Friends And Technology – The Good And Bad
Friends and technology – the good and bad!
There is no denying that technology has shaped our lives. From the conveniences of machines and appliances, to the way we use the Internet, life has been drastically altered by modern technology.
With the Internet in particular, it has definitely shaped the way we interact with our friends. Back then, we had to actually meet up with friends to see their face. And while phone technology has been around for quite some time, I would say conventional friendships stayed the same. However, I would say with smartphones is when things really took a change with friendships dynamics. Not only could we instantly message friends and acquaintances instantly, we could also talk to them face-to-face using social media apps.
It’s pretty crazy to see how far we’ve gotten with technology. But has it been for the better? Or for the worse? Should you embrace technology when it comes to your friends? Or should you try to avoid it? That’s what I wanted to discuss today in this article!
In this post, I’ll go over the subject of friends and technology and how it’s been good and bad for friendships. Here you’ll find out how to make the best of technology with friendships while minimizing the downsides of communicating online. Like it or not, the Internet is here to stay but we can use it in friendships to our advantage.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
The positives of technology for friendships.
Let’s start with the positives of having all this wonderful technology that can enhance our friendships.
By far the biggest advantage of technology is being able to talk to your friends INSTANTLY. Just 30 years ago, if you wanted to talk with friends, you had to be beside your landline or a pay phone to get a hold of your friends. Back then in the 90s, talking to friends remotely was something you’d save during your spare time.
But now with technology, you can instantly message your friends on the spot while you’re going about your day. See a funny meme pop up? You can instantly share it with friends while you’re going about your day, anytime, anywhere! I’ve even seen my other friends do spontaneous video calls with each other. It’s crazy to see how far technology has come. It’s allowed us to communicate with each other so quickly and conveniently.
Technology has also allowed us to bond with friends in different ways. Not only can we talk to each other through messaging apps, we can also communicate through other means. For example, if you’re into video games, you can chat with your friends in the video game itself (e.g. Xbox Live) or through various platforms such as Discord and Twitch. This wasn’t possible back then, but now we can talk to each other with the hobbies we are interested in!
Another advantage I absolutely love about online communication; the cost savings! This is probably something you don’t think about. But back then, it was quite costly to talk to someone long distance. I remember having to buy calling cards to talk to someone outside of my home town. But now with messaging apps, not only can we talk to each for free, we can do instantly!
I’m finding that group communication is a lot easier with technology than in the past. I remember trying to do a 3-way or conference call back then; either it wasn’t possible or you had to pay your phone company extra money to do so. Most of my phone conversations were only with one people. But today, it’s incredibly easy to have a group call with technology apps such as Facebook Messenger or Zoom. All you have to is join in!
Last but not least, the Internet has made it so much easier to meet new friends globally. I can’t tell you how many international friends I have met through online means (click here how to meet new international friends). While I probably still would have met foreign friends through traveling, it certainly is infinitely easier to meet international friends with the Internet. And that is a huge positive with technology!
Alright, now we’ve gone through the positives, let’s look at some of the negative aspects of friends and technology…
The negatives of technology for friendships.
I think the biggest problem with online communication is that we assume it’s a complete replacement of talking to friends online. But from my experience, nothing will ever replace being with friends in-person.
While online interactions can feel artificially satisfying, it is a false perception in my opinion. You can have tons of friends online but it won’t be the same as having friends in front of you physically. How many times have we heard that people feel lonelier, despite having such advanced technology to communicate with others instantly online? The fact that we depend on technology with friends can be considered negative.
And with the Internet, it has definitely influenced the way we communicate with each other. One of the negative consequences with online communication is that it can stunt our actual social skills. Let me tell you, talking to someone online is COMPLETELY different from talking to someone in person. And I feel for the younger generation that grew up with technology, they’re so used to messaging apps that they find it difficult to talk to friends in-person. In fact, a lot of things people say online, they probably would not dare to say to someone in-person! Again, Internet should be a supplement to what you use to talk to friends, not a replacement.
Lastly, online communication has its flaws, especially when talking to your friends. Things such as body language and intent are very hard to detect online, and a lot of misunderstandings can happen. For example, if you messaged a friend and they don’t respond back to you immediately, does that mean they’re busy? Or are they genuinely ignoring you? With the Internet, it’s hard to know for sure and maybe your friend is busy but you misinterpreted as them ignoring you. These are some of the things that can go wrong with online communication.
Overall in my experience, I’ve met a lot of people in-person and their online persona was completely different from what I initially perceived them as in my head. So we must not forget that the Internet can provide convenience, but it can never replace real communication with someone in the physical world.
Conclusion
Anyways, I hope you found this post informative and helpful. The Internet is wonderful and allows us to talk to our friends so easily and quickly. But we have to be careful and remember that it’s still a technology that’s not perfect.
I think the best way to approach friends and technology is with balance. Always be sure to enforce your personal boundaries with friends, both in-person and online. And use the Internet in moderation and don’t make it the only way you communicate with friends. Great moments are always meant to be shared with friends together. 🙂
If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments below!
