A Digital Society

  Imagine the world around us 10-15 years ago. Cell phones were just phones with no internet connection, computers were home and office based technologies only, if one were to have one at all, and people were social butterflies going out into the world for face to face interactions. Now, cell phones are mini computers, laptops can be taken anywhere and everyone of us
owns some kind of digital technology, which, has led to and is leading more into a world of virtual hermit crabs. People no longer have to step outside their house unless they want to. We can shop at home, go to school at home, go to work at home, and even socialize at home. Although, we are able to connect to people all over the world in a matter of one finger click; sitting alone in front of a computer is isolating us. We are becoming less physically active and are losing more and more face time with other people. I can imagine the world 10-15 years from now where no one steps foot outside. It's a ghost town all over the universe while everyone is inside their homes on a computer.

This is what more and more families are starting to do instead of sitting at the dinner table talking about their days.

 

 

  I am a victim of this. My family and I get home, eat dinner on the couch and all get on our phones interacting with the entire world except ourselves. We are all losing touch with one another. We cannot, of course, get rid of technology or its advancements, but as a society we can put forth the effort in actually calling someone instead of sending an email or text. We can go out to lunch, have coffee or drinks instead of staying in to play video games on the computer. We, as a society, have to put forth the effort to not allow technology to isolate us.

 Social isolation refers to a complete or near-complete lack of contact with people and society. There's a real disorder for this and it's called social anxiety. Social anxiety affects 36% of society in America alone. Imagine how this percentage is growing higher and higher as people start to isolate themselves.

 Many don't think anything of technology and its effects because it's convenient and right there in our hands, but there is a very real problem arising with growing technology nowadays and I don't look forward to seeing how it will look in the future.

~Megan Burleson