Scope: I will be analyzing how technology (specifically the internet, social media, and smart phones) is impacting social lives, with a focus on interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. I will need to acknowledge all the good that technology has done for bringing us together, especially in increasing political efficacy. However, I want to focus on bringing in research and analyses discussing how technology has impacted our attention spans and communication skills, and how they may have in turn impaired our “real”, in-person relationships as well as our relationships with ourselves. For example, I can analyze results from studies such as “The Affects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships” which show that, for example, not messaging one’s partner enough can cause dissatisfaction in relationships. I would also incorporate some “primary sources” like newspaper op-eds in order to examine how people are responding to trends like these appearing before them.
Value: First, I will be asking how technology influences people’s social skills and relationships. Just how “distracted” have we become? To what degree is technology, instant access to information, and constant checking and updating of social media affecting us outside of the virtual world? Secondly, I want to ask why this is important. What impact will these decreasing social and communication skills have on the world? What happens when we lack meaningful, in-person relationships? What is the future of society going to look like if these trends continue? I want to include research to answer these questions, although I think including personal analyses/opinions of these questions (from both scholars and everyday people who are living it) would be interesting as well.
Originality: This topic is extremely relevant to modern times because this type of social technology has only been around for the last decade or so. I think my paper will add to the work done on this subject by supporting the possibility that technology is negatively affecting our social relationships and communication skills as well as how we see ourselves. The common person is most likely aware of general findings from studies about how technology is affecting us psychologically and sociologically. There have been many analyses of technology’s impact on society within the arts recently, such as with the movies Her and Wall-E, or even comedian Aziz Ansari’s novel Modern Romance. I want to further analyze the studies by showing how people respond to this trend appearing before their very eyes, and how or if this trend will continue and affect society in the future. At this very moment, do people find our reliance on technology for socialization concerning? What, if anything, should be done?
Practicality: I have found extensive research and information about this topic. Many psychologists and sociologists have conducted studies about how technology has affected attention, social skills, and personal relationships. For example, “The Effects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships” and “Technology, Relationships, and Culture: Clinical and Theoretical Implications” are two journals which conducted research how technology (cell phones in particular) are estranging friendships and intimate relationships. My methodology will include comparing these studies done predominantly on American teenagers and college students with those done on communities that live without technology or those conducted in the past (pre-dating social media and smartphones). Almost all of the sources I will be using are from the library catalog or database. So far, I have been able to access all the articles and books I want to use in my paper. I also may incorporate some newspaper op-ed pieces to serve as primary sources of sorts which offer firsthand perspectives about the topic as it is unraveling.
Bibliography
Miller-Ott, Aimee, Lynne Kelly, and Robert Duran. “The Effects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships.” Communication Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2012): 17-34.
Velasquez, Alcides, and Robert LaRose. “Social Media for Social Changes: Social Media Political Efficacy and Actitivism in Student Activist Groups.” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 59, no. 3 (2015): 456-74.
Zilberstein, Karen. “Technology, Relationships and Culture: Clinical and Theorectical Implications.” Clinical Social Work Journal 43, no. 2 (2015): 151.
Crawford, Matthew B. The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2015.
Roberts, Paul. The Impulse Society: America in the Age of Instant Gratification. New York: Bloomsbury, 2014.
Emily, this is alot more focused and two sided than last time. Athough I think you should still included more on how technology has benefitted us, socially, economically etc. Overall I really like your topic, and the way you outline your points is very clear and precise.
I think that this is a great topic that most if not all can relate to. You are very clear in what you want to research. My only reservation is you write in the originality section what, if anything, should be done?” I think this question may discredit your argument and go against the prompt. If you say that nothing should be done, then is this really that important of an issue?
Emily- This is definitely a topic relevant to the 21st century. I like your idea of supporting your thesis about how technology is a problem because it impairs our interpersonal relationships with the studies on cell phones. One thing I think may benefit your paper is addressing the issue of; if technolgy is such an problem why do these interpersonal relationships need to be kept up and enforced in our society.
Emily,
Your topic screams 21st century. It is extremely relevant to todays society, I think that some very interesting social experiments could come out of this topic. I feel as though because this topic is so heavily talked about, that resources will be abundant.
Emily- I find it interesting how you are going to evaluate relationships and how social media plays a role in forming social habits. This reminds me of the TED talk that we watched during the first week of orientation here at Dickinson. Clearly this is a very relevant topic and you definitely have a lot of information to back your claim.