Monday, February 6, 2017
The face behind the screen, do we consider it?
As social media was first developing, most of us in this class were in middle school or maybe high school. I know for me, Twitter was invented when I was in fifth grade and Instagram when I was in eighth grade. I noticed something about my classmates changing once these networks became more prominent in our lives: nobody was thinking about the person, just the social network. This always bothered me because you would have a girl post a picture of herself on Instagram, a boy call her fat in the comments, and the next day that girl would not be in school because she was ashamed to show her face because everyone saw that last night. However, the issues would always be taken to the principal and the boy behind the screen would always face detention or some sort of punishment. I find that having screens as a barrier between people makes it easier for them to be cruel and say things that they would not normally say face to face. This contributes to Professor Williams idea that empathy may be dying within us because of these devices. Children are now using chatrooms more than ever before and saying horrible things to people they hardly know. Part of growing as a person and learning right from wrong is saying something mean to someones face and realizing that it did not feel good and made them feel bad. As children are using more and more technology and not having conversations face to face, I am worried that empathy is going to be something that is lost in the future generations to come. I hope there is a way we can save it as a society before it is too late.
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I also believe that with each new generation arising, there will be ultimately less empathy, communication, and basic interactions between human and human.
ReplyDeleteAlthough technology was created as a means to reunite the world and to further connect people, it is unfortunately doing the opposite. I agree with Diana's reference to the younger generation, and how their lives are consumed with technology. One of the most essential traits a human possess is empathy, the ability to share someone else's feelings. It allows each individual to love, learn, and communicate. Due to technology, this trait is being compromised- I have a younger brother that is 9 years old, he is in fourth grade, and most of his classmates own an iPad, laptop, and some even have an iPhone. His computer and school assignments are done on the computer..When I was his age, I barley knew how to even work a computer let alone complete projects and homework assignments online. Because of this, his communication/learning skills may be impaired when it comes to face to face interaction. I worry for the younger children and their futures- will they be able to adapt to a whole new setting? Make new friends? Share their thoughts or opinions with ease?
I agree with your post. The technology is getting really bad as far as teenagers go, or even preteens. It is quite sad in a way but today every teenager that you come across has the latest iPhone, or at least an iPhone. When I was in middle school, most kids if they even had a phone was a flip phone or the kind with a sliding keyboard. Few kids had iPhones if they were lucky. This could be why cyber bullying is mainly problematic with middle schoolers, because they are all getting their first phones and do not know how to use them responsibly, which is why middle schoolers do not really need a phone in the first place. If middle schoolers did not have phones cyber bullying would never happen.
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