Emotions and Technology - Free Essay Sample

Emotions and technology have become significant in todays world. It has become a subject of research in most research disciplines. The technology industry is also growing tremendously. As a result, emotions and digital technology converge. The invention of technology especially the social media has created an emotional attachment with the consumers. Technology is the realm of novelty since it answers the question on how the new flows back into the old. Digital technologies such as phones, laptops, computers, tablets and media players can arouse peoples emotions. For instance, such devices can intensify feelings or lessen them. The digital technologies have established a strong connection with the internet user significantly. In most cases, the visual contact of a person is the first to display emotions between the phones, tablets and media players users.

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Most media users have attached loads of emotions on mobile phones. A mobile has grown to become a device that has inspired significant quantities of literature. Due to its omnipresence, phones have become an essential need to the life of a user. Using a Smartphone to tease and play with a child, for example, slows down their ability to self-regulation. In most cases, a phone is connected to a persons day-to-day activities strongly. For instance, it plays a role in manifesting the ways in which a person presents themselves to others. Moreover, various types and ranges of mobile devices have been introduced in the market. The phone user can customize most external and internal features in a way to reflect the identity of a user (Benski and Fisher, 2014). Most people view mobile phones as part of their body since they cannot live without the gadgets. As a result, this shows one important aspect of the fusion between emotion and technology. The digital technology has made it easier for people to split their presence. For example, a person can be in two places at the same time where in one case they are physically present and in another, they are connected via technology. As a result, this makes social interactions more complicated since when a person is receiving a call, he or she has to decide on the space of interaction and the individuals in the context (Benski and Fisher, 2014). In some cases, this may trigger emotions in users who appear to manage their emotions in different contexts while one may feel distressed if their partner is on a call for too long at the same time. Receiving a call in an inappropriate place can cause a person to suffer from stress.

According to Benski and Fisher, 2014, there is a multifaceted link existing between technology and emotions. Modern technology plays a significant role in creating connections between positive aspects that increase the ability to bond with each other. With the recent technological development, about 10 percent of 8-12-year-olds in Canada and the USA valued their online friends more than they valued those they interact with regularly. Technology has had an effect on the emotional growth and development of children. Social media affects the face-to-face interaction of children since most of their time is spent on internet devices mingling with people they have never met. Children require a secure environment to develop healthily. However, social media and digital technology do not provide a favorable environment for a childs growth. Moreover, social media is the most addictive form of digital technology. According to Benski and Fisher, 2014, about 63 percent of the Americans are logged on FaceBook daily. People use social media for different reasons. For instance, it can be utilized for boredom relief, distraction, and for interaction purposes. As a result, the media sites build a strong connection with the users leading to addiction.

Technology can lead to negative influences resulting in bad moods. In some cases, digital technology makes people compare their lives with that of others. Most posts on social media present an idealized version of the current life of an individual. As a result, most users can compare themselves with us resulting in a low self-esteem. For example, in a case where everyone in ones newsfeed has a better day than the viewer, the user is likely to have negative emotions due to change of moods. In other cases, a person especially a teen may acquire negative influence from social media in attempts to look or behave like another. Besides that, social media makes people restless. When a person has difficulty accessing the platform, they are likely to be anxious and stressed. Additionally, social media usage has led to increased cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is not healthy for the development of most adolescents. One may post something on FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter, and the post may receive negative energy from other viewers. As a result, this leads to reduced self-esteem and victimization as well.

In several occasions, social media leads to increased drug and alcohol intake. According to Derks, Bos, and Grumbkow, 2007, about 70 percent of teenagers aged between 12 and 17 interacts with tobacco users via the social media regularly. As a result, a teenager may adopt the behavior since the digital technology leads to extreme peer pressure. In other cases, social media makes people unhappy. Derks, Bos, and Grumbkow, 2007 indicates that regular FaceBook users are more unhappy and moody as compared to those who use the media platform less often. People rely too much on technology and forget to interact with other individuals in the traditional ways such as face-to-face discussions. In addition to that, the internet allows researchers to investigate a significant amount of online content. Sharing of emotions plays a vital role in creating and maintaining social ties. As a result, the social media networks revolve around the feelings and reflections of the internet users. In most cases, a person is likely to post his or her feelings on social media. However, an internet user is likely to face resonance among their circle of friends and contacts.

Social media leads to emotional contagion due to the social networks created. According to Baron, 2009, people who watch negative stories from the media platforms are likely to post some negative comments and vice versa. As a result, emotions expressed by others on FaceBook can influence the emotions of an internet user. Besides, negative posts have an impact on the positive and negative social circles of a person. In most cases, what a person posts on social media are influenced by their contacts (Baron, 2009). Emotional dimension of an individual is linked closely with their identity. In most cases, the higher a person has ranked on social media, the more the feeling of satisfaction. For instance, if a person has many friends in FaceBook and receives equally many likes on their posts, he or she is likely to feel good leading to a high self-esteem. Mostly, the emotions on various social media platforms are likely to identify the characteristics of an internet user.

In conclusion, the increased use of digital technologies plays a significant role in the day-to-day interaction. From the study, emotions are related to the use of media devices such as a mobile phone. The social media devices are used as realms that are accessed through screens connecting a significant number of affective technology users. Moreover, technology acts as a channel for the expression of peoples desires. However, it also contributes to the modeling of a persons behavior and affections. The continued use of digital technology reveals the important nature of emotions in the world today. Consequently, it also affects the identity of a user, which is expressed and constructed. Furthermore, digital connections have destroyed most relations formed either through digital connections or via face-to-face interactions. Negative emotions may arise from digital technology usage especially when peoples posts and comments generate a negative energy. As a result, this may lead to low self-esteem. Moreover, in the case where a person has more friends and followers on the social media platform, a feeling of real satisfaction and high self-esteem arises.

References

Baron, N. (2009) The Myth of Impoverished Signal: Dispelling the Spoken Language Fallacy for Emoticons in Online Communication, in J. Vincent and L. Fortunati (eds) Electronic Emotion. The Mediation of Emotion via Information and Communication Technologies, (pp. 107-35). Bern: Peter Lang.

Benski, T. and Fisher, E. (2014) Introduction: Investigating Emotions and the Internet, in T. Benski and E. Fisher (eds) Internet and Emotions, (pp. 1-14). New York, NY: Routledge

Derks, D., Bos, A. E. R. and Grumbkow, J. (2007) Emoticons and social interaction on the Internet: the importance of social context. Computers in Human Behavior 23(1): 842-49