It is widespread. Yes. It seems that technology has already taken its toll on every person's social skills. Back in the day, it was easier making new friends and getting to know one another. But now, everywhere we go we see more and more people with MP3 players, cellphones, and videogames in their hands even when they're close to someone they could chat with. To start off, I'm not anti-technology or something. I'm saying all this because the cataclysmic impact that all sorts of gadgets have in someone's social life. I mean we can use both things: technology and face-to-face interactions. What kills me is that people are gonna become more introverted that even the most gregarious and talkative, bubbly people are gonna be affected by this technological revolution. I'm not saying that the evolution of technology causes shyness. But my point is that the evolution of technology CAN possibly kill face-to-face interactions to the point where it can damage our social skills and lead us to become socially inept.

Needless to say, I used to be an extremely shy, introverted geeky girl back then, during my elementary and middle school years, except in high school(although I only talked at home).So introverted, so taciturn, and so isolated that even my teachers and other school staff members even suspected that I was either mentally ill or victim of abuse, just because I was so different from the other kids. But I was a completely healthy person like I've always been. Nothing serious was wrong with me and everything with me was normal. My problem was that I had a severe case of social anxiety disorder(SAD). I really wanted to make friends but my severe shyness was holding me back. And that's when things were getting a little hectic for me. When in the fifth grade, I was referred to a psychologist due to the fact that I was too isolated and antisocial. My teacher really cared about her students, but I was her major concern of the bunch. She referred me to a counselor/psychologist because she wanted me to overcome my extreme shyness and isolation. In general, they started to investigate me to make sure that I wasn't being abused or traumatized in some way, but everything was totally fine. It was just my shyness. Even my parents encouraged me to overcome my severe shyness because I didn't wanna lose them. I only comfortably talked to my siblings and close friends.Why would the people around me believed that I was being somehow abused or had a problem while nothing was wrong with me? As I got into the high school years, this severe antisocial behavior perished. I was finally confident to interact freely with everyone without a problem.

Ironically,nowadays, I'm painfully aware of the impact that technology is having on people's social skills. It hurts me to see that the people around me and everywhere are becoming just another me in my old days: antisocial and isolated. Because the most modern and innovated cellphones and other electronic devices indeed seem to be causing social isolation, which is due to the time we spend on our computers chatting or texting or talking on our cellphones instead of talking face-to-face with one another. For example, we know that we cannot interact with a person who has his or her ears covered with earbuds listening to an IPod or to someone who is busy talking or texting on a cellphone. This means that today, we can even walk through a crowded sidewalk without being interrupted; that is, if we want to get away from the people around us we should start listening to our IPods or texting on our cellphones. If this type of behavior progresses, what's gonna happen? Can we even miss the chance of meeting our soulmate? People seem to be becoming just antisocial as me in my old days or worse. This is because since I wanted to make some new friends as a college kid with my nice but cheerful girl personality, people seem mad and seem not to talk to one another, even when sitting nearby. Now that I'm eager to use my improved social skills, people don't wanna use theirs. To me this means that we will isolate ourselves more and more as the years go by and technology will keep changing and enchanting us, eventually leaving us as total hermits, drifting us into utter solitude.

I feel betrayed because back in my shyness days, my peers were the ones who had to make me talk that they even offered me dollar bills and candy to just to hear me talk. But now, ironically I'm now the one who has to steadily make people talk or else they won't say anything at all! Like I said, I'm NOT agaisnt technology. I LOVE technology. That is why at the same time, I communicate with others in both ways: with technology and face-to-face interaction. Therefore, I believe that technology should be helpful, not detrimental. Anyway, I hope you all can answer this interesting but fascinating question. Need good answers :)

Definitely.All modern gadgets,like TV,games,computer and mobile are solo pursuits.Technology has made us anti-social.

Definitely.All modern gadgets,like TV,games,computer and mobile are solo pursuits.Technology has made us anti-social.

I'd say yes definantly.
We hear this alot but I think the biggest danger
is not anti-social behaviour but an unproductive lifestyle.

We all pretty much have grown with technology today,
I myself use to spend many more hours on a PC or watching TV
than I am now, and I can definantly see the impact that it had on my life.

Could you text this question? Its too damn long.

Thanks for the novel. Technology hasn't made people more anti-social. It's just given people better stuff to do instead of dealing with a bunch of extroverted, noisy @55h0!es all day.

Since you want to be so bubbly, get off the computer and ask some dude out on a date. If you want to get him talking, provide some motivation.

It's articles like this that could convince me to be anti-technology. The purpose of the new age of software infrastructures that are shared across devices such as BlackBerry phones and iPod Touch is to engulf the 'victim', as I so appropriately call them. The purpose is to literally take them 'out of reality', and people seem to find nothing wrong with this, as disturbing as it is.

Being in High School myself, I can easily say with a recognized sense of distinct difference from my peers that being the old fashioned guy I am, they do come across as addicted to these trinkets. It's truly saddening to see, especially the attitudes it creates. It is spectatable (made-up word, and I don't care) that in the not so distant future, technology will through the use of infrared technology, be able to completely and wholly trap the consumer in a 'virtual' bubble of media, a truly terrifying proposal but one that seems to be not all too off from what manufactures seem to be aiming for.

A good way, I think, to resolve this is by integrating these beloved technologies that the children ween off of into personal contact. Perhaps text messages could be replaced with...well...passing notes. The solutions quite literally are simple. Anyways, I find it to be hilarious that all of this...was typed...on a SONY laptop. Haha. Technology. If you'd like to discuss this further, please e-mail me at [email protected]