With the rise of technology comes the rise of skepticism. Countless movies, articles and podcasts have criticized our growing dependence on these advancements. Although media warns us incessantly about the dangers of the internet, phones and AI, it fails to highlight the brighter side of technology’s role in fostering human connection.
Many of us don’t spend a lifetime living in just one place, and moving away creates a physical barrier between friendships. Technology tears down those barriers between friends, both past and present, and it’s now easier to connect with people who live across the world.
Apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok let us connect with many people online, even without a conversation. For example, when Teni, my friend in Connecticut, posts, it’s easy for me to know what’s happening in her life.
For connections that imitate real life, I can use messaging apps like iMessage or WhatsApp and audio or video calling services like FaceTime to catch up with that same friend. I can catch up with Teni with a conversation on iMessage or a video call instead of having to catch a flight.
Technology also offers an opportunity to connect online with people who share my interests. When baking a cake for my French project, it was an online baking group that pointed me towards the most traditional recipe to get a good grade.
Online genealogy sites provide DNA tests that allow individuals to connect with their family history. This ability to trace back generations lets people learn about cultures from their roots that they may not have been taught growing up and therefore can lead to more identity-based connection.
Languages also play a significant role in culture, and on the internet, apps and websites to learn new languages have been popularized. With how easy it is with new technology to pick up a language, barriers across the globe are broken and the connection between people in different countries and cultures is fostered, which leads to a wider reach of communities. Instead of having to take a class to avoid forgetting my Spanish from middle school, I use free apps like Duolingo or Memrise.
The rise of technology allows for so many bonds across the globe. It isn’t going to replace human-to-human connection, because people will always want to get together, but it is a tool for us to improve those connections. In the future, it will improve human connections in both current and unprecedented ways.
