The internet was originally created as a tool to share information and communicate with others, however, researchers have found that the increased use can cause isolation and lack of communication.
Natalia Bulluck, a student at Voorhees High School, located in Glen Garder, New Jersey, entailed how she feels the internet has created a divide between herself and her peers.
“I feel like its made it harder to communicate with my friends because it’s always online, so being in person is weird,” Bulluck said.
I feel like its made it harder to communicate with my friends because it’s always online, so being in person is weird.
— Natalia Bulluck
Andrew P. Smith, PhD and Hasah Alheneidi, PhD further explain this in their article published in the AMA Journal of Ethics. Their study showed that an increase of internet and social media use has led to a decrease in interactions with close friends and family.
In contrast, others find the use of modern day technology, such as the internet, helps connect people in a different way. Experts argue that the internet has actually allowed human interaction to significantly increase.
“I think it (the internet) has pulled me closer to my peers because I get to see what they are up to and it’s a way for us to communicate,” Del Val freshman Briley Myhre said.
Whether you have personally found the internet bringing you together or pulling you away, we can all agree that it can have both positive and negative effects.
