OPPOSING VIEWPOINT

Do cell phones create barrier to social connections?

Cell phones have redefined communication and social interaction in many ways. First and foremost cell phones have no doubt made communication better, more reliable and fast, just by a touch of the finger you can get in touch to someone who is thousands of miles away in a different part of the world. A few decades such communication would take weeks and would be quite tedious, expensive and time consuming and involved not many options rather than send a message via mail the post address just to keep the social connections active.

Such advances in telecommunication has definitely improved social connections at a global level making it even possible for one to hold video phone calls which simulate an actual one on one conversation with another person. Cell phones also provide the opportunity to communicate using various avenues from making a phone call, to texting, sending an email or using the internet to access social media platforms to get in touch with friends worldwide and express ones views and interests. Cell phones have also enhanced social connections where friends have gotten in touch and been able to constantly communicate with one another using cell phones despite the distance barriers that may be present. However despite all this cell phones have slowly reduced our interactions with our immediate members of society reducing the instances of holding a conversation with a colleague, class mate or neighbors. Cell phones have reduced the traditional debates sessions that could attract large audiences as individuals aired their views and supported their points backed by well thought out points and facts though could easily persuade anyone in the audience and has been attributed as one of the ways of creating great public speakers and lawyers, in today’s society however instead this debates and conversations are been carried out in social media platforms with friends whom we have never actually met but share similar or opposing points of view. Cell phones have changed the traditional socialization process with online dating and friendship been initiated with this revolutionary devices. Although the authenticity of some of the claims may be hard to verify, cell phones have been used to initiate and establish social connections and also maintain them as well. Cell phones are similar to bridges that link one region to another, cell phones on the other hand link one person to another making the socialization process much easier and convenient too despite the barriers and challenges that would have made it quite hard a number of decades ago.

Although cell phones have done little to improve confidence levels especially when it comes to public speaking and improving self-esteem of individuals, cell phones can be used to improve some of this skills and attributes that may be lacking through the use of software applications which offer educate on good social skills without necessarily having to attend a class for the same. Comparatively cell phones have enhanced social connections in society though not without their fair share of challenges which is understandable since nothing is perfect. The versatility of cell phones in their functions and applicability has led redefining social interactions from the traditional talking in a round table and at dinner time to non-verbal communication techniques which have increased in the form of writing text material using phones. However both are forms of communications though they differ in many ways but in the end they get the message across and effectively establish social communication and increase social connections at the same time. Cell phones have enhanced social connections in more ways than they may have harmed social connections in today’s modern society.