Human relationships are in decline. We Twit and Tweet, write our lives in Facebook, and float into MySpace. While the aforementioned outlets have their virtues, I believe it has begun to cause us to be disconnected from forming 
genuine person to person bonds and reinforcing existing ones. And just when I thought we were cyberspaced out, I read an article today about Roxxxy, a sex robot. Yes, ladies and gentleman, a real live sex robot with artificial intelligence that, according to the inventor, would actually be able to function as a real live partner. Whoa! That article, for me, put the nail in the coffin of the future of real human contact as we veer further and further away from the realm quality human relationships.
All inventions have their pros and cons. I cannot say that I am a proponent of an Amish way of living, as there are many virtues to doing things quicker and easier. However, when it comes to human interaction, nothing beats face time or knowing someone took time out to send a “Thinking of You” card or a hand-written letter. And in the case of Roxxxy, nothing beats flesh and blood! But in our fast-paced, quick fix world, we have become too busy to invest in friendships and relationships in a real sense. I know this too well as I found myself falling into the abyss of technology by telling people I am better on email than on the phone, and quickly realized that nothing replaces a real voice where we can hear the emotions behind the words, or seeing a person’s face as they say everything is fine but their eyes tell us to probe deeper. Via email or text message we can’t always discern a person’s true state, or always know the context of what is said. I have seen relationships strained and reputations ruined, because someone wrote something that wasn’t taken in context, or abused the privilege of status updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Another thing technology affords us is liquid courage. People tend to say things to people electronically that they would not say in person. People write passive aggressive remarks about others in public forums thinking no one will know who or what they are talking about, not realizing how small the world is. But unlike Las Vegas, what happens in cyberspace doesn’t stay in cyberspace! This is especially true of Twitter where people tend to vent more than any other social outlet I’ve seen. How many celebrities have said things in the heat of the moment only to have to retract because they forgot that they were putting their vents out to the public? That is the illusion of social networks. We often feel a kinship with strangers and develop a false sense of intimacy. This makes us think we are only sharing what’s on our cranium with our list of folks, when in fact everything we say and do pushes the start button on the cyber telephone game. That’s just a little too much.
I challenge everyone to put their relationships in perspective. Be sure to nurture the ones that serve as your necessary food, and be smart about who and how you befriend others in the cyberworld. Nothing beats quality, real-time conversations, honest dialogue, and the ability to take our time to get to know people in a real way. We must mind the times and realize the world loves to run off of the artificial, to the point where a relationship with a robot is now possible. So with that in mind, let’s Go Green with our relationships. It’ll make us feel more human.
*photocredit-www.findmearobot.com
Absolutely wonderful and on-time article, Nik! An awesome reminder for us all, and especially timely heading into a new year!
Thank you!
Excellent as always.
Love Ya,
Kimberly
You are awesome! Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this blog spot with me. It is very refreshing to know that there are still some real people who value the ‘real’ amidst all that is artificial in the Technology Age and beyond.
Glad to hear it! I appreciate you taking the time to read the post.
Thanks fornthe holiday replenishing.This serves somewhat as a confirmation of my not too long ago thoughts. Besides, (“soul food”) real healing and fixing comes from human efforts the traditional way which yet remains to be “face to face” etc.
Glad it blessed you!
: )!
This piece is good. My husband took a computer class on my nagging him to learn to used the computer more efficiently. What I did not bargain for is his new found love to the internet. He learnt Cloud Based Technologyand now he is always in Cloud base. When I get home from work or wherever, I have to ask him if he is in the cloud or on earth. Lol!!!!!!!
LOL!
You’re right — I think technology is causing many to pull away from building traditional relationships. People hardly send letters through the mail anymore; they rely on social networks. Many people text more often than have phone conversations.
This may be a bit left field, but weird things are happening because of technology. When someone sends a message from their phone to Facebook, the system makes note of the central location that they are in. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need anyone hawking down my every move. George Orwell explains it best, “Big Brother is watching.” And who knows, cash money may become distinct. If so, then our only option would be to swipe the card, and the card is a tracker as well. Video surveillance is everywhere, even at the stop lights. As you know, some computers even have video. I’m good; don’t need anyone eyeballing me while I sleep!
I have heard references to George Orwell quite a bit over the past decade. One might say his thoughts were prophetic. The internet tracks our every move. I am amazed at when I go to certain sites, there are ads tailored just for me! As for the computer eyeballing you–too late. You have already been spotted snoozing!
That’s only if there is a video camera on your computer, right???
LOL! Even if you had a camera on your computer, it’s not quite that easy for others to see you unless you are recording yourself then uploading. I have a camera on my laptop but I don’t know how to use it yet. Maybe I shouldn’t based on this discussion!
Great post. I have to say I am sick of cyberspace where relationships are concerned. I enjoy phone and real encounters. It really has affected relationships negatively.
I agree. Real encounters have so much value. We have lost the “art of the real” these days.
I’m glad you post this. Personally, I prefer the telephone but there are so many people that want to text. It is so impersonal. Texting should not be your main form of communication. As for social networks, I tell people all the time to watch what you put out there. Your tweets are collected. So, they never disappear. They are out there forever. People talk about their jobs and/or poeple and use codenames and think you are not going to know what or who they are talking about. Let’s be smart people. If you don’t want what you said repeated, don’t put it out there.
You said a mouthful, especially the last part. We do have to be more judicious about the things we say and do. Sometimes in the heat of the moment we have a momentary lapse in judgment, but we need to slow ourselves down and think first. Back to the beginning of your comment, I agree that our main form of communication should not be texting. I guess we are always prone to take shortcuts, but that is not always the best way.