In a world where cell phones and computers have taken over; a question that is commonly asked is how have they changed communication? Not just communication with close family or friends, but communication with the rest of the world.
Everyday you hear adults saying to put your phones down and talk to the people around you or you read online how technology is ruining face to face communication. While many of these are valid points; you often don't see or hear much about how cell phones and computers have improved communication. Not only can you video chat a family member on vacation with the touch of a screen. You can also connect with people in your community and across the globe.
On sites such as Facebook it is not hard to find groups in your local community. People in your city or county can talk about issues such as road problems, the rise in gas prices, and sometimes people even debate about the upcoming election for the school board or the Mayor position. Anyone can talk about anything and everything going on in their community. You might even see an ad for a fundraiser for the high school football team. Sites such as Facebook have brought small communities together in a common place online, but there are also communities that relate to your interests.
All over Facebook you can find various groups and communities that discuss subjects from cars to cooking recipes to just posting pictures of their cats and dogs. In many of these groups there are people from across the globe that come together to discuss and debate common interests. Websites such as Pinterest have tons of crafts, recipes, ideas etc that are posted by people everywhere and can be used by anybody. Some sites even have an active Q & A section where you can ask a question and somebody who sees it can answer the question for you.
All in all, yes, there are downsides to technology. It may not be helping with face to face communication, but the opportunities that are present for us through these websites and chat rooms are endless. The amount of information you can gather, and the people you can reach in the blink of an eye is astonishing. I fully believe that technology has had more of a positive impact on communication and our local communities than a negative one.
