Dehumanization Through Technology

With the advances in technology, we are able to keep in contact with more people on a more frequent basis. However; I’m not entirely convinced that technology is always the best mode of communication and I believe the “cyber world” is really starting to hurt us culturally as a people.


Not so long ago, the only method of communicating with family and friends was by writing or by visiting. There was something personal about that which has been lost. I am not talking about the nostalgia of receiving a carefully thought out, handwritten letter. I believe our subconscious thinks/feels differently when we sit down to our computers or cell phones to construct “text”. I believe our subconscious minds focus first on the medium, secondly on the message, and lastly on the recipient of the message. It is far easier to forget that the person on the receiving end is indeed a person and has thoughts and feelings of their own. When you sit down with paper and pen, it is easier to focus on what you want to say and to whom you’re saying it too. Part of that I believe is the effort it takes to write a handwritten letter as opposed to sitting down and rapidly typing a few words. Technology takes the personal out of that which ought to be personal. We focus more on the words on the screen than on the person. I have witnessed this on message boards, chats, emails, and in text messages. I think technology leaves us trapped in our heads, less in our hearts (feelings) and therefore detached from the recipient of the message. That is not to say that you cannot convey a personal message by means of technology. I am simply suggesting that it is less natural on a subconscious level to do so.