Is Technology and Social Media Making Society better or worse

Document Type:Thesis

Subject Area:Technology

Document 1

There is no socialization anymore; it has been replaced with technology. As a matter of fact, technology has significantly contributed in making humanity more selfish and separate than ever before, regardless of the fact that it connects people to any part of the world in real time. Despite the huge potential that technology has in connecting people, connection as far as the social realm is concerned is getting worse as more and more people embrace technology. The irony of social media networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter is that they have made people antisocial. As a matter of fact, friendship and socialization has been reduced to the worth that Facebook or any other social media network decides. Study Design/Methodology As mentioned before, this study sought to determine whether technology makes the society better or worse.

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The method to be applied in this proposed research is making use of empirical data from four case studies. The selected case studies incorporated semi-structured interviews and participant observations. From the qualitative data that will be obtained from the proposed research, it will be easy to determine whether technology and social media have made the society better or worse. As a matter of fact, from the empirical studies, it was obvious that the society (family and other social units) have been negatively impacted by technology and social media. According to Lalor et al (2009:58), family denotes a group of people related either by blood or non-blood ties living in a permanent basis and separated from other dwellers by the walls that exists in the family dwellings.

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The authors of this works further go ahead to prove the fact that family plays a very significant role as far as being the source of identity, love and belonging is concerned. Sadly, with recent technological advancements, especially with the advent of social media, family has been distorted. Essentially, the implication of this is that family values have been eroded. Part of the reason why this is so can traced back to the technologies which are almost replacing family. (2009), the house is pretty much the explanation of the bigger picture as far as the configuration of the greater living arrangement is concerned. The household can also refer to a collection of individuals who have blood or non-blood ties living in the same dwelling and sharing all the basic amenities.

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There is a lot of studies that have proven that new media technologies impact and influence the manner in which the members of a household interact with each other. C. Social Interaction and Communication in the Social System After reviewing literature on the basic social units that technology and social media can have an impact on, this study also investigates the social interaction and communication as part of the social system in this literature review. Essentially, the impact of this is that the manner in which families access information and allocate time has been totally changed by these technologies. Mesch (2006), argues that the fact that most families have access to state of the art technologies for instance laptops, iPads et al means that like it has been seen never before, the separation line between family and work time is permeable than ever before.

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As a matter of fact, even some of the fortune 500 companies are hiring workers who can work from home because it reduces their overhead costs and saves their employees commuting costs. This is just but an advantage. On the flipside, there is a disadvantage; individuals can become overly distracted into the solitude that comes when one becomes too much attached to the world of technology. Additionally, games and other mobile apps can increase the extent of social interactions even from home. As another scholar, Frome (2003), structures his argument, that technologies such as video gaming do not have impact as far as creating social impacts is concerned. As a matter of fact, he goes ahead to argue that they enhance the interaction as such technologies are designed in a manner that they incorporate peer relationships.

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In as much such justification exists, there is enough reason to believe that technology and social media makes the society worse. B. From the research that was carried out by Plowman et al. (2007), technology through the outlets of games, television and computers, technology presents is nothing but an imminent disaster as far as the social skills are concerned. As a matter of fact, the main effect of technologisation is that it has led to a totally different form of childhood than any other society. The present society is all about technology. This is probably the reason why the behaviors of children have become toxic. Buckingham (2009), gives two different arguments that are meant to prove on how social media and technology has led to a decrease in the amount of interaction between families and the society in general.

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To begin with, he just like the other scholars gives reasons as to why electronic media has killed childhood. Likely Results The results of this study are that that technology and social media in general has contributed significantly in shaping a society with poor social skills, especially among the youth. As Fromme (2003), puts it, technology and social media has taken the center stage as far as the lives of not only children are concerned but also the lives of adults. Technology and social media has played the part of creating a digital divide in households therefore making socialization difficult. N. P. Web. 16 Apr. Lawlor, Kevin, Áine De Róiste, and Maurice Devlin. " Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 45. Web. Plowman, Lydia, Joanna McPake, and Christine Stephen.

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