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HUMAN RELATIONS DECLINED DUE TO THE

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Communication technology is any method of communicating an idea to other

people which uses a modern invention. The uses of communication technologies are

many, such as computer, internet, PDA and telephone. As a means of communications,

there is virtually nothing to match it. For example, the internet provides instant access to

an unrivaled source of facts and opinion. These resources can originate in any part of the

world. E-mail, another form of modern communication technology, Along with its

instantaneous nature, e-mail has the important benefit of easy and efficient archiving.

The various instant messaging services, e.g. AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), provide

user-friendly instant written conversations. The video phone is yet another innovation. It

allows one to see and hear the person they are talking to.

Being provided with all of these communication technologies, we are not only

better informed of current events all over the world but we are also exposed to a

multitude of different cultures and ways of life. The impact of this improved

communication technologies on our live are great indeed. It provides us with much

knowledge. However, when the user chooses to depend on it for more than it can offer

and used it carelessly, it becomes a negative force in our society. Human relations can be

declined and threatened by these so called communication technologies.


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CAUSE 1-THE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

The communication technology revolution is upon us. In recent years, there have

been many triumphs in technology. Now more than ever, people are able to communicate

over thousands of miles with the greatest ease. Wireless communication technologies

such as development of cell phone, satellite technologies and multimedia advancement

developed in the late 80s, is much to thank for the ease of communication. The

emergence of the Internet in the 1990s has forever changed the way people interact with

one another. While Communication technology might be good for large scale

communication based in broad community, it falls short in providing for intimate,

personal communication.

E-mail has several shortcomings which prevent it from being an effective form of

personal communication. For example, when I write an e-mail to my mother, all I can

tell her is what I am doing and what I think about it. The personal touches I could put in

a letter, such as my handwriting or drawings of some sort, cannot be included in e-mail.

There are also stigmas attached to e-mail which put a gap between the sender and

receiver. For example, a letter shows much more effort than an e-mail. An e-mail takes

about 1/5 as much time as a letter, doesnt require a stamp, etc. Also, e-mails are by their

nature cold and show less emotion than a more traditional letter. If one receives a letter

informing them they were denied a job position or acceptance in particular school , this

will be received better than an e-mail saying the same thing.

AIM, chat room etc. is not only bad at personal communication, but it can be an

impediment to it as well. Consider the phenomena of AIM or internet dating. It is

becoming more common for two people who have never met in person before to have a


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personal relationship with each other. I use the word personal with reservations

because AIM or internet chatting only transfers one aspect of the person across the

internet. Among all the nuances that make up the people we love, only one of these is the

actual words they say.

A full personal relationship can never be realized through this type of

communication. The presence of this communication option can get into the way of true

personal communication because some people choose it as an alternative to talking to

someone in person. Those who engage excessively in AIM and the chat room

conversation are hiding behind a monitor and a keyboard. This makes AIM a very

negative form of communication technology. Also consider the far too common situation

of deceit about age, marital status, and even sex with other AIM or chat room users. This

potential for AIM to be used for deceit is negative twofold. First, it is allowing the user

to hide himself and does not provide a very good source of communication for the one

being lied too. Second, it puts a seed of mistrust in the users of the technology which

extends into every form of communication technology. It is in their facelessness that the

communication technologies can become detriment.

CAUSE 2-HUMAN INTERACTION

New communication technologies are increasingly being used in family and social

contexts to support and extend relationships. Communication with strangers involves

relatively greater degrees of uncertainty thus people may feel higher levels of anxiety

(www.colorado.edu). This may explain the growing number of people who are choosing

to interact with strangers via Internet chat rooms. In this situation there is no face-to-face

contact, so people do not have to worry about how they are perceived if they were to


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make a mistake. Anxiety is reduced, making this interaction between strangers easier.

Another important area that has seen changes in the 1990s is the structure and role of the

family. In today's environment the traditional family as it was known in the past is no

longer the norm.

Family members are busy, schedules are hectic and quality family interaction is

consequently diminished. Parents are too busy with their daily routine and as a way to

compensate the limited time they are spending with their children, they end up letting the

children do as they please. Another common trend of working parents is providing the

children with the latest hand phone, computer etc. By providing the children with these,

parents thought that they have protected their children from bad influences coming from

outside. What parents do not realize is the danger of negative influences coming from the

unsupervised activity done just by sitting in front of the PC and by using other method of

latest communication technology.

People believe that they are not cared about, and consequently are less likely to

care about others. Not only is this affecting interaction between strangers, but also

interaction with those that we consider friends. Friendships are becoming more

superficial, due to a variety of reasons. People change jobs more often and families move

away, leading to shorter lengths of relationships and an inability to develop deep

friendships. People find themselves with many acquaintances and fewer true friends. On

the other hand, the increase in violence in seemingly all venues of our society, along with

the decrease in family values and communication, are clearly problems that need to be

addressed


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EFFECT 1

The effects of this of these Communication technologies are endless. Some people

are enjoying the liberty of going about their daily lives with total reliance on the internet.

The list of services stretches from e-shopping to e-learning and even e-treatment. Our

lives, our media, our entertainment and our education are now dependent or are about to

establish dependence on technology.

The power of internet is spreading at a non-stop rate. It is expanding the scope of

human achievements and aspirations. It is equally bringing about worries and concerns.

