Technology affecting communication

Technology has improved a lot over the years. The forms of Communication went from writing letters to house phones, then emails, and now it is all about texting. These forms of communication have made it easier and faster for people to communicate, but all this change in technology has had both a positive and negative impact on the way society communicates.

Of course with the improvement of the house phone to a cell phone came along text messaging, which if not used in a responsible way it can be a negative thing for society. Nowadays though most people spend hours on their phone. It has changed relationships people have with one another. For example, when my friends and I go out it is different; now we go out and everyone is on their phones texting. It does not even feel like we are actually hanging out anymore because everyone’s attention is on their phones instead of on each other. It makes me a little mad because I remember before we would all have a great time, and we would all be laughing and talking and now it seems like everyone is in their own world.

”” Jennifer
Fresno State student

Social networking sites

The new way of communication this day in age, is through social networking sites. You are able to talk to anybody at anytime through message or chat, whether they live down the street or halfway across the world. Teens have taken a real liking to this. I, myself, as one, like communicating through the web. Which leads to the question, how do social networking sites affect how teens build relationships? In a matter of seconds you are able to meet new people through the web or meeting people through “mutual friends.” Also teens could feel more comfortable expressing themselves on the Internet then in real because they are writing to a screen then saying something face to face. The only problem with that is that it leads to Internet bullying because some teens feel that is easier to write rude comments then saying it in person. This new way of communication puts parents at unease because they do not know what their child may be up to on the Internet.

Also the amount of friends they have can determine how a teenager feels about themselves. If they have a lot of friends then they feel popular and well known, but if they don’t have many friends then they may feel like nobody likes them. I personally believe that it should not matter how many friends you have because the point of Facebook is to keep up with your friends and find common interests with your friends. I think it should help to know you are not alone and that other people may feel the same way with any of your opinions.

”” Melissa
Fresno State student

Media bad influences

Television might influence you to do something bad, it has many negative effects, but it still has positive ones in the long run. Only you decided how television will affect you and how much of it you will use to make your life better. Bart Simpson is representing the American life.

Many people are against this cartoon, they say it has many negative effects but each character has a meaning each represents our American lifestyle. Lisa, the good one of the family represents the positive part of media, how it helps a person get intelligent in a positive way. Then we have Bart Simpson, the boy who’s always ditching school and riding his skateboard, having no care for life and how things will be for his future. Bart embodies youth culture’s ironic distance from media and its willingness to disassemble and resplice even the most sacred cultural and ideological construct. Even though there are a lot of negative things in this television series, there are still those that are good. The Simpson’s episode of “The Raven” is very intellectual, it is shown in high schools so that the students have a better understanding of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.” It sure did make a lot more sense when The Simpson’s did it then reading the poem. There is more appreciation to Edgar Allan Poe when you understand how powerful his writing was. But you have to give thanks to The Simpson’s for helping you understand who Edgar Allan Poe was.

”” Jocelyn Manriquez
Fresno State student