The Impact of Technology on Human Relationship, Essay Example

Technology is the application of scientific skills and knowledge to accomplish different purposes. Technology has made life easier in the modern world by allowing human access to complex machinery that can help make work easier. The advancement of technology and its impacts on human relationships have created many debates and discussions worldwide. In one group, a team holds that technology has improved human relationships through social platforms and the Internet, enabling humans to share information easily. Conversely, a party claims that technology has caused more harm to human relationships, such as social isolation and moral decay. This paper seeks to explore how technology affects human relationships.

Technology has made more accessible access to different places of the world by improving the transport system. Through the invention of modern means of transport such as airplanes and electric trains, individuals can travel and explore different parts of the world within a short period (Wolfram et al., 1-23). For instance, electric trains replaced fuel trains which moved slower and caused environmental pollution. Electric trains travel at high speed, enabling individuals to save time and reach their destinations faster. Modern airplanes allow individuals to travel to different countries faster and accomplish their purposes instead of the old days when traveling to foreign countries overseas was a big challenge. When traveling to new places, technology provides navigation tools that enable individuals to find directions for their traveling. Technology, therefore, plays a crucial role in the transport sector.

Technology has enabled easier sharing of information and enhanced communication. The invention of smartphones has helped individuals to share information on Internet through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This makes it easier for people in different places worldwide to get information about other areas that are far away from them. Technology has also made communication more effective as people can talk to each other through phones from different geographical locations. Initially, radios and newspapers were the primary means of sharing news, but the invention of Television enables easy sharing of information worldwide. It is easier to know what is happening in another country when breaking news on Television. Additionally, it is easier to find news through smartphones with apps that share information. This has made a recognizable step in the communication industry as people can communicate and share news in different places within a short period.

Additionally, technology has enhanced learning and improved social interactions. Students can get learning materials and articles on the Internet and download helpful information for learning purposes (Ghavifekr et al., 175-191). Lecturers can offer a lecture through the Internet by connecting with students on zoom or other social platforms. Students can also complete and submit their assignments to their lecturers through the Internet. For instance, technology has made it easier for people to conduct online classes and improved online courses, providing easier access to quality education.

Finally, technology has improved social interaction among people in different places. Through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, individuals can meet and make friends at their comfort. Interacting with people in other areas can improve creativity among individuals by sharing ideas on social media platforms.

Conversely, as much technology has made life easier by enhancing communication, transportation, and ease of access to information, it has dramatically affected human relationships. Technology negatively affects human relationships, leading to social isolation, moral decay, time wastage, and distraction. The most affected category of individuals is youth as they are highly addicted to technological equipment.

Technology has significantly lead to isolation among individuals. Most individuals spend time in their homes or workplaces while interacting with their friends and relatives on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. People tend to believe that there is no need to meet physically as they can easily communicate through social media (Khosravi et al., 594-603). This spirit of social isolation significantly affects society as a whole since individuals cannot meet physically to share ideas; thus, this can lower creativity among individuals. Social isolation has many effects on individuals as it may lead to depressions and stress among individuals. Many families and relationships fail as partners spent most of their time on social media and fail to have time with their loved ones. The interaction of human to human is now replaced by human-machine interaction where individuals use most of their time on a machine than with fellow individuals. Parents now spent most of their time on technological devices than with their children. This character is passed on to their children, affecting the next generation as parent-child interaction will replace parent-machine interaction.

Technology has also led to moral decay among youths. Due to constant interaction with the Internet, many children get access to adult content on the Internet and download it to view in their free time (Swierstra & Tsjalling, 5-20). The young generation wastes most of their time on pornographic sites watching adult content and use less time to do constructive things in life. At the same time, others create groups where they share nude photos and adult content materials. Parents are most blamed for allowing their children to use phones and tablets for communication. Uncontrolled access to technological devices will make the next generation be significantly affected by moral decay in society.

Finally, technology leads to time wastage and distraction at the workplace. Individuals spend most of their time on technological devices such as tablets and computers accessing the information on the Internet (Beland et al., 61-76). They forget to do other essential activities that could be productive and instead concentrate mainly on their computers and tablets. For instance, students spent most of their time playing video games and computer games and spent less or no time on their education, leading to poor results in their studies. The use of technological devices also causes distraction at the workplace and during study time. Most employees are disrupted by their phones when they receive pop-up notifications and messages from their friends. This makes workers concentrate on their phones for a long time and use less time focusing on the work they intend to do, resulting in low productivity. Emails and messaging Apps are significant causes of distraction at the workplace; thus, managers should always advise their employees to turn off all notifications and receive only priority calls and messages that can help improve the firm’s productivity. Additionally, students are now heavily addicted to their phones and try to study; they try to use their phones simultaneously. Since phones are more addictive, they overweigh students’ ability to concentrate on studies instead of using their phones.

In conclusion, technology started a long time ago, and more advancements have been made to make it more complex and perform unique tasks to make life easier. The use of technology has positively impacted human relationships by enhancing communication, transport, and ease of access to information. Nonetheless, as technology has many benefits to human relationships, it has caused many problems to humankind, including social isolation, moral decay, distraction, and time wastage. Appropriate measures have to be implemented to ensure individuals make good use of technology to avoid other effects.

Works cited

Beland, Louis-Philippe, and Richard Murphy. “Ill communication: technology, distraction & student performance.” Labour Economics 41 (2016): 61-76.

Ghavifekr, Simin, and Wan Athirah Wan Rosdy. “Teaching and learning with technology: Effectiveness of ICT integration in schools.” International Journal of Research in Education and Science 1.2 (2015): 175-191.

Henrie, Curtis R., Lisa R. Halverson, and Charles R. Graham. “Measuring student engagement in technology-mediated learning: A review.” Computers & Education 90 (2015): 36-53.

Khosravi, Pouria, Azadeh Rezvani, and Anna Wiewiora. “The impact of technology on older adults’ social isolation.” Computers in Human Behavior 63 (2016): 594-603.

McDaniel, Brandon T., and Jenny S. Radesky. “Technoference: Parent distraction with technology and associations with child behavior problems.” Child development 89.1 (2018): 100-109.

Osseiran, Afif, Jose F. Monserrat, and Patrick Marsch, eds. 5G mobile and wireless communications technology. Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Swierstra, Tsjalling. “Identifying the normative challenges posed by technology’s ‘soft’impacts.” Etikk i praksis-Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics 1 (2015): 5-20.

Wolfram, Paul, and Nic Lutsey. “Electric vehicles: Literature review of technology costs and carbon emissions.” The International Council on Clean Transportation: Washington, DC, USA (2016): 1-23.