Is Technology Getting in the Way of Friendships?
Jude: Is technology getting in the way of friendships? Hmm. I’ve actually got a story about this. So, I read a lot of online newspaper articles saying that it is time to acknowledge that our cell phones can harm our social relationships.
Jude: So, I decided to quit social media totally, and I even got rid of my smartphone, and instead I got an old cell phone that could only call and SMS. And of course, nobody uses SMS anymore.
Jude: At first it was great! Um, I wasn’t disturbed by people sending messages late at night and little notifications didn’t annoy me anymore. But, honestly, it didn’t make that much difference to my social life. Certainly not in a positive way.
Jude: Um, instead, I felt a little bit more isolated. Um, sure, when I’m out with my friends and I had a smartphone, I would spend probably too much time on the phone rather than talking to them.
Jude: And in that sense it sort of endangered our friendships. It’s difficult to beat that urge. But also, when I’m not with my friends, the smartphone allowed me to stay in contact with them.
Jude: So I could chat with someone in a different city at three o’clock in the morning, for example.
Is technology getting in the way of friendships? Hmm. I’ve actually got a story about this. So, I read a lot of online newspaper articles saying that it is time to acknowledge that our cell phones can harm our social relationships.
Jude: So, I decided to quit social media totally, and I even got rid of my smartphone, and instead I got an old cell phone that could only call and SMS. And of course, nobody uses SMS anymore.
Jude: At first it was great! Um, I wasn’t disturbed by people sending messages late at night and little notifications didn’t annoy me anymore. But, honestly, it didn’t make that much difference to my social life. Certainly not in a positive way.
Jude: Um, instead, I felt a little bit more isolated. Um, sure, when I’m out with my friends and I had a smartphone, I would spend probably too much time on the phone rather than talking to them.
Jude: And in that sense it sort of endangered our friendships. It’s difficult to beat that urge. But also, when I’m not with my friends, the smartphone allowed me to stay in contact with them.
Jude: So I could chat with someone in a different city at three o’clock in the morning, for example.
Vocabulary
acknowledge – to accept or admit that something is true, “You need to acknowledge your mistakes if you want to learn from them.”
social relationships – the connections and bonds you have with friends, family, and people around you, “Spending time at parties helps improve your social relationships.”
quit social media totally – to completely stop using online apps like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, “He decided to quit social media totally to focus on his real-life hobbies.”
got rid of – threw away, sold, or gave something away because you do not want it anymore, “I finally got rid of my old, broken bicycle.”
at first – at the beginning of a situation, “At first the game was hard, but it got easier after some practice.”
disturbed by – interrupted, bothered, or woken up by something, “I was disturbed by the loud barking of the neighbor’s dog last night.”
make that much difference – to change a situation in a big or noticeable way, “Adding a little salt to the soup didn’t make that much difference to the taste.”
positive way – a good, helpful, or constructive manner, “She handled the customer’s complaint in a very positive way.”
isolated – feeling lonely and cut off from other people, “Moving to a new town where I knew no one made me feel isolated.”
in that sense – looking at a situation from that specific point of view, “He doesn’t have a car, and in that sense, it is hard for him to travel.”
endangered – put something in danger of being harmed, broken, or ruined, “The big argument endangered their long friendship.”
beat that urge – to successfully fight against a strong desire to do something, “It is hard to beat that urge to eat a snack late at night.”
stay in contact with – to keep communicating with someone by calling, texting, or writing to them, “I use email to stay in contact with my cousins who live far away.”