Technology has helped connect people from all over the world, improved communication and helped strengthen family ties, and improved efficiency. However, technology has also had a negative impact on society by increasing distractions and affecting interpersonal, face-to-face communication.
Technology has made it easier for people to travel and connect with people from other cultures all over the world. Individuals who are geographically separated can visit each other and interact. Those who cannot physically meet each other can communicate with the help of telephones and the Internet. This communication helps them strengthen friendships and family ties. There are situations where people have made new friends and met life partners through the Internet.
Technology helps people improve efficiency by making it easier to complete certain tasks in a shorter amount of time. It helps people attain higher output and ability and improve their performance. On the negative side, technology can prove to be a distraction. People waste a lot of time on their phones and on the Internet instead of doing something productive.
Technology may also have a negative impact on face-to-face or interpersonal communications in society. Whereas in the past people would meet in coffee shops to discuss, these days they sit in these meeting spots and on their screen without talking to the person seated next to them. Even members of the same family may find it hard to have meaningful conversations because they focus their attention on a screen.
Technology can affect the social skills and social development of children. Children who get too much screen time may have a harder time interacting and playing with other children. There are also social scientists who argue that some of the content on television and on the Internet can erode social values.
