Task 2 – Lindsey Whiting

For task 2, I read the articles by Insider and Medical News Today. From both of these two articles, the biggest takeaway for me was the increasing disconnect from each other. Technology is an addiction, where the average adult in the US spends merely 11 hours a day online. Because of this, face-to-face interactions are less apparent from our day to day lives. When interacting face-to-face, it’s not just about being in someone’s physical presence, it’s also about learning to read body language, tone of voice, and picking up on verbal and social queues in conversation. When communicating via text, it’s important to ensure that every message you are sending is worded exactly how you want it to be received. Miscommunications occur all the time, but even more so over the internet. Meanwhile, studies of children discovered interesting data associated with excess screen usage at a young age. Medical News Today notes that the findings included delays in language development, delays in social and emotional development, social incompatibility, and anxiety.

Children and adults alike have a lessened ability to properly and comfortably communicate with each other in physical interactions. Essentially, this stems back to the increased use of technology over the last couple decades. Technology and its constant advancements have and continue to take away from humanity’s natural ability to communicate. To reverse this societal issue, encouraging limited screen time for all demographics would be a good start. Not having the constant reassurance and comfort of having a cell phone within an arm’s reach would naturally force people to communicate with each other. In my own experience, I’ve struggled with social anxiety, around new people, but even around my best friends. While I don’t entirely attribute this quality of mine to excessive technology usage, seeing as I have always been introverted at times, I definitely believe that my tech use and social media presence is linked in this scenario. If social media and technology usage was limited across the board for all ages, I believe that social interactions and the disconnect that society is facing currently could be on its way to being mended.