Gone are the days of decent, genuine human interaction, and you can thank the device in your pocket right now. More and more people, especially the millennials and the generations to follow, are becoming more dependent on technology, specifically their smartphone.
Although advancements in technology have a huge benefit in the medical, finance, e-commerce, and defense sectors, the other stuff (your new iPhone) is creating a significant impact on social skills, reading ability, and emotional responses.
According to a study done by UCLA, grade school age kids’ reading levels, language skills, and ability to recognize emotions increased when their time on phones or tablets was completely eliminated during a five-day period. Another study highlighted in USA Today showed that 46 percent of people would rather communicate over technology than in person, which is easy, quick, and direct. Troubles arise when people need to socialize.
Lack of emotional interaction between friends and family greatly impacts the brain’s own ability to recognize, or even generate, an emotional response. Furthermore, connecting with someone through a friendship is more difficult, as well; if all you and your friends do is communicate over media and technology, that real feeling of a friendship is totally diminished because you cannot communicate correctly.
So if you’ve found yourself in increasingly awkward social instances, you know to blame everyone’s obsession with their phone and the inherent need to let everyone on social media know they got Starbucks this morning.
Now, the lack of all of these skills has much broader ramifications than what the surface reveals. If someone does not have the skills to perform interviews, speak publicly, give presentations, or react under stressful situations, it’ll be quite the challenge to obtain a job.
Like all progressive improvements in communication have changed the social sphere, this time is no different. It takes the individual to realize that they may become a little less smart, and a little more awkward if they spend most of their time glued to that combustible Galaxy, or aux cord-less iPhone. If you’ve made it this far into the article without being distracted by technology, consider yourself a little bit smarter: a 2013 academic study published results that reading on paper resulted in heightened abilities to learn and retain information. You’re welcome.
