Technology is Redefining Relationships

Technology is Redefining Relationships

By Rachel Orr

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The world has never been more connected

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Social media has broken down time

and distance barriers

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Enabling universal communication anytime and anywhere

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This includes the ability to rekindle old friendships

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And have constant communication with the ones we love

“ Technology is rewriting the rules and practices that have guided the development, maintenance and

termination of relationships for eons” – Jim Taylor

Image by HmmlargeartSource: Is Technology Changing the Way Kids Develop Relationships?

A relationship used to be two friends spending time together

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Or the bond a mother builds with her child

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Now a relationship is based on your interactions with people online

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Source: How Our Digital Devices Are Affecting Our Personal Relationships Image by William Hook

54% of Americans said they would rather communicate digitally than communicate in person

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The internet is “an electronic drug that often yanks us away from the physical

world” – Alex Lickerman

Source: The Effect of Technology On Relationships

Our virtual presence is

redefining and affecting the quality of our

real relationships

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“Facebook has redefined the idea of a “friend”- a passive connection with

someone you may or may not know in real life” - Alicia Eler

Image by Tammy McGarySource: How Technology Changes our Relationships - Alicia Eler

But as Eric Schmidt, the Chairman of Google said, “it’s not about your friend count.”

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“It’s about the friends you count

on.”

Source: How Our Digital Devices Are Affecting Our Personal Relationships

A romantic relationship is now defined as official when it is on Facebook

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Sharing used to mean lending your pencil crayons to a friend

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Now sharing means posting information to Facebook

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"Human relationships are rich, and they're messy and they're demanding. And we

clean them up with technology. We sacrifice conversation for mere connection.”

– Sherry Turkle

Image by SimonQeCESource: The Flight from Conversation

This sacrifice is causing real relationships to be replaced by virtual ones

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“We expect more from technology and less from one another and seem increasingly drawn to technologies

that provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of relationship” – Sherry Turkle

Image by IdandersenSource: The Flight from Conversation

Technology has brought us closer together Image by Anika Thomas

But is threatening to pull us a part.

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All images are licensed under the Creative Commons Non-Commerical Share-Alike 3.0 agreement and are sourced

from flickr, morgueFile or Google images.

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Sources

Is Technology Changing the Way Kids Develop Relationships? – Jim Taylor http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201302/is-technology-changing-the-way-kids-develop-relationships

How Our Digital Devices Are Affecting Our Personal Relationships – Iris Adlerhttp://www.wbur.org/2013/01/17/digital-lives-i

The Effect of Technology On Relationships - Alex Lickermanhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201006/the-effect-technology-relationships

How Technology Changes our Relationships - Alicia Elerhttp://readwrite.com/2012/03/05/how_technology_changes_our_relationships

The Flight from Conversation - Sherry Turklehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0