From the latest iPhone upgrade to the newest social media apps, technology has such an impactful presence in our lives. We could simply not live without it. Some may say they would die without it. Do you ever notice how whenever there is a social event with many people at attendance you can see people constantly on their phone checking the latest Snapchat story update or constantly scrolling through their Twitter feed for the newest beef (argument)? People are always relying on their phones to give them that emotional support that they can actually find in reality (me including). When did this reliance on technology begin? Of course, it all makes communication easier yet technology degrades our social abilities with each other.

From the assembly lines in factories to surveillance cameras patrolling local banks, technology has greatly helped us as a society advance in our niche and become total innovators. Without constant advancements, the society wouldn’t see what it can improve on– how it can change, point blank. Although technology has positive aspects in that sort of concept, it also has its downsides. It’s biggest downside being that our social ability to interact with each other degrades as time goes on. We ignore the true interaction before us and resort to a fake interaction involving the online luxuries that we have come to call social media.

Not only has this impact of telecommunication technology has a negative effect on young adults and adults alike, but it also has a negative effect on younger children. Parents always want the best for their kids, whether it be the best schooling or the best technology. Thus, children these days are “having fun” by playing games on their newest iPads. Back in the day, kids would go outside and play tag or play hide-n-seek. The point is that kids were active and enjoying the company they had with other kids. Technology and online games were the last things on their mind. But because technology is so prevalent in our lives now, it also have an influence on the younger generations, also degrading their social abilities to true interaction.

This is all just an ongoing cycle, where in the end, we all lose our ability to enjoy the little things and live in the moment with the people surrounding us. We forget that we only have one life to live and by scrolling on social media apps for hours, we are somehow living. We are forgetting to appreciate what is really and truly upon us, something that technology can’t provide for us– an actual relationship where intellectual interaction is obtained and we grow smarter because of it. And to be brutally honest, technology just makes us dumber, and the more we use it, the dumber we get.

When asked about whether or not he thinks the impact of technology is either negative or positive, Nathan Windawi (12) includes, “It depends on who is using it and for what purpose. If the purpose is to connect and interact in a positive way, then I think technology will have served its purpose.” Well said, Windawi.