Technology hinders development of social skills

Today there's no good excuse as to why you can't inform your mother that you'll be an hour late to the family dinner, why you didn't invite your best friend to the bar last night or why you don't know the name of the guy sitting beside you in class. Communication is easier than it has ever been in history. Nearly everyone has a cell phone attached to their hip, checks their E-mail/Facebook/MySpace at least three times a day and knows the shortest way to spell any word in a text message.But as technology continues to make communication quicker and easier, it doesn't address the fact that it's hindering face-to-face communication. Social skills are falling by the wayside every minute.

Nervous about asking someone out on a date? No need to approach him/her, just send a text message or E-mail. Get lost in traffic? It's not necessary to find someone to ask about directions; just use a global positioning system (GPS) device. Self-checkout and online shopping has even made it possible to not have to speak to anyone while checking out.

We have become flooded with technology so much that we use it as a crutch for any stressful, nervous or embarrassing situations we don't want to face. We know as we type the message that we're taking the easy way out, but who isn't these days?

According to The Times, a British newspaper, 50 billion E-mails are sent across the world every day. More than 7.3 billion text messages were sent in June 2005, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.

What will happen to future generations who don't even realize there were times when we didn't have cell phones with text-messaging abilities and high-speed Internet access? Will we become a robotic society?

We do agree that technology has drastically improved the world in which we live, but something must be done to prevent technology from overtaking our lives. We don't even notice how much we rely upon technology until the electricity goes out or we lose our cell phone. How much longer does it take us to research a project online because we get sidetracked checking our E-mail or other message accounts?

British researchers even believe that text messaging actually lowers a person's IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana, according to The Times.

Employers have also noticed lower productivity in employees who focus their concentration on "always-on" technology instead of their job. And we all know people who believe the word through is correctly spelled "thru" and likewise night as "nite."

There's no telling what new communication devices 2006 will bring. And, without a doubt, most will have a positive impact on the society. But, hopefully 2006 will also bring an interest in fostering good social skills. In the long run, they'll be just as important as computer skills.