Is Technology Causing Us to Lose the Personal Touch?

Photo from http://www.textkills.com/?p=780

Some question whether technology is really good for humans. Just look at any college campus where most of the people you see are shuffling down the halls, and sidewalks too, eyes glued to a tiny handheld screen, thumbs tapping at a furious pace. No one appears to be talking to anyone around them. It would seem that technology has replaced personal communication, and many complain that it has, and that it's unhealthy for us. Even worse, they claim, we're addicted to it.


Recent changes in grammar school education might also appear to support this conclusion, as more schools are no longer teaching cursive writing. In this digital age, many feel cursive writing is no longer needed. Others wonder how these children will ever be able to take notes or send hand written letters. They complain the personal touch is disappearing from our written communications, and that it's one more indication we have an unhealthy dependence on technology.

On the other hand, 


some time ago a Facebook "friend" (who I had never personally met--we connected to play online games) posted that his wife was in hospital with cancer. He had cared for her at home as long as he could, but she'd recently become so ill she required hospitalization. When she died he posted it on Facebook. I doubt he felt the outpouring of genuinely compassionate responses he received, via Facebook, was in any way impersonal.

For myself, I love technology. As to writing in cursive, I was not able to keep up with younger students in my recent classroom experiences who took notes by hand printing. And I could read their notes later - something I was unable to accomplish when reviewing my own cursive notes for tests. Granted I have carpal tunnel syndrome, but still...

Would it be so bad to receive notes and letters through email only? Have you ever tried to read handwritten documents from two centuries ago? (For example, try quickly reading the original handwritten US Constitution.) 

Or have you ever tried to read a doctor's notes?

Or your own?

Sometimes technology saves us from ourselves. 

What are your thoughts on technology? Are we addicted to it? Where should we draw the line? Or should we? Please join the conversation by posting your thoughts via the Comments section of this blog post.


You might also find the following of interest:
Cruising Speed
Just One Addict Helping Out Another
Not Now Dear, I'm Facebooking

Maye's QR Code Presentation for Midwest Writers Workshop 2012 (#MWW12)

Social Media Lab at Midwest Writers Workshop 2012

Entering the Digital Era: QR Codes for, Well, Everything

My Picks for QR Code Generation Software
eSolutions for Social Media Addictions
Where to Timeline and Storyboard: eSolutions
An eSolution for Character Creation: Character Writer
Tools for Writers: The Benefits of Writing With Scrivener
My Pick for Screenwriting Software: Celtx
For a Better Quality Break Time: Creativity Enhancing Goodies

For my next post:
How Historically Accurate Should Historical Fiction Be? Beyond due diligence - when historians disagree with historical novelists' presentations of historical events or facts.