Nowadays, more people are choosing to socialise online rather than face to face. Is this a positive or negative development?

First it

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First, it

was the mail, than the telephone,

then

the mobile phones and more recently smartphones and the omnipresence of

internet

Suggestion

the internet

that changed the way people interact.

Although

each

tecnology

the practical application of science to commerce or industry

technology

brough

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

brought

some kind of change, the latest might be the boldest one, as

instead

of simply facilitating conversations it might be ending or

structurely

with respect to structure

structurally

changing them.

This

essay will discuss if

this

is a positive or negative trend and what impacts can it pose to modern society. One can argue that socializing digitally increases ones reach as well as how fast they can contact their

destinatery

.

Accept space

.

That is

certainly true as with a smartphone in

hand anyone

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hand, anyone

can literally talk to dozens of people across the globe

immediatelly

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

immediately

and simultaneously. They can send pictures, videos, recordings or event

join

Suggestion

joins

online games together making it truly multimedia. Having that power in hand is exciting and should make anyone feel more connected and socialized than ever. But are people really paying attention? Are they

dialogueing

or just talking?

On the other hand

, if people don't meet and talk in a traditional way they should be loosing something. It is known from

neurolinguistics

and forensics that eye to eye

comunication

the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information

communication

sends far more information than just words or sentences. The tone of the voice, the contraction of

face

Suggestion

facial

muscles are all key elements in communication.

Also

, in a digital text-based interaction one can never be sure if they are being "heard" and if the other person is processing

thair

of them or themselves

their

"saying" or just scrolling through it.

Although

not a trivial conclusion, going digital seems to be more negative than positive when it relates to socializing. Some dimensions of conversation

is being lost

Suggestion

are being lost

and turning the information flow weaker and shallower than before. With the excess of information and simultaneous chats it is likely that people are learning, teaching and expressing their feelings less effectively and will need to balance speed and access versus quality and depth if they really want to socialize and have friends