The lack of information-ready society is worrying. Human bonds are threatened as we

grow dependent on e-dealings. Some people have even seen a danger in the internet

especially in more conservative society. They have seen a social and ethical threat to

human values. Some have gone to the extent of considering the internet as a threat to

religious values as it offers a limitless ocean of information, a library so open, so diverse

that the thought of it become incomprehensible for some. This library has the advantages

of no space restrictions, it never closes, and it contains information that can be accessed

at the click of a mouse button from the comfort of one's own home, school and

workplace.

EFFECT 2

Interfamily relations within mainly the developing world are being affected. Most

parents seem to view the information age and its technologies as a tool for younger

generations to use. Their fear of lacking the intellectual capabilities to learn how to use

computers marginalizes them. It even brings about a children/youth supremacy given the

level of information technology knowledge those youth have. This supremacy in some


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cases, is affecting the fabrics of interfamily relationships. It is widening family divides

and increasing localized and domestic digital gaps. It is affecting family bonds and

bringing about a new cultural rift.

Furthermore, a complete dependence on computers would have a devastating

impact on literacy. Many people cannot afford a personal computer or the accessories

required to have access to the Internet and e-mail. If traditional means of information

dissipations are to end where can these people turn in order to educate themselves and

improve their lives? People who have no way of gaining access to computers may never

have the opportunity to experience the joy of reading, and thus illiteracy would spread

alarmingly. We therefore have to constantly keep in mind that although computers are

making information more accessible to certain segments of the population, they may

deny information to people who cannot afford to plug in to the information

superhighway. Technology-humans harmony and co-existence should be brought about.

Take the case of e-mail information exchange. This tool is becoming a primary

means of communication between people. E-mail has enabled us to communicate

instantaneously with anyone anywhere in the world. However, while e-mail can be a vital

link between friends, families, and co-workers, it should not replace written

correspondence. The death of the handwritten letter, which could easily be brought about

by a complete reliance on e-mail, would have serious effects on our society. This, too,

would create a decrease in literacy, and it may also cause a decline in the human link

between people. Imagine a world without handwritten words, where would the human

touch be? What would happen once servers are for some reason, brought to a halt? Can

we comprehend data loss if no back up measures were taken?


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SOLUTION / RECOMMENDATION 1

Recent technological advances have made it much easier for people to

communicate with one another. These technological advances has enable us to

communicate with anybody around the world without having to leave the comfort of our

chair, house, office etc. Everything are being controlled by our fingertips. The open sky

policy of the internet, aside from positive impact it also brought many negative impact in

human life.

Therefore it has become our responsibility to make sure that this technology

revolution are use for humans benefit rather than being use to bring down other people

or organization. The issues regarding the communication technology revolution should be

dealt on a personal level where each individual doing his/her part for the greater good of

society. E-mail will never be able to replace human personal communication, it is not

going to do a good job and we will suffer as beings which rely on intimate personal

communication. If technology is used to enable true personal communication, then it is

doing a great service to human beings.

One must note that, if used correctly, e-mail, AIM and other communication tools

can actually be a positive force for personal communication. A better way to use e-mail,

AIM and other communication tools is to set up personal interactions using its

convenience. For example, if I leave a message for someone else to meet me for dinner,

they can check it and we can discuss the best time to meet. This concept applies to all

communication technology.


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SOLUTION/RECOMMENDATION 2

Human interaction happen in various ways such as business contact where

interaction happen through buying, promoting and other business activity, personal

interest where interaction happen when a few or a group of people share the same

hobbies, goes to the same school, work in the same organization etc and interaction in a

relationship happen between friends, families etc.

Unfortunately, interactions between one another are becoming lesser each day as

a result of the communication technology advancement. In order to prevent it from

becoming worse, we should start from ourselves. Instead of waiting for our relatives or

friends to visit us, we should take the initiative to visit them and hopefully by doing so,

they will change their lifestyle and start doing the same.

Prevention is better then curing. We should monitor our childrens activity and

we shouldnt let them do simply as they please. Children are easily influenced by what

they see and hear. We should encourage them to have a normal traditional relationship,

which is visiting relatives and friends. They should be shown that apart from the activity

that they did with the computers, the world outside is much more interesting and theres a

lot of fun activities which can be done together with families and friends.

Communication between employer, employee and colleagues made base on face

to face interaction should be increased. They should not rely immensely on technology.

They should make an effort to physically go and talk to them rather than simply send an

e-mails or making phone calls. Human relations within the workplace will be improved

and thus will make people friendlier towards others who are different and helped them to

develop and improve the way they interact with co-workers.


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CONCLUSION

The obvious conclusion from all this discussion that communication technology

is both good and bad, having shortcomings and advantages unique to each type. But

there is a deeper conclusion to be found amongst this discussion. The use of

communication technology, or any technology for that matter, depends completely upon

the person using it. Whether a type of communication technology is beneficial or

harmful to a human being depends completely upon the way we approach its use. The

same technology has two different natures, one positive and unifying, and one bad and

isolating. AIM can be used to keep in contact with an old friend, or to organize a social

gathering. But when the user chooses to depend on it for more than it can offer, it

becomes a negative force in our society.

Samuel C. Florman states in his book The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

that technology provides new alternatives to society, and society then chooses which

new path to follow. But even this misses the point, which is that a basic human impulse

precedes and underlies each technological development (Florman 61). The

communication technologies are not evil things which are harming our nature. They are

simply tools which we then decide how to use, whether to augment or detract from our

humanity is up to us.

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