Technology And Sociality

At one point in your life, you’ve probably heard someone--likely an older person--bemoan how terrible it is that people these days elevate technology over human relationships.  The ironic thing is that technology, of course, has made people more connected with a larger number of other people than ever before.  It can facilitate communication, preserve closeness, and amplify the reach of our social desires in ways that nothing else can.

I have always found it odd that those who complain about how technology “ruined” or “displaced” relationships don’t acknowledge this.  What the hell do many people use devices like cell phones for?  For calling or texting, activities which involve other people.  Just because someone uses a phone frequently does not mean that he or she is not interacting with people or is antisocial.  In some instances, technology-based communication might be the only way that people can stay in each other’s lives, and thus it can be at the center of how they relate and remain close.

Perhaps some people do neglect key social relationships because of technology.  I have seen almost no legitimate cases of this, though I have seen technology solidify or lead to the deepening of a large number of relationships, some of them my own.  Technology allows for unprecedented connectedness, so the idea that it is intrinsically opposed to the flourishing of human relationships can only be bullshit!

There are likely many who, like myself, prefer to interact with friends in person.  But this preference does not change the fact that geography and busyness can make furthering relationships through technology much simpler, more effective, and easier than the alternative.  In fact, technology can prevent some relationships from fading away that would otherwise fall apart due to factors like distance, so technology can actually be the savior of relationships.  When someone starts complaining about all the ways technology has allegedly destroyed our ability to relate to one another, they are either ignorant of these facts or know them and yet ignore them anyway.