Guiding+Resources

[|Communication Technology Changes Our Relationships] People are using texting, social networking websites, and Skype to communicate with others. By this, people are getting in touch with each other constantly, but does that really improve relationships?
 * “Connected presence" or "persistent presence" (name by researchers)
 * Feeling that you’re with someone because of technology
 * People wanting to know what you’re doing/where you are at all times
 * Ex: Foursquare, Gowalla, texting, even just being logged on Facebook without even talking a person
 * Phones have Internet- can access anywhere, anytime
 * Multi-tasking and communicating creates short attention spans, says Chayko, an NJ sociologist
 * "It is a compulsion to be in contact. People actually feel nervous, uncomfortable when they are too far away from their phones."
 * "They have trouble doing one thing at a time. When they meet friends face to face," Chayko said, "they will be texting at the same time they are with these other kids. They are used to juggling all these interactions, and they are good at it, but there is a loss of focus, a loss of reflection. There is a loss of depth."
 * With constant communication, Chayko said, it’s easy to isolate yourself from unwanted contact.
 * Elliot Kort, says “When you do care, there will always exist a difference between being together through technology and in person. This is nice and cool and a means to an end," he said. "But I think we are the purest forms of ourselves when we are physically together."

[|Facebook, MySpace, Twitter: Good or Bad for Kid's Brain?]
 * "Facebook and social networking leads to poor attention span because there is no concentration skills required when using the sites."
 * "If kids communicate primarily through the screen they do not learn the subtleties of real life communication - such as body language, tone of voice, and subconsciously sensing the molecules that other people release."
 * "Social networking sites make kids more self-centered."
 * "Screen relationships detract from spending time in real life relationship"

How Texting Affected a Sophomore's LifeA high school sophomore explains how texting affects her life. She shares how she gets stressed and depressed when she sends a text message. She worries that the person will not be able to read her text message with her sarcasm or emotion.
 * We will use this website to help use prove that emotion is lost through text messages.
 * "For me, it wasn’t. As much as I use it, it only adds unnecessary stress and depression. Now, when I say “stress”, I don’t mean the stress that I get from finals. And when I say depression, I don’t mean mental institution kind of stuff. I mean stress, the little nagging feeling that you get because so-and-so didn’t respond to your text. And depression, like the sad feeling you get because your first grade crush threw away your Valentine."
 * "It’s hard in the way that you can’t be sure what others are thinking of you, or how they interpret the text. There are no visible emotions. No hand gestures. No laughs or giggles."
 * "For now, I vow to stop the awkward texting and keep it face-to-face."

Does Texting Ruin Relationships?
 * "Texting can be a good thing but I think that it can also be difficult to interpret what is being said...you can not hear the sound, tone, expression of someone over a text message which can lead to easy misinterpretations."
 * "However, I believe that texting is very impersonal. It is by no means a good way to get to know someone and it can ruin relationships."
 * "Even the research shows that texting has made the young people of the world worse at interpersonal communication than people in past generations who had to talk on the phone or in person to communicate".

[|The Affect of Technology on Relationships]
 * "We write things like "LOL" and "LMAO" to describe our laughter, but they're no real substitute for //hearing// people laugh, which has real power to lift our spirits when we're feeling low.
 * "People are often uncomfortable with face-to-face confrontation, so it's easy to understand why they'd choose to use the Internet. Precisely because electronic media transmit emotion so poorly compared to in-person interaction, many view it as the perfect way to send difficult messages"
 * "We don't transmit these messages with as much empathy, and often find ourselves sending a different message than we intended and breeding more confusion than we realize."

=Instant Communication Changes Customs and Politics=

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 * A woman in India rejected texts because she thought people were too interested in her life.
 * In Venezuela, some anti-government demonstrations are organized through texts. Arthur Mallela says that mobilizations are hard to control. These groups are taking advantage of texting/the Internet's quickness and that the government has to catch up.

Survey Results

We surveyed in total **63** students at Pascack Valley. We found that **76%** of the students would rather text, compared to the **24%** would would rather call. We also found that **87%** made 5 or more phone calls a month. And **13%** of students made 3-4 phone calls a month. No one made 0, or 1-2 phone calls. Most students talk admitted that they mainly talk to their parents or other adult figures on the phone. **57%** of students said they don't or don't know anyone who communicates with someone solely online or through text messaging. But **43%** knew somebody who did. **68%** of students said they had a fight due to a misinterpreted text and **32%** said that never happened to them.