The idea of spending a day without access to technology is, for most college students, an unbearable thought. But the increasing dependence on technology for social communication has become a cause of concern for many who believe technology limits human connection and creates superficial interactions through immediate gratification.
In a June 7 New York Times article, communication professor Clifford Nass voiced his concern that heavy use of technology alters the way people interact with each other.
“The way we become more human is by paying attention to each other,” he said in the article. “It shows how much you care.”
Studies have shown that increased dependence on technology has resulted in the diminishing of empathy by limiting the amount of human interaction that takes place. According to Jennifer Aaker, a professor at the Graduate School of Business and a co-author of “The Dragonfly Effect,” a recent analysis of 72 studies performed on nearly 14,000 college students between 1979 and 2009 showed a sharp decline in the empathy trait over the last 10 years.
Although studies show that the increased use of technology has in fact resulted in a loss of human empathy, Aaker argues that technology may be used as a tool to encourage and implement social good.
Read the full story at the Stanford Daily.
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