Most people agree that our friends and family are the most important part of our lives. But the way we interact with our loved ones has changed, thanks to technological advances such as texting, skyping, online messaging and social networking. Even the way we find new people has drastically changed, thanks to advances such as online dating and social media.
It used to be that when you wanted to catch up with a friend, you’d pop round her house or call her on the phone. Nowadays, you’re just as likely to ping her on Facebook or drop her a tweet. But are you really connecting with your friends? Is a smiley face emoticon the same as seeing your smile for real?
Only around 7% of our communication is conveyed by the words we use and the rest is in our body language, facial expressions, and gestures. So it’s clear that we are missing a lot when we rely too heavily on online messaging and neglect the real time communication that everyone enjoys. Hugs, smiles, and just spending time in another person’s company are all fundamental human needs.
On the other hand, texting and messaging can have a positive influence on relationships of all kinds. Many people have met the love of their life online, and when you look at the facts about online dating, it is nowhere near a scary or mysterious concept as it used to be. I am a witness to an online love affair. My high school best friend met her partner through online and it worked really well with them, now they are happily married for 5 years!
Before mobile phones, organising a night out or meal with friends and family was a lot of effort – nowadays, it’s much easier to send a text around or set up a Facebook invite to get everyone together. It’s much more convenient if you want to change plans at the last minute, too.
Keeping in touch is easier too. If your loved ones are far away, you can still keep up with their daily lives through social media, email, messaging, texting and video calls. Staying close with people even when you’re miles apart is a wonderful gift that technology has given us.
Of course, it’s important to keep a balance between time spent online and time spent with your friends in person. As long as you use it wisely, technology can be a way to enhance and deepen your most important relationships and stay close with those you love.
