Technology and Psychology (part 4)

Studies have shown that teens are actually feeling lonelier than ever, thanks to social media. Has it impacted their ability to relate to others in a more natural, face-to-face, personal way? When was the last time you saw a kid talking on the phone with one of their friends? Supposedly, only 10% of communication between people is from the actual content of their words—90% is from the tone of a person's voice and from body language. If that is accurate, then the 10% we're all communicating with online is an extremely poor method of relating to another person. How many times have you had to clarify something that you emailed or texted, and explaining it in person cleared up the misunderstanding? What happens, though, when people start to communicate this way more than by talking? What happens when families sit together but stare at their smartphones and ignore each other? Are we becoming less comfortable talking with people and more disconnected relationally? One teenager indicated to me he'd prefer to text someone and get to know them that way before having to talk much in person. Texting is quickly replacing normal conversation, and we're all communicating digitally more and more frequently. Maybe Elon Musk is right: we're already cyborgs!