Dominic Ramirez, Alex Ilusorio, Zachary Manalo

Mrs. Storer
English 3H: Block 4
October 22, 2019
Closer Together When We’re Further Apart?
It has long been held that technology deprives those who rely on it of a real connection
with other human beings. However, it can no longer be denied that technology is more than just
words on a screen or a voice over the phone. Technology brings people together to coordinate
efforts and solve mutual problems and voice different opinions. Technology is no longer
restricted to business, but has rather become a commonplace form of connecting with friends for
casual conversation for gaming and for collaboration for school assignments. Often times, these
methods of communication are disregarded as a fake connection or replacement for real
interactions. Although, modern technology is able to connect people to each other just as well if
not better than face-to-face interactions could ever do, even over great distances. Especially, in
today’s fast-paced world, it is already difficult for people to see each other face to face due to
time-crunches and busy work and school lives. On average, an adult spends 40 hours per week at
work. Technology solves this problem as it allows us to interact with one another on the go or at
home, whenever and wherever someone may be. Regarding students, a recent study in 2018
across 9 countries and 36 US states represents the relationship between students and their
preference of technology. Out of all the thousands of students, over three-fourths of those
surveyed enjoyed their experiences with technology in the classroom, mainly reaping the
benefits of an online source for help and guidance. In addition, technology connects families and
friends over any distance through social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook. As of this
year, there are over 1 billion users for Instagram, and over 2.7 billion users on Facebook.
Furthermore, streaming platforms like Youtube and Twitch allow viewers to become part of a
community gathered behind games, food, and lifestyles, connecting with people with common
interests. Additionally, video games provide yet another community of gamers, in which people
not only work towards common goals and objectives, but also learn and collaborate ideas with
each other to maximize efficiency and form efficient units for different games. Games like
Fortnite, which has drawn in over 250 million people, connect gamers on a basic level of teams
working towards a victory to global events like the Fortnite World Cup. Although, these groups
can be separated by differing interests and opinion, technology can also integrate entire groups of
people on the same platform on services like Reddit, which allows users to explore a vast world
of collaborated ideas and project, spanning from video games to global politics. As time
progresses, technology, especially the Internet, has become a beautifully interwoven network that
can connect people from every walk of life. Clearly, both small communities and the world
should embrace technology as a tool for bringing people together, whether it is a group project or
a global geopolitical issue. Next time you are on your phone, talk to your parents or
grandparents, catch up with an old friend, or make a new friend on social media.