Technology Isn’t Just Taking Over Our Relationships, It’s Consuming Them

Walking down the streets of New York City, there is a steady hum of cell phones alerting their owners of an incoming text, notification, or phone call. Cell phones were meant to revolutionize the industry, suddenly we could contact anyone we wanted at the drop of a hat, but what does that mean for the evolution of technology?

-By Nikki Main

As the years have passed, I have watched people become increasingly addicted to their gadgets, what once was a handheld device for making calls now held the contents of an entire life. We keep up with friends far and wide, and have constant access to mediums such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and more. Gone are the days when we had to see someone to connect, it’s now all online. The question is, is this necessarily a good thing?

Chas Rayome, a Systems Engineer at Solvere One IT Support believes that technology is helping our relationships. He said in an interview Tuesday “In the last year or so, a bunch of my friends and I started using Snapchat. The things we send are usually meaningless, but I feel closer to the friends that I Snapchat than I have since we were all together in High School or College.” He goes on to tell Global Glam that in a discussion with coworkers, there was a split of those in favor of technology and those who would rather live without it. “What I found interesting is that some people our age were completely against social media and technology with regards to relationships” said Rayome.

The discussion is not one that can be taken lightly, but here at Global Glam we found that there was a divide in the opinion of technology. Kaitlin Shea, a mother from New Jersey finds that technology has a negative connotation if there is no trust in relationships. “People think it’s okay to flirt on Facebook,” she told Global Glam, “They think that their boyfriend or girlfriend won’t find out, but they will and then they will be done. But I think if you both trust one another than any type of technology is fine.” Shea isn’t alone in her belief that technology and social media can come between relationships. Todd Main told us that “it can be catastrophic when old flames hook up due to Facebook, and break up a relationship.”

We see it all the time at restaurants and bars, friends with their cell phones on the table, no one talking; that couple in the corner on a date but she’s on Instagram and he is flicking through Twitter. “It interferes with normal communication when couples are together or when you see families out to dinner and no one is talking, because they’re all on their phones” said Main.

Gina Riccitelli, a server in Astoria, NY says that technology does affect our relationships because these days people don’t know how to properly communicate their feelings. In other words, they can hide behind the screens of their devices. “If they have insecurities, they stalk social media accounts to find clues or comments instead of trusting and talking to their partner,” said Riccitelli. “It’s created this ‘talking phase’ where people don’t actually go on dates and get to know each other.”

When it comes to raising children, parents occasionally find that it helps occupy their child so they can get work done. “I know for me, it’s easier to give my son his tablet to entertain him so I can do laundry or clean” said Cassie Main, a mom from Maryland. Dr. Gary Small, director of the Longevity Center at the University of California says if children spend too much time with one technology and less time interacting, it could hinder the development for certain communication skills.

Technology and the internet is an amazing tool, it allows us to stay in contact with those we normally would have lost touch with and gives us the opportunity to share our lives with others. But when is too much enough? How long until we are completely consumed by our handheld devices and we lose the ability to communicate with each other? But as Rayome said, perhaps technology really is bringing us all just a little closer.