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Ashley Olsen
Ms. Young
English 2010
20 Oct. 2015
Real Face Time
J.R a French artist says, The more social media we have, the more we think
were connecting, yet we are really disconnecting from each other. (JR) Social media
refers to websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other sites where
individuals create, share, or exchange information and thoughts in an online setting.
Technology has become something that people use every single day of their lives. It is
used so much that people end up socializing more over their electronics than in person.
These days the social skills of people have decreased exponentially. It could be argued
that technology has increased the amount of communication in society, but this doesnt
acknowledge the fact that the communicating is happening online. The effects of only
online communication can be huge. Technology has made life in general easier and more
efficient; however, technology has decreased face-to-face human interaction.
People spend way too much time texting and posting on media. There is evidence
of many people that tend to stay up late at night just to check social networking sites or
are woken up by their electronics. Sue Adams, an Associate Professor at the University of
Rhode Island says, Two hundred thirty-six college students completed self-report
questionnaires and week-long sleep diaries. Results revealed that 47 percent of students
reported night-time waking to answer text messages and 40 percent to answer phone
calls (Adams 25). These college students experienced a decrease in sleep due to their

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phones going off throughout the night. Technology has enough influence to wake up a
stressed college student in the middle of the night just to answer a text.
Contacting someone over text is really convenient when needing to say few
words, but it can be hard to tell how you may be saying something. Without face-to-face
interaction there is no real feeling or emotion. Emoticons were invented for texting to
make conversations more exciting and to convey emotions because texting does in fact
get boring (Yuasa). Texting restricts verbal or nonverbal expressions to be exchanged.
Science tells us that by using our five senses, people take in signals from the people we
communicate with. Siegel a professor of clinical psychiatry at the UCLA School of
Medicine and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute says, Mirror neurons
subsequently interpret these signals and become activated. The insula of the brain then
responds to mirror neuron activation by altering the observer's limbic system and bodily
state to match the other person's, thus facilitating empathy (Siegel). In other words, the
five senses take in critical movements or feelings from other people and our brain
develops empathy. This allows people to respond and understand what they take in from
others. The five senses cant be used when texting. It is crucial to develop relationships
face-to-face so that people can understand each other through verbal and non verbal
expressions. Sarcasm can be used when texting friends. One person might understand the
sarcasm, laugh and reply with their own sarcastic remark, while another can get offended
because they cant hear a persons tone of voice. Its almost impossible to really know
everything about a person without physically spending face time with them.
Cell phones have become such a part of all of our lives that they could be
considered a replacement for humans. People are constantly communicating using their

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cell phone by texting and making phone calls. Theyll sit and text someone all day and
not actually hang out with them ever. According to a media poll conducted in 2009, more
than 50% of adolescents log onto their favorite social media site more than once a day,
and 22% log onto that site more than 10 times a day (Farber, 1225). Adolescents have
their whole life ahead of them and instead of going out and living it, they stay inside all
day playing their video games, watching television and posting things on social media.
They will never grow and learn how to communicate with people out in the real world.
Technological advances help with the theory of human replacement. The iPhone 5 was
made with the Siri feature that made it more human-like. An iPhone owner was now
able to talk to their phone and have it answer back. Andrew Brown a British journalist,
writer, and editor says, The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some
people it is a complete substitute for life (Brown). The internet has become a part of
everyones life. In some instances it is their life. Spending more time with electronics is a
mistake that people sadly make. Making connections with real people holds more
meaning. Humans have a need for feeling loved and a part of that is being able to interact
with people and getting to know new people. Someones words can make you feel loved;
however, actions speak louder than words.
Electronics take away time that could be spent with people. Its important to
spend actual face time with people. Layne Hartsell, a professor at Sungkyunkwan
University in Seoul, Korea says, If we are to value human interactionthe oldfashioned kind, where we sit and talk over coffee or tea or where we can reach out and
touch the other person, then being plugged in constantly diminishes our social lives
(Hartsell). Old fashioned interaction isnt just sitting at a table with people so that by the

