Through a Computer Display and What People See There Communication Technologies and the Quality of Social Interactions

Introduction: Communication Technologies Come to the Rescue It is hard to deny that communication technologies play a great role in the lives of billions of people all over the world. With the rise of technology and the surge of innovations that have opened new possibilities for communication between the people in different parts of the world, ordinary live conversation seems to have faded into the background, making more room for new means of communication.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Through a Computer Display and What People See There: Communication Technologies and the Quality of Social Interactions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Because of the current fascination with technological advances and the active use of the latter, people are rapidly losing the skills of live communication, which is likely to lead to a number of difficulties in socializing, both concerning people’s personal life and bus iness affairs. Reaching for the Most Remote Corners of the World: The Positive Aspects One of the most obvious advantages of communication technologies is the fact that with the help of the latter, one can keep in touch with the people who live miles away, which would be completely impossible without the recent innovations. Therefore, it can be concluded that with the help of the current developments, the distance between the subjects of communication is no longer a problem, not to mention the fact that new forms of media have offered the methods for distanced learning (Atkin 71). However, there are still a lot of issues about communication technologies that need to be revisited. Getting Lost in the Virtual Reality: Where Technologies Fail Losing touch with the real world is the hazard that everyone has talked about; ironically enough, even the new forms of media that the given problem concerns have been used to discuss it. Indeed, with the growing impact of social network, people s eem to be losing the skills of live communication, which is likely to lead to considerable problems in future. Moreover, frequent use of technology as a communication tool can lead to negative social effects, such as the need to stay anonymous (Levi 262). Hence, the threat of deindividualization becomes much more tangible: â€Å"The members of virtual groups are more anonymous. This leads to what psychologists call deindividualization, which is the loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension caused by feeling anonymous† (Levi 262). It is worth mentioning, though, that the latter concerns rather online chatting than the use of mobile phone or social networking. Humans vs. Machines: Concerning the Probable Prospects Hence, it seems that technologies will definitely be of great help in providing high-quality means of keeping in touch. However, it still must be admitted that technologies will never be able to replace personal contact, while they should not.Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Partee, live communication is essential for people: â€Å"We humans need personal contact to communicate values† (Partee ix). It is clear that once the current communication technology takes over the world, the tradition of personal conversation will disintegrate into a mess, since people will most likely lose the necessary skills required for a live conversation. Another Means to Raise the Stakes: Technologies Have a Chance One must give credit to the developers of the modern communication technologies, though; it is clear that, when used reasonably, these technological advances can help greatly. Therefore, it can be assumed that, when used with due care, communication technology will not make people less sociable, but will help them keep in touch despite the distances between them (Shih and Hung, 67). About Use and Abuse: A Reasonable Solution to the Pr oblem To balance out the use of live and virtual communication, it is necessary to realize what the current technological advances offer (Konijn, Utz, Tanis and Barnes 19). Therefore, it is necessary to consider such innovations as mobile phones, smartphones, computers, etc. not a substitute for live communication, but an additional opportunity to get in touch with the one who is currently not available in person. With such an approach, it can be expected that technological advances will be used as a complementary communicational tool, and not as the only possible one. Conclusion: Looking for a Compromise It is hard to ignore the fact that communication technology in many aspects is very helpful, since it provides chances for people to arrange something concerning not only their personal life, but also their business issues, which means that communication technology development boosts business processes. With all due respect for the engineers who have provided the humankind with the existing technologies for even more efficient communication, one still has to admit that in many ways, the given technologies kill the tradition of live conversation slowly, but steadily. Since technologies have become so fully integrated into people’s lives that rejecting thee technologies means losing a huge chunk of their lives, at the given stage, a compromise between virtual and live communication must be provided. Therefore, technologies must be used only when the alternative method of communication is not available.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Through a Computer Display and What People See There: Communication Technologies and the Quality of Social Interactions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Atkin, David J. â€Å"Communication Technology and Social Change: Theory And Implications†. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007. Print. Konijn, Elly, Sonya Utz, Martin Tanis and Susan Barnes . â€Å"Mediated Interpersonal Communication†. New York, NY: Routledge, 2008. Print. Levi, Daniel. â€Å"Group Dynamics for Teams†. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2011. Print. Partee, Morris H. â€Å"Cyberteaching: Instructional Technology on the Modern Campus†. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002. Print. Shih, Timothy K and Jason C. Hung. â€Å"Future Directions in Distance Learning and Communications Technologies†