Social Interaction in the Modern World - Essay Example

and Number Social Interaction Can you hear me now? This particular catchphrase, used in cell phone commercials, became an important part of pop culture. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it represented America’s strong desire to communicate and interact with each other and the ever changing methods of doing so due to the evolution of technology. No longer are people solely interacting with each other with body language and facial expressions. In fact, some might even argue that face to face conversations are on their way out. Instead, social networking websites and cell phones appear to be the wave of the future. There are few things that have impacted social interaction as much as technology has within the past two decades. According to the book entitled Social Interaction, “social interaction is one of the most important kinds of human behavior and must depend on the same neurophysiological and cognitive processes as other behaviors”(Argyle). Before technology became such an vital part of this process, there were several integral elements of interactions between humans such as posture, body language, inflection, and facial expressions (Argyle). As a matter of fact, non verbal communication is even more important in social interaction than that of the actual verbal communication. This is due to the fact that non verbal cues are essential to understanding the importance and meanings of specific interactions. Social interaction has an extremely important role within society. According to the article entitled “Detecting Social Interaction of Elderly in a Nursing Home Environment” social interaction is extremely beneficial to the overall wellbeing of those within a society: “We interact with others in various ways that influence our status and roles in social communities”(Chen, et al). Additionally, Michael Argyle, author of “Social Interactions” states that leadership is also impacted by social interaction (Argyle). Knowing the role that each other has been cast in is important in helping humans identify themselves in almost every aspect of their lives including religion, personality, occupation, etc. In general, society places a great deal of emphasis on social interaction. From an early age, children are placed into social predicaments and are expected to learn how to react and interact with others. According to the article entitled “Classroom Interpreting,” teaching children how to socially interact has a great deal of importance to development as “children acquire language and vocabulary during interactions with others”( “Fostering Peer Interaction”). Likewise, on a more personal level, “peer interaction serves as the foundation for many important aspects of emotional development such as the development of self-concept, self-esteem and identity”(“Fostering Peer Interaction”). Overall, social interaction plays a major part in molding a person into who they will be throughout their entire lives. Due to the importance placed upon social interaction as a whole, society tends to think fairly positively about the subject. Social relationships are still deemed to be increasingly important to a person’s overall health and well being. However, there are clues that society is moving away from an interactive one to a more isolative one. This has been done with technology as can be seen when visiting the library or grocery store where self-checkout machines have replaced the interaction that once took place between a worker and a customer. Additionally, the prevalence of online shopping has further added to this effect. According to an article entitled “Decline in Face to Face Contact Linked to Biological Changes in Humans as Social Networking Increases,” “children now spend more time in the family home alone in front of TV/computer screens than doing anything else”(Sigman). The same is true for adults as “an increasing proportion of men and women are living alone during their ‘mating years’ having far fewer social contacts”(Sigman). This isolative trend appears to be in conflict with the popularity of social networking websites. In 2009, according to the article entitled “The Web in Numbers: The Rise of Social Media,” the number of people using such websites as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter rose from 100 million to 200 million (Schroeder). These social networking websites are a huge aspect of social interaction these days as people spend hours upon hours updating their profiles, sending friends requests, and uploading pictures of themselves. Cell phones and smart phones have been crafted so that people can connect to these social media websites no matter where they are these days as well. Perhaps this development is not so much about social interaction as it is about narcissism and the unending quest for fifteen minutes of fame. Why else would a person need to broadcast their every though into the infinite universe of cyberspace? There is little that can be exchanged between two parties in a situation like that. This is perhaps why it would be appropriate to believe that technology, in general, has aided in limiting social interaction and is helping to foster a society that is growing increasingly isolated. Even though society might place a great deal of emphasis on social interaction, this interaction is becoming stunted and surface based with the addition of new technology. One of the important issues that is relevant to social interaction is the fact that a decrease in this area is leading to health problems. According to the article entitled “Decline in Face to Face Contact Linked to Biological Changes in Humans as Social Networking Increases,” the more isolated people become, the worse that the society’s overall health will be. Some of the health problems that are incurred from a lack of interaction include Coronary Artery Disease, stroke, high blood pressure, lower cognitive function, and higher rates of obesity (Sigman). Mental health is also impacted with a lack of social interaction as depression and personality disorders increase because of it. This is a trend that is being seen in those between the years of 25 and 44 particularly. This is sure to become an even more widespread issue as the younger generations follow in their footsteps. There have been two big social issues that have developed from this change social interaction: cyber bullying and sexting. Both of these issues have received a great deal of public attention due to the fact that young children are participating in these activities. Sexting is where people use cell phones to text sexually suggestive messages or send naked or sexual pictures. According to the article entitled “Teenage Sexting Statisitics,” over 20 percent of teenagers have sent nude or seminude pictures and 39 percent have sent sexual text messages(PC’s n Dreams). The problem with this situation is that teenagers under the age of 18 can be charged with distributing child pornography if they are caught. This aspect of interaction is indicative of the disconnect that humans are experiencing in terms of how they communicate due to the security and isolation often afforded by technology. Cyber bullying is the use of the Internet and cell phones to attack somebody. Facebook and Myspace have received negative publicity due to the cyber bullying that has occurred on their websites. According to an article entitled “Cyber Bullying Statistics and Tips,” over 42 percent of children have claimed to experienced cyber bullying and over 25 percent have had it occur more than once (Isafe). Likewise, over 58 percent of children admitted to participating in some form of cyber bullying themselves (Isafe). These troubling statistics indicates that children are quickly adapting to these new methods of social interaction and are incorporating them into their daily lives. These two issues would be the biggest arguments against the changes in social interaction. However, there are a few arguments for the changes in social interaction. Perhaps the biggest argument for the changes experienced in social interaction is that people are able to connect and interact no matter where they live. Cell phones and the Internet provide the opportunity for two people living thousands of miles apart to maintain a relationship. The evolution of social interaction and technology has made the world a lot smaller in this respect. There is also the aspect of safety to consider. In an increasingly dangerous world, many people are comforted with the fact that they can reach another person easily by way of cell phone or other device. Face-to-face communication does have its limitations and the capability to remain safe when out and about is very important to those who favor these new forms of social interactions. The reason that social interaction is so important is because society demands communication in order to survive. Without communication, relationships cannot be built, jobs cannot be completed, and progress will never be made. Due to the fact that social interaction is also a part of the mating process for humans, it is vital to society that technologies not replace face-to-face interaction completely. Works Cited Argyle, Michael. Social interaction . New Brunswick, N.J.: AldienTransaction, 2007. Print. Chen, Datong, Robert Malkin, Jie Yang, and Howard D. Wactlar. "Detecting Social Interaction of Elderly in a Nursing Home Environment." Infomedia. Web. 21 June 2011. . "Fostering Peer Interaction - Fostering Social Interaction - Interpreters and Children - Educational Interpreters - Classroom Interpreting." Home Page - Classroom Interpreting. Web. 21 June 2011. . Sigman, Aric . "Decline In Face-to-Face Contact Linked to Biological Changes in Humans As Social Networking Increases." Aricsigman. 19 Feb. 2009. Web. 21 June 2011. . "The Web In Numbers: The Rise Of Social Media." Social Media News and Web Tips a€“ Mashable a€“ The Social Media Guide. Web. 21 June 2011. . "Teenage Sexting Statistics." Kids Internet Safety Concerns, Computer Monitoring, Virus Protection, Identity Theft. Web. 21 June 2011. . "i-SAFE Inc.." i-SAFE Inc. Web. 21 June 2011. . Read More