Why Online Connectivity Has Hurt Face to Face Conversations - Essay Example

Sherry Turkle shows in her study that online connectivity has hurt face to face conversations because many people prefer to text than talk. For instance, online connectivity has had a negative impact on family conversations. Some parents often fail to resist the temptation to access their phones while in the company of their children. In effect, children develop a sense of emotional abandonment which may affect the parent-child relationship in the long-run.

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Research has demonstrated that there is a steady in empathy among college students due to the increased access to online connectivity facilitated by the recent advancement in technology. For instance, out of a group of six students, only three give full attention to conversations. This is because young people are excited with the level of satisfaction they get from online connections. As attention is driven away from the conversation, empathy reduces. Partly, this phenomenon results from the lack of open-ended conversations and reduced eye contact which is essential in fostering emotional connections.

A reduction in empathy has also been identified among children. This inadequacy often leads to exclusions among children due to lack of emotional connection. However, studies show that when kids are phoneless, they can read facial emotions of others because they talk and pay attention to one another. That is, it is easier to converse and pay attention to one another without a phone at hand.

The limited attention to conversations results from benefits one gets while alone. As such, technology has rendered many people incapable of thinking in solitude. This is because the skills that are learned in isolation such as concentration and imagination and listening to oneself are inhibited in the presence of phones. These skills are essential in promoting ones ability to stay in conversations.

Since the current generation of young people grew up in the era of phones and apps makes the matter worse. The present crop of young people tends to be impatient and expect the world to respond with speed and efficiency like an app. This attitude has led to the diminishing of empathy in friendship because friendship is not considered necessary and is treated as an intrusion.

The huge desire for online connectivity is enhanced by the self-glorification urge to post items on communication platforms so as to get the attention of others. Research finds that many people believe that posting opinions online makes us courageous than we are in person, but studies show majority fear posting opinions that they are afraid will not be liked by their followers. Therefore, staying online is both harmful to ourselves as well as close friends or any other persons engaged in a conversation.

Reliance on technology and use of phones can be overcome by prioritizing face to face conversations and having conversations with oneself and encouraging doing one thing at a time. Our phones are potent psychological devices that change who we are and make our conversations vulnerable to what the connection offers. We, however, can avoid carrying our phones all the time and also work on other things while talking to other people. Families should discourage the taking of phones to dinner, at the kitchen and in cars. This way, children will consider this habit as a family routine. At the workplace, employees should be encouraged to engage in face-face discussions

We should, therefore, embrace technology and its unintended outcomes. We, however, need to accept that we are creatures and, therefore, embrace face-to-face conversations for the benefit persons close to our lives.