By James Hoban
In our current year 2023, it is clear how large on an impact that technology has played into our lives. We are all on our phones and social media every day on a regular basis. It's how we communicate, educate, and entertain ourselves all the time. Technology has grown and become more a part of our lives every day but no one seems to take a second to think about how all of this connectivity and wired connection has impacted us and our daily interactions.
As much as we are all very thankful for the connections and entertainment that technology has provided us, it is easy to overlook some of the negative impacts that have come along with it. In my opinion, for every technological advancement that brings us closer, it slowly drives us apart. While I understand this could be a confusing concept to grasp as you may think "if we're more connected, won't that allow us to understand each other and connect even better?". While this can be true, one must think about how when you send a text to someone as a form of communication, that is a face to face conversation that has been usurped by a keyboard and fingers. An extension of this idea can very much relate to the home environment with families. I remember growing up and having my mom yell up to the rooms of my sisters and I "Dinner's ready!!!" which was always very exciting to hear, as I have always loved my moms cooking, and hearing her yell up to us just signified that it was time for a good meal. Now when I am home and I am lucky to have my mom cook a nice home meal, I am greeted with a text in our family group chat telling us "come downstairs food ready". While this conveys the same message that she would yell up to us from the kitchen, it feels different.
This is one of many examples to me of how I feel we are losing some of the key parts of communication between person to person. However, I find myself thankful for many parts of this sort of communication, especially when I am here attending HPU. Without the communication resources we have access to now, I wouldn't be able to call my mom or dad when I'm having a bad day or just feel like checkin in and having a conversation with my parents or sisters. Throughout all of the ups and downs of how this sort of communication impacts us, it is something that defines our culture today and will help us, and hurt us, for as long as it exists.
