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There have been many different advancements in technology. Many of these technologies have affected the way we communicate with our friends and family; some have even made it easier to meet strangers. Each one of these technologies has their own benefits when compared to another. All of these ways of communications were created to add convenience to society which usually has family spread throughout the country, and sometimes even throughout the world. But these great things do not come without a risk. With all of the new ways we have to talk with our friends and meet new people, there are lots of people who believe these new forms of communication is actually making us less social and shut off from our outside world. Most people do not realize that these are double edged swords; they either are the people who use it to much, or they are the ones that only hear the negative effects that have plagued the news programs and have never used them. Using these communication styles is great for once in a while, but extensive usage can be harmful. It can be tough to balance using these communication styles for casual, occasional usage and becoming dependent on them. The World’s new forms of communicating with each other were invented to add convenience to everyday lives. Society is busy, and it can be extremely difficult to get a chance to talk to friends or relatives to find out how they are doing, and what is new in their lives. With this in mind, the creators of these devices wanted to take this vast world seem much smaller. The Internet, the largest network, has brought many new ways of talking with other people. E-mail is one of the most common forms of communicating with people on the Internet. This form of communicating is a little different. It is like one way communication, except a reply does come, just not right away. Often times e-mail involves someone writing to a friend, asking them questions about their general lives, and writing about important things that are happening in their own lives. Then the other person writes back answering all the questions from the e-mail and then telling them what is important in their lives. This is the same concept as the postal service mail, commonly referred to as “snail mail”, but is done electronically and is a much faster form of reaching another person. There is an upgrade to e-mail called instant messaging. This form of communication adds all the convenience of e-mail with instant results. With instant messaging, as soon as a message is sent, the person on the other end receives the message, reads it, and then replies. This is still one-on-one communication but at a much faster rate when compared to e-mail. People can have multiple windows open having completely different conversations with many of their friends. Instant messaging is a perfect way to have a casual conversation, as well as an easy outlet to let one’s emotions unfold. This is due to the conversation not being face to face which can often times be uncomfortable and intimidating for some people. So when they are talking to a friend using instant messaging, they can become more open and discuss things they normally are to shy to even bring up. For many insecure people, instant messaging is also a great way to meet someone new sense they do not feel as intimidated and can relax. Even instant messaging can be upped one by video conferencing with a microphone and a video camera connected to a computer. This not only adds audio to the communication, but visual as well. With Internet service providers giving customers high bandwidth, users now have capabilities of doing video conferencing with their friends, family and even business. This adds a little intimacy into any discussion and makes it feel almost as if both people are in the very same room. The huge difference between this and meeting in person is you do not get the touch and feel aspect. Video conferencing has yet to gain popularity in the mass market due to cost of nice equipment, but is destined to become the next big thing when it comes to talking with your buddy and for businesses who do a lot of meetings across the country. It is just like the way communication was predicted in the show The Jetson's. |
