Technology Enhances Social Skills - Essay Example

Gadgets such as computers and cell phones have become essential parts of everyday activities not just among professionals and adults but even among children.

There may be disadvantages to the use of gadgets however it is not as bad or destructive to people’s interpersonal relationships or social life as some experts claim it to be, as documented in this paper.

For many parents, cell phones are viewed as instruments for them to keep in touch with their children and also for emergency purposes. Nevertheless, the increasing number of virtual communications is now causing alarm because it is viewed as a threat to the development of interpersonal skills of children. Such a problem is presented by Sherry Turkle in her article entitled “No Need to Call”. She cites some examples of people who seem to be unable to communicate well with others but are now able to hide behind their computers to communicate with friends. For instance, the author tells that Elaine, a teenager, views texting and emailing as a preferred means of communication for shy people and even for outgoing people because they can edit and think about what they say before they send the message to the recipient (374). Unlike telephone calls and face-to-face interactions wherein the response should be quick and could not be edited or even taken back, texting serves as a convenient way of communicating. However, the confidence one has when he is communicating virtually is often not displayed during close encounters and this worries experts.

The same concern is shared by some parents but some disagree with the idea. Hilary Stout also gives examples of parents who are optimistic about social networking which strengthens some of the examples given by Turkle. For instance, she mentions Robert Wilson, a father of a 14-year-old shy and introverted Evan, who is worried about his son’s social life. When Evan signed up for Facebook, Robert was glad to find out that his son was chatting with a former schoolmate. This shows that technology is not posing a problem to children’s interpersonal skills instead; it creates a more accessible way of communicating through a busy lifestyle. For Elizabeth Brewer, author of a book on making friends, “the electronic media is helping kids to be in touch much more and for longer” (Stout). This means that modern communication may have changed a lot but the virtual world did not get rid of people’s feelings or communication skills. Instead, it paved the way for people to stay in touch with more people amidst their busy schedules which they cannot do without social media.