Relationships and technology: impacts and contemporary dynamics

Technology and Relationships

Technology has certainly changed everyone's life in the modern world. Specific kinds of technology have more impact than others in our day-to-day lives. Household time-saving devices such as vacuums that work when people aren't home are nice, but they do not have the presence of the computer and all its trappings. The computer once reserved only to the business and scientific world now appears in nearly every household and with it e-mail, instant messaging, and the internet, have become part of our lives in an intrinsic way.

I can no longer imagine the world without computers. All it takes is a blackout of more than an hour to remind me how often I turn to my computer for assistance. Computers perform so many functions in our lives. We can't purchase anything without them anymore. As a matter of fact, most stores, restaurants, gas stations simply have to close if their computers are down. It didn't take long for the world to become dependent on computers; hence, the great Y2K debacle of a few years ago. I had friends who really thought the world would shutdown and never re-start due to the technology problems. All that passed with a whimper and not a bang, but it does stand as a reminder of how much of our lives are connected to the computer.

Computers and what they can do for us have both positives and negative. I can find out information anytime of the day or night without ever getting out of my pajamas. If I want to know how warm it is in Beijing or how long to roast a Turkey, it will only take me a few minutes and a search engine. It is a great convenience for everyone. However, using the computer to find information sometimes shuts us off from other people. Information that we may have personally asked someone, we don't need to anymore.

The other blessing and curse of technology with relationships is the use of e-mail and im. It's true that I communicate with more people, more frequently because I send them short messages on the computer. However, several three line messages a week can't take the place of sitting down to dinner or coffee and really having a nice conversation. E-mail and im are convenient in this fast-paced world, but relationships deserve a little extra time. E-mail does not improve our ability to communicate; it simply gives us a faster and more convenient way of doing it (Talbott).

Another problem with e-mail is it can actually impact how we feel about ourselves and our importance in the world. I'm truly disappointed on days when I connect to my e-mail and don't have any messages from friends. I may know that Eddie Bauer is having a sale, but that isn't meaningful communication. Psychologically, when friends don't communicate, we feel a little down (Leonard 242). I suppose this isn't any different than not receiving a letter from someone, but we like the instant gratification now of an e-mail or im.