Monday, March 26, 2012

Overconnection

I really felt for the overconnected article, because I believe that we are overconnected. It seems that as technology advances, we become more reliant on our computers. I remember when technology did fail at my retail store once I was lost having to check customers out the "old fashioned" way. If we as a society are functioning in a way, where we rely heavily on technology that has potential to make us unstable ourselves. The video below is of a college student admitting that he is overconnected, but arguing that despite being overconnected he feels as though he has to. He believes that he misses out on something if he is not constantly connected, thus rendering him feeling uncomfortable/unstable without information. 


I believe relationships also have become more unstable because of being overconnected. We are constantly talking to others and becoming unhappy in our own relationships. Below is an example of how relationships can struggle because of being overconnected. Jealousy develops, and it becomes difficult to believe your partner. Partners may also pay more attention to being connected rather than working on their relationships.


I believe that being overconnected can leave a society unstable in more than just economic ways. It extends to our personal relationships and our ability to do things outside of the technology/internet. Though we can be unstable, I believe that technology does make it easier for us to stay connected to others and manage our expenses, but at what costs?

1 comment:

  1. I agree that we are overconnected and depended too much on technology. I moved to a new apartment last weekend and I can’t access to the internet for three days. Those three days really made me feel anxiety. I can’t do research online, can’t check emails, can’t chat with my friends and family, and can’t check any social network sites. These made me feel anxiety because I was always worried about if someone need to contact me but they can’t find me.
    It’s very interesting to watch the Facebook breakup video but so true. People rely heavily on technologies which lead to less face to face communication. One person post or tweet something interesting online, immediately, his/her “friends” could comment on the post. Anyone could say anything via internet. This will definitely hurt a relationship if they didn’t communicate well in person. This kind of situation also could happen to public figures. Being overconnected can make a relationship unstable, but also could facilitate positive relationship. I chat with my friends in China via internet each week which made me still keep a good relationship with them. I think if I was not overconnected, I could probably lose all of my friends in China.

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