Computer and Its Impact on Common Human Communication, Essay Example

Personal Belief Paper

Technology has indeed brought the human society into new feats of innovation and development. Such conditions of advancement cannot be denied to have affected the major points of satisfaction that humans get out of life. However, not everything that technology gives specifically creates a positive outcome among humans. For instance, the concept of communication has changed largely during the onset of the world being introduced to the different aspects of technological gadgets that humans can carry wherever they may be.

One specific condition of development in technology that shall be given attention to herein is the utilization of social media among friends and family members even when living and existing within the same home. Communication is notably an aspect of human connection that is established through personal conversations. Revolutionizing the way the world sees and understands the concept of communication, technology has created a new portal by which people are able to connect to each other. Social networking, one of today’s most popular portals of communication, has become one of the most commonly used options of people when they tend to communicate with their friends and family members whatever their distance may be.

I have personally seen the degrading effect on how social media has created a gap between family members even when they are living in the same home. There are actually six of us living in a common domain. Back in the days, when we were still younger, my mother would make sure that we sit altogether in the dining table with every meal. There is no excuse that one can make, when seven o’clock strikes, everyone in the family is expected to be seated in the dining area. While eating, were are encouraged to talk about how we went about our days, how we handled particular problems that we may have been dealing with during the past few days. Sharing about our life stories made our dining activities lively. It was as if, it was the most favorite part of the day, by everyone who wishes to be part of the conversation. Those who may have problems could be easily pin pointed and the problems are then resolved immediately through private conversations with either of our parents after the meals are done.

I found it important that meals served a lot of time for all of us in the family to come together and discuss the most essential matters that concern us all. This especially includes issues that may be attacking us individually or as a family. There was one time when two of my siblings were having a ‘silent fight’. After our dinner, the fight was not a secret anymore. It resulted to an immediate family meeting with my father giving us a very important lesson about forgiveness and moving on. That particular memory about my family still remains stuck into my head, and I am sure in the memories of by siblings as well. It is through these specific moments that we are able to strengthen our family-bonds.

Another incident was when my mother and father were having particular marriage issues. There were at least three hours of silence in the house and everyone seemed to have felt the tension already. My parents, being friends, have a constant flow of communication. This is why it was easy enough to understand that they are going through some difficulties once they chose to be silent. Three hours after such condition, our youngest began to ask, “what’s wrong? I miss talking, can we do that?” It was as if a huge cube of ice was broken into pieces and everyone just started laughing. Up to this day, this vivid memory clings to me, reminding me to give high importance to the value of personal communication.

However, as we aged and our parents have gotten older, situations in the house also changed. And one aspect of connection that began to gradually weaken is that of the communication that we shared. Our house has an independent wireless router that is connected to the internet. Each of us, having our own gadgets such as laptops, phones and tablets, could easily connect to the internet whenever we want to wherever we may be in the house. Our youngest sibling is now 15 years old and he has his own social network account; actually, as I have figured through time, each of us has our own social network account and we are connected as a family through the internet. It might seem from this picture that the connection we have as family members have been strengthened instead of weakened by the existence of technology. However, the real picture is different from what is perceived even on photos that each of us post in our own accounts.

Back in the days, communication was easy to establish, conversations were easy to start especially when we are sharing our common interests among other family members in the house. However, all these matters changed. Having our own social accounts, we have been given the chance to explore what we actually want, to get involved and specifically attached to things and issues that mattered to us the most. This is of course a health y part of personal growth. However, there are instances when such growth intends to change the concept of attention that one has towards the others. There was one time when two of my sisters got into a heated argument because they were both putting their story in the table and making everyone seem to accept the explanation of one against the other. Apparently, they were running a poll online about a particular fashion concept of which they have different views of. Instead of getting into the conversation and engaging in the topic, most of us just let them argue with each other as we all have our own concerns in our minds.

If then, dinners and every other meal is a strengthening point of our family ties, now, everyone itches to finish their meal just to be able to reconnect to the internet and return conversing with each other’s friends. After meals, we stay in our own rooms and chat with our friends, sometimes with each other. When we are in front of the television, when everyone was supposed to watch, I find that most of us are stuck into staring at our gadgets having our own thing; seemingly, TV time does not even do the trick of putting our old connections back.

It was hard for me to take into account that all the things I enjoyed then is changing now. I do blame technology for putting up such a challenge to family members to connection with each other through personal communications. Nevertheless, I know that these changes are made evidently affective because of the existence of wrong human response to technological advancements. Instead of being hooked with such innovations [especially involving communication], humans can actually decide not to get too much involved in the situation and find a way to live a life that is balanced towards actual healthy communication with families and friends and healthy connection with others using the internet.

Innovation is necessary, it cannot be ceased just for the sake of returning matters to the way they used to be. Humans ought to be the ones who are in command. They ought to be the ones to handle the challenge in a manner that would best fit their needs, their considerations and their values as human beings. Families, like mine, that are separated by technology need to act upon the situation immediately. When conditions like these are set aside, they are bound to create gaps that are later on hard to deal with. Huge problems may arise if technology is given the chance to overthrow the most important connection that families have between each other, personal and sincere communication.

As for my family, we decided to take on the challenge and face the situation with a better course of managing the situation and managing our personal behavior towards technology and the role it plays in our family. Our parents primary took responsibility in becoming the first models to the process. My mother decided that there should be a technology-free day in each week when no one is supposed to touch a gadget for communication and internet surfing purposes unless there is an evident emergency that must be managed. During these days, we seat ourselves in the living room and play games as a family. This way, we are able to reestablish the foundation of communication that has once enveloped our family. In a way, facing the problem immediately came after accepting the fact that there was an impending issue we needed to address. For families today who are struggling to consider the value of technology in their lives and aiming to balance the way it affects them and their connection with their loved ones, it pays to think and eliminate unnecessary use of technology to retain the solidity of connection that humans share.

No, technology is not overall bad. It actually gives us a chance to connect with family members abroad, to keep in touch with friends that are far beyond our reach, to communicate with people who matter to us even when they may be living apart from us. However, when it comes to determining the role it plays in affecting our lives and that of our loved ones, we ought to be careful and balanced at all times. Technology has its own place in giving us better options in life, but the wrong use of it might break more than it could make us.