Is technology ruining relationships?

Is technology ruining our relationships? I conducted a study only to find that more than half of the students who responded spend 4-6 hours on the laptops alone each day. A more universally relatable example would be on the 21st of November I was invited to a friends place but there was no conversation and a room filled with an awkward silence. Apparently it was more convenient to have a virtual conversation on the chat!!

I ran a study which included inputs from 20 different Grade 8 students. 50 percent of these students said that at least one of their parents is constantly on their phone or some form of technology. That’s a really staggering amount as this age of teens really need their parents attention. An anonymous student from UWCSEA also went to say that they repeatedly urge their parents to get off their phones but they don’t do so. Although it is understood that some parents have a lot of pressure from work the screen time must be limited and family time must be extended.

Did you know an eye-opening amount of 71 percent of teens use more than one kind of social media? This amount has to be reduced as smartphones are shown to facilitate shifts in teenagers communication and information landscape. These pieces of data already show how addicted we really are becoming to the virtual and made-up world.

Jabiz Raisdana, a Grade 8 English teacher also went to say that, “Social media is becoming an extra stage for our performance, people are just trying to search for validation.”

The PewResearchCentre also found out that one in three teenagers sends more than 100 text messages a day, or 3000 a month. This evidence is significant as it shows that this amount has to be reduced, texting could be the cause to many of our own social issues, such as bullying and being the cause of insecurity in people due to lack of attention.

On debate.org and anonymous user has also shared their strong opinion about social media ruining relationships. “People of young age are becoming so awkward, they don't even know how to interact with flesh and bones anymore. They don't know how to say hello without looking like a complete moron. They’re becoming very disrespectful to society by showing them their scalps more than their faces. (off topic: how many times did you miss the elevator because of some kid blocking the way while being distracted in the middle of writing a tweet? Ridiculous you guys!)” What is revealed here is that our actions are now getting to a level that is expressing disrespect and contempt to other individuals. It also illustrates that the youth are losing courage to have face to face conversations and put forth their views and ideas in real world interactions.

Some ways we can stop surrounding ourselves with these anti-social people (or becoming one!!) are, find an interest which you really love... play a sport, read a book or go out and meet friends and family! Another way is to stop yourself from too much screen time is make a time limit and stick to it. For example, only using your laptop for an hour each day. Also assign yourself some reading time, tell yourself you have to read at least thirty pages of a book each day.

Although technology is contributing positively to our world we must learn to control and moderate it. After all, eating something too sweet can leave a bitter aftertaste.

By Shrishti Khetan

The Distress Through Social Media

Have you ever experienced the true world of social media? The words themselves make some shudder and many ecstatic. There will never be an answer to whether it's beneficial or not...

The world has advanced. The word “iPhone” and “Samsung Galaxy” has become a trend. It’s like the same feeling to people when the world cup starts but the question is, why smartphones? Why not other phones? Well, it’s mainly because of two words, “Social Media”

Picture yourself at home, on your phone, on facebook and having a fun time scrolling. Do you really think that you are achieving or gaining something from it and did you know that the people who have the time to care about you, are just being ignored by your lazy and antisocial behaviour. Are you aware that a human spends about an average of 3 hours a day on social media? The implication isn’t that social media is unbeneficial” but the people who are trying to be active with you shouldn’t be neglected. Maybe you or your friends are being mature on social media but there are others who aren’t. Cyberbullies, trolls and scammers are like the dons of social media.

Youngsters, generally from the age thirteen to sixteen, are tormented by these cyber bullies on social media, however there are few who know how to deal with such dilemmas. Michael Hamm, researcher in pediatrics at University of Alberta, cited that “parents, need to be addressed that there child is being cyber bullied.” Alerting parents play a big role in these aspects. Remember, social media is much more distinctive than the real world and we should use it with caution.

Philip Haryanto, an 8th grade student, conceded strongly, “Social media is something that should be handled maturely. It needs to be utilised cautiously. There are many hazards involved, and I think that the most effective method is to avoid it entirely. I don’t have any experiences of any severe cases but I am acquainted with people who have and it was abhorrent and wistful. It is best to use social media when matured”

Cyber bullying not only affects us, but also the people amongst us and that is what caused desolation. “Once cyberbullied, it will be a rough experience to accept and prevent”, added by Philip Haryanto.

When surveyed, 8th grade students at UWCSEA reported firmly that roughly fifty percent of the people who they knew, have been cyberbullied and went through that atrocious process. Most peers, when surveyed, also responded that the first thing they would do is to alert their parents, but if we rely on our parents so much, then why do we use social media? This justifies that social media is meant for the matured and cyber bullies purposefully target young adolescents because they know that they can’t fight alone.

As we know, social media is a good way of spending free time and hanging out but we should be aware of its dangers. Sometimes, children can get influenced by the methods of cyberbullying and can start to do it which can be inimical to many. At the ages spanning from thirteen to sixteen are very crucial as that is when our brain starts to develop, and function better and faster and if we are influenced by these practices, not only it affects others, but if affects us the most and is precarious to our body.

Again, social media and the real world are complete two different things and both have its dangers and safety. It is like comparing cyber bullying and terrorism which again, is two bizarre and different things. If cyber bullying approaches to you, either block the account or let your parents know as soon as possible but, could cyberbullying be a lesson to teach youngsters not to use social media?

By: Aditya

"The Scientific American." Social Media, Cyber Bullying. N.p., 23 June 2015. Web.