Social Technology Dependence

Another aspect of today's reliance on technology is in a social context. People are beginning to rely on technology much more to meet their social and communication needs. From sending e-mails and text messages to using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. More people are starting to depend on these as a main source of communication, and this has began to seriously impact the lives of people, especially the youth. There are several apparent causes to this technological social issue, and the effects that it has had on today's society are even greater. To start, this problem is very noticeable in today's society. Social technology and social media that are very commonplace today are the social networking sites such as Facebook, as well as sending text messages, using VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) such as Skype, and sending e-mail messages. It is very rare to go somewhere without seeing others talking on cell phones, burying their faces in phones while sending a message, or skimming their Facebook Newsfeed. As mentioned above, there are a few apparent causes that have led to the dependence on technology to meet social needs, and they are all related in one way or another. 

           The first cause is the quick advancement of technology of the time. There is rapid development of new tools and existing ones are incessantly being updated to enhance them further (Hogan and Quan-Haase). Along with our endless technological progress, technology is finding new uses every day, such as Internet networking (Lukes). With all the advances in technology, they are also becoming more available for everyday people to use, and these people are becoming more accustomed to the tech. According to Lukes, "For most individuals, the Internet is no longer the curious phenomenon it may have been in 1990." As time goes on, more advances are made, and these advances are made available to general public. People adapt, and make these advancements parts of their everyday lives, and then they have difficulty living without them. Social networking is becoming a "cultural norm" for many, and no longer only for "computer geeks." Cell phone capabilities are changing and becoming more advanced due to wireless communications, and therefore making a phone call has become much easier due to wireless devices. (Browne). The available technology has become a convenience for everyone, and this convenience leads to other causes of the problems to be discussed.

            Also, distance is another factor that contributes to this reliance on technology, which is affected by availability and convenience. With so many long distance relationships being established today, this technology is being used to maintain these relationships. This goes hand in hand with people's need or desire to stay connected with others, which can be considered another cause of the dependence. According to Browne, users of networking sites enjoy the ability to stay in touch with their family and friends. In an article, the director of global consumer marketing for Docker's feels she needs to constantly stay connected (China Daily). Students strong desires to keep in touch with others through technology can be seen in the fact that they compare not having such connections to going without their family or friends (Siew). Many today constantly feel they need to be connected, and even though distance causes separations, this can be overcome with the convenience of the technology that is available to us today.

Works Cited

Browne, Jack. "Of Technology and Social Need." Microwaves & RF 49.4 (2010): 17. ProQuest. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.

Hogan, Bernie, and Quan-Haase Anabel. "Persistence and Change in Social Media." Bulletin of Science, Technology, & Society (2010): 309-15. Web. 9 Mar 2011.

Lukes, Christine A. "Social Media." AAOHN Journal 58.10 (2010): 415. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.

Siew, Walden. "Students suffer withdrawal when they can't text or surf, study shows." The Gazette 26 April 2010. Web. 7 March 2011.
"Who's Boss, You or Your Gadget?." China Daily 27 February 2011: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011.

            <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-02/27/content_12083811.htm>.