Is technology making us less human?

By Anwar Jalifi Guezlan Lobelo (undergraduate FIGRI student, 7^th semester, English through Multimedia elective)

When I see people around with their cell phones, chatting or checking Facebook, ignoring their friends or even worse, ignoring their families, I ask myself: is technology so good that it can replace human contact?

I remember when I was young, that if you liked a girl, you had to do the impossible to meet her. You even had to meet her mom and dad! But now, things have changed… Now you can date a girl without having any physical contact with her! Just add her on Facebook and talk to her until she is convinced that you are a great guy! Nowadays, phone calls have been replaced by chats and text messages. You don’t call the girl or the boy you like, you just send him/her a message and that’s it! It has gotten to a point where you talk to that other person, but in reality you don’t even know how troubled that individual you’re chatting with could be.

Now, I’m not saying that technology is a bad thing. We humans need a way to communicate with others, to have some entertainment and to make our lives easier. However, that is not the problem. The problem here is that we are leaving important things behind, like sharing precious moments with family or friends. For example, when families are having dinner, you can see their children chatting, checking Facebook, and watching videos on YouTube. That is the reason why families don’t talk while they are having dinner. Children don’t tell their parents how school was, or anything that is related to their lives. Additionally, parents feel ignored because they ask questions to their children and the latter don’t answer properly.

The same thing happens with friends: when you party with them, you are often checking your cell phone, viewing your messages or just ignoring your surroundings, missing the possibility of dancing with a pretty girl, or maybe just wasting valuable time. When it’s party time, it’s party time. Other things can wait!

In conclusion, technology is a good way to communicate and keep in touch with others, but it must be used wisely. There is a lot to experience in the world and there is no time to waste. Time is scarce and once used, it can never be replenished.