo Gabba Gabba!, a trippy series that features a mixture of live-action segments with elaborately costumed characters including a cyclops, dragon, and robot. If I could ever get these video-addled kids to push pause and play outside, it was as foreign to them as their games were to me.
A friend of mine, who has been a second grade teacher for over twenty years, is shocked to see her students not knowing what to do when it comes time for recess. What does the future hold for children so accustomed to having relationships with computers instead of people? This type of behavior continues throughout adolescence, into teenage years. AIM not only encourages the butchering of the English language, but also causes people to have aversions to many other forms of communications, such as the telephone, which my 15-year old brother refuses to use. And what is the incentive for going out and making friends when you already possess the idea of hundreds of them on Myspace or Facebook?
This type of simulated social interaction starts at a young age. Spending a large part of my summer babysitting children of all different ages, I was introduced to many new forms of entertainment - from Webkinz, a stuffed animal with computer capabilities, allowing children to take care of their pet virtually; to World of Warcraft, a multiplayer online role-playing game with somewhat of a cult following. Furthermore, the shows on TV now, though they claim to be "interactive programs", are textbook examples of overstimulation, and I was rarely able to get anyone's attention while they were mesmerized by such shows. After sitting down myself, I found it extremely difficult to look away from the outright absurdity of Yo Gabba Gabba!, a trippy series that features a mixture of live-action segments with elaborately costumed characters including a cyclops, dragon, and robot. If I could ever get these video-addled kids to push pause and play outside, it was as foreign to them as their games were to me.
A friend of mine, who has been a second grade teacher for over twenty years, is shocked to see her students not knowing what to do when it comes time for recess. What does the future hold for children so accustomed to having relationships with computers instead of people? This type of behavior continues throughout adolescence, into teenage years. AIM not only encourages the butchering of the English language, but also causes people to have aversions to many other forms of communications, such as the telephone, which my 15-year old brother refuses to use. And what is the incentive for going out and making friends when you already possess the idea of hundreds of them on Myspace or Facebook?
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