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Crystal Dunbar
Professor Havey
English 114B
9 May 2014
Technology in Our Society
In our current society, technology plays a huge role. Technology provides an easier way
to connect with loved ones and many people around the globe. This is available through social
media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media allows people to interact with others
through a site or phone app. Many people argue that technology and social media is allowing us
to connect with people easier however, it is actually causing people to cheapen and hurt their
relationships and interactions with others. Social media has caused strained and damaged
relationships through cyber bullying, being a distraction, and mis-interpreting written
information online.
One popular social media site is Facebook, which is used as a way to share events, photos
and statuses about your life. Facebook was created in 2004 by and for students at Harvard
University. Eventually, the site became very popular and spread to others. :
The network was promptly extended to other Boston universities, the Ivy League
and eventually all US universities. It became Facebook.com in August 2005 after
the address was purchased for $200,000. US high schools could sign up from
September 2005, then it began to spread worldwide, reaching UK universities the
following month. (Phillips)
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Now, 10 years later, Facebook is still one of the leading social media sites used in the world.
Many have viewed Facebook as a good thing for relationships, yet others believe it is
problematic. For example, my mother loves Facebook. For her, Facebook is a way that she can
rekindle old friendships and keep up with the people that she knew in grade school. Some people
view Facebook as a bad thing because it ruins the value of genuine communication in a
relationship.
Another popular social media site is Twitter. Twitter is a way to share thoughts and
experiences in a hundred and forty characters and also an easy way to interact with multiple
people around the world. Twitter was founded in 2006 when A group of employees from
podcasting company Odeo start Twitter (Jenkins 60). The social media site started to become
popular when Web developer Chris Messina invents the concept of hashtag, a conversion
tracker marked by a pound symbol (Jenkins 60). Since 2006, Twitter has become a huge
phenomenon and allows people to stay up to date with friends, global news, and their favorite
celebrities by only reading 140 characters or less in a tweet. In 2014, Twitter is still one of the
top sources of social media containing over 200 million accounts (Jenkins 60).
For many years people, and specifically children, have dealt with being a victim of
bullying. Most of the time the bullying would be done at school, neighborhoods, and parks but
since technology has advanced, people are able to communicate globally. People are able to talk
about someone online that they have never even met in person. Cyberbullying can take a turn for
the worst in a friendship when people end up becoming frieniemies. Many small problems that
people may have with one another in school or work can be blown out of proportion by
expressing negative opinions online. By spreading negative rumors or gossip online it is able to
reach thousands of people in a second which can cause serious drama. According to a website,
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81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person
(11 Facts). I believe this is true because many people think that they can do whatever they want
online because someone usually is not directly watching them type the cruel and hateful words. I
also believe that it is easier to bully online because it does not feel as bad to type something
hurtful instead of actually having to say it out of your own mouth. Most people are afraid to say
things to a persons face so it is much easier to write it out. Unfortunately, cyber bullying has
caused many people to go to drastic measures because they feel victimized. In our society, it is
common to hear about a person who went to school with a gun or committed suicide because
they felt like they are constantly under attack. Many people tend to act out in this type of way
because after feeling so low for such a long time, they want to find power or respect. A sad
example of this is with a student named Phoebe Prince. Phoebe was a new student at a school
who ended up hanging herself after being tormented for being called a whore for dating boys
who were seen as off-limits to her (Holladay). Cyberbullying can become very dangerous
when taken out of hand and should be a reminder to people to confront people with their
problems instead of causing drama online for others to easily get into. Why dont you face your
problems, dont Facebook them is a popular lyric by rapper Andy Mineo that should be taken
into consideration with the problem of cyberbullying (Mineo).
Social media can ruin relationships because they can be a major distraction. Today you
can see people who go on dates, family dinners, or get togethers and multiple people are on their
phones. People usually are checking to see any updates or to post about what they may be
thinking. This may cause a strain in a relationship because people are not focused on one
another. A connection usually happens when people make eye contact, can notice the other
persons body language, and is fully engaging in the conversation. By being engaged in
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something else people are not allowing their relationships to reach their potential. A popular act
today is taking a selfie. A selfie is a person taking a picture of them self, or with others, using
their phone. In past experiences, I have dealt with people who wanted to take a selfie to show off
to others where they were or what they were doing. For example, when visiting Disneyland with
a couple of friends a while back we had to take a five minute break so that a friend could get the
right angle of the ferris wheel to post on online. It can be very annoying to try to hold a
conversation with a person when all they are worried about is what filter to use and how many
likes they are getting. The time we spent together could have been more fun if we were not
worrying about sharing what were doing with the world.
Also to others, being consumed by technology and social media rather than the actual
person can be seen as extremely rude to certain people. People start to think that they are not
appreciated enough because what they are offering that person seems to be not enough since they
are consumed with something else. It is rude when people put aside other plans to spend time
with one person and give them their full, undivided attention while the other person is engulfed
in something that probably is not important. A personal experience of this was when two of my
friends, who are a couple, went out for dinner. I remember the day after the date my friend was
complaining to me that her boyfriend was not focused on her but with keeping up with the stats
of a game on his phone. This caused her to be upset and under- appreciated. It should be very
easy to put away a phone and stay off of apps for a couple hours when it is for someone that you
love.
Another way that technology and social media can harm a relationship is by saying too
much or by interpreting a post a wrong way. When sharing too much about what you are doing
or what is going on in your life on social media, in can cause more problems in reality. The other
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person in the relationship may not want to have their business out in public, showing everything
they did with you in the past couple of hours. This can cause a personal relationship to become
less intimate and other relationships not to grow as much. It can strengthen a bond when you
share certain experiences with one person instead of with all of your friends. In certain posts
relationships can be damaged because people may interpret what you meant in a totally different
way. A new popular thing on Twitter now is called subtweeting. To subtweet is to say something
about another person, yet not tagging them in the post by not using the @ symbol before their
username. Some people may interpret a normal tweet as a subtweet, which can cause drama.
Relationships can become damaged from assuming what the other party may be saying or
thinking. By simply writing something online it can cause a person to have a completely
different reaction because they are not hearing in the correct tone the person was implying. For
example, it is much easier to notice when a person is using sarcasm because of their tone of
voice, facial expression, and body language. When a person is simply reading the words it is
much harder to interpret what they really mean causing much confusion.
Overall, in our current society, technology and social media are continuing to become
more popular ways to build new realtionships. Relationships can now form online without
actually meeting the person who is talking. In some cases, that may not be the greatest way to
build the foundation in a brand new relationship. The foundations of the relationship cannot be
seen as genuine because the people have not seen the other person for who they truly are in
person. The conveniency of being able to communicate online is something that can be used as a
great tool, if not over used. Instead of communicating with close ones only through text on social
media, people should be trying to pursue personal relationships in person, fully engaging in
conversation, and not having major distractions that could potentially harm the relationship.
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Works Cited
Clerkin, Elise M, April R Smith, and Jennifer L Hames. "The Interpersonal Effects of Facebook
Reassurance Seeking." Journal of Affective Disorders, 151.2 (2013): 525-530.
Holladay, Jennifer. "Cyberbullying." Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick
Review, 76.5 (2011): 4-9.


Jenkins, Brian. "A Brief History of Twitter." Editorial. Techniques Apr. 2014: 60-61. Web. 24 Apr.
2014.
Mineo, Andy. You Will. Andy Mineo. GAWVI, 2013. CD.

Phillips, Sarah. "A Brief History of Facebook." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 July
2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

"11 Facts About Cyber Bullying." DoSomething.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Mineo, Andy. You Will. Andy Mineo. GAWVI, 2013. CD.