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end of the meal everyones heads are bent down looking at their screens. It is about
turning off the phones with full focus on the people with whom one is spending time
with. The more time people spend on their phones, computers and televisions, the less
time they have for their families and friends. In the United States alone, the percentage of
internet users increased from 9.24% in 1995 to 87.4% in 2014 (World Bank). Wouldnt
people who really value relationships spend less time on technology and more time with
the person. Technology gives us the ability to talk to family and friends we dont get to
see all the time; however, time with friends is time well spent.
Technology prevents people, especially new generations from gaining important
social skills for life. Walther explains that using technology to socialize allows people to
change their social behavior and act differently than they normally would (Walter 199).
Some people are given the perfect opportunity to become something else through
technology. Others may look at technology as a way to hide from society and socializing.
Chris Segrin a professor in the communication department at the University of Arizona
says, Social skill is defined as ones ability to interact with others in an appropriate way
(Segrin). Having social skills is vital in day-to-day activities. Certain settings require you
to act in a certain way. At a restaurant people are expected to speak in a polite manner.
Someone who isnt experienced with communicating in the real world wouldnt know
how to speak appropriately. There are people who dont behave as their normal self in
social situations because theyre used to acting a certain way online and dont know how
to communicate. This can cause them to go to certain lengths to avoid socializing because
they arent use to face-to-face interaction. Social media is good for keeping in contact and
connecting with old friends, but we need the social skills to allow us to meet different

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kinds of people (Ethan Zuckerman). People can meet online, but theres the possibility
that some lie on the internet and make others believe what they want them to. The
internet isnt the most safe and reliable place to meet people. If some people feel as if
they arent very social, the internet provides them with an easier way of being the
opposite. Technology has provided us access to unlimited amounts of information which
doesnt require us to go out and learn for ourselves. Albert Einstein said, It has become
appallingly obvious that our technology exceeded our humanity (Einstein). This means
that technology has become more human than actual people. We are becoming slaves to
our own technology. Humans have become lazy and technology does all our work for us.
A part of being human is interacting with one another out in the open. Technology has
provided a new way to be human and socialize, but it isnt the better way.
Technology has a negative effect on people and how they communicate. Society
has made it seem acceptable to only communicate online instead of valuing real human
relationships. People who are lost in cyberspace wont learn how to be socially skillful.
Cell phones are replacing real people. Chatting online and texting doesnt allow a person
to be who they really are. Going out in the world and interacting allows people to react to
different things, with different people. Time spent with technology isnt time well spent.
When instead people could spend it with family and friends. Society hasnt made this an
issue, but it is. For the sake of future generations, we need to find a balance in using
technology everyday and not letting it decrease face-to-face interaction.

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Works Cited
Adams, Sue K.Kisler, Tiffani S. "Sleep Quality as a Mediator between TechnologyRelated Sleep Quality, Depression, and Anxiety." Cyberpsychology, Behavior &
Social Networking 16.1 (2013): 25-30. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
Collection. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Brown, Andrew. BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 12 Oct.. 2015.
Farber, Barry A., Gavin Shafron, Jaleh Hamadani, Emily Wald, and George Nitzburg.
"Children, Technology, Problems, and Preferences." Journal of Clinical
Psychology 68.11 (2012): 1225-229. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Grobelny, Joe. "Who Needs a Library When You Have the Internet?" Front Range
Community College Blog. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
JR. "JR Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
Margolis, Daniel. "The Social Impact of 'Everywhere' Technology." Certification
Magazine 11.7 (2009): 26-29. Computer Source. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
Segrin, C., & Givertz, M. (2003). Methods of social skills training and development. In J.
O. Greene, B. R. Burleson (Eds.), Handbook o f communication and social
interaction skills (pp. 135-176). Mahwah, NJ US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Publishers.
Siegel, D. J. The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of wellbeing. New York, NY: Norton (2007)

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Walther, J. B. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and
hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23, 3-43.
World Bank. "Internet Users (per 100 People)." Internet Users (per 100 People). Web. 11
Oct. 2015.
Yuasa, Masahide & Saito, Keiichi"Emoticons Convey Emotions without Cognition of
Faces: An FMRI Study." Emoticons Convey Emotions without Cognition of
Faces. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
Zuckerman, Ethan. "Ethan Zuckerman Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.