Technologies: The Digital Fishbowl and Love (Digital Learning Day)

Dear Kyra,

I enjoyed reading your post about the effects of digital technology on our generation. Just the other day I thought about this topic and how people often resort to texting for the majority of conversation in their relationship. Two girls were analyzing to the full extend of what a poor young man was saying through texts. Then they would collaborate on what to send back!

Social networking cites have great aspects to improve our everyday lives. However, they are being abused. Like you said, their has been a large decline in young people's communication skills. No doubt is this bad for intimacy in relationships. But a big question on the subject presents itself: how important will it be for people to collaborate together in person with the directions that our world is going? My opinion is that there is great value with face to face social skills. On the other hand, it can be argued that as our world becomes more and more digital, we won't need these skills as much in the work place. Only the future will tell where twitter and facebook will lead us.

Wilson Lamb

Kyra, I couldn't agree more about your analysis of Internet romance. There's nothing more frustrating than having a simple statement twisted into an accidental insult because of the lack of tone in a text message. There's almost no bigger turnoff than opening up a message to see a meaningless, "Hey, what up? ;)". I also agree with your statement that the intimacy of a relationship is ruined through constant messaging. I mean, if you talk to a person essentially all day on your phone or computer, what are you going to talk about when you actually see them? There's really so much you can talk about it a day, and if you spend that day reading every move that your significant other does, what else is there to know when you meet them face to face? Essentially, I think messaging makes any relationship get boring much quicker, and everyone knows, when teenagers get bored, they're outta there. However, I think it's also interesting how easy messaging makes it for partners to confess their love for each other. What makes it so easy for someone to express their feelings behind a screen, and so difficult to show the slightest bit of affection when you can actually feel that person's hand in yours? Hmm.. it continuously makes me wonder what the future holds for dating.

Kyra,

I enjoyed your post very much. It was both funny and made your point extremely well. I agree that text messages and facebook posts do not serve as replacement for romantic interaction. Your sentence "There is no body language or eye contact or brushing of hands," is true and shows that technology can take humanity out of interacting with the people around us.

I do think that this technology has some use however in modern relationships. A simple facebook message or text can spark someone's interest and lead to future interactions. Technology also helps long distance relationships, both romantic and just friendly. Texting and facebooking is an easy way to stay in contact with people in different places and can help bring those people together as well.

So while technology has its disadvantages in the realm of love, I think its advantages should not be forgotten.

Thanks again for your post,
Hannah

p.s. The world needs more romantics like John Cusak.

Dear Kyra,

I myself use Twitter and personally love it. It is a great way to put your thoughts out there and to me it doesn't really matter if no one wants to hear it or read it. But I don't believe that Twitter is hurting my relationships with people or my interactions with people. I am still interacting with people just fine despite my electronic addiction.
Do you have twitter?

Good post.
Syd