Over time, advancements in technology have influenced human to human relationships in positive and negative ways.

Teenagers and adults both heavily rely on technology in their day to day lives. Texting is the primary source of non-verbal communication. While texting can be an asset, this form of communication can have a negative impact on how a  message is interpreted.

“If I were to be texting someone, I wouldn’t know the tone they’re using or their attitude toward the subject we’re talking about,” junior Avery Wallace said.  “I think texting too much can take away from how important face to face conversation is. It defeats the purpose of talking in person.”

Technology has changed and advanced so greatly, and it’s  impact on relationships both in home environments and public has been significant.

“Advanced technology has been beneficial to our generation in places such as hospitals, schools, businesses, etc,” Wallace said. “However, in modern days, it has taken away the ability to write with a regular pen and paper in school. I know a lot of people that learn ten times better without technology.”

As there are many downsides to technology, it keeps the world moving fast and up to date. Many schools around the country are making a move to become more technological by purchasing laptops for students in order to turn homework in online.

“I’m personally not a fan of computers because things such as memories can be wiped out in a second.” junior Casey Harper said. ”

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are very popular with teenagers and young adults. These social medias are used daily to keep people updated with the world, but they can get out of hand when it comes to talking about others.

“Personally, I like twitter, but it has more cons than pros when it comes to tweeting and sub-tweeting,” Wallace said. “It’s nice because it keeps you updated with the things around the world and our community, but I also believe it’s the root of drama, derogatory comments, and bullying.”

As Twitter becomes more popular every year, people ‘subtweet’ about one another; subtweeting means talking about someone or something without directly saying it to that person.

“The older generation has made technology into almost a scapegoat for certain behavioral patterns ,” junior Alex Peters said. “I think that the older generation is jealous of the younger generation because they didn’t grow up with the devices we have.”

People use Twitter to meet others or get to know other people by dm’ing them (direct messaging).

“Twitter has made the communication process harder between relationships. I don’t think people are using Snapchat for what it was intended to be used for,” Peters said. It has been transformed into a type of social media and way of communicating over time. It really changed the way people look at the way you send pictures and share your daily life with people.”

Social media has become the powerhouse of communication. Texting has become the biggest problem in driving. Twitter has become the biggest problem in relationships. Snapchat has become the biggest problem in friendships, but in all honesty, has anything changed?

Young people are ridiculed for their use of technology in this generation, but what the older generations don’t understand is technology has been around and evolving for centuries. When  grandparents were teenagers, they had their head in the newspaper. When parents were in high school, they continuously called each other and never hung up the phone to the point of insanity.

Whenever a new type of media is introduced into the world, the youth are the first to get a hold of it because of societal standards.

This generation got iPods, iPhones, iPads, etc.. Who knows what the new generation is going to get.

Our present and upcoming generations need to be aware that, as technology has advanced and changed throughout the older generation’s years,  technology may change throughout their years, as well. Hopefully, by being aware that technology is constantly evolving, the current generation will be more accepting and open to changes.

As social media evolves, so do we. Whatever generation it may be, understanding the way of evolution through communication is key to adaptation. As time goes on, so do ideas and ways of life. New technological ideas are created every day, making the world new and improved.

“Technology does wonders of distancing people in a community rather than bringing people together,” Harper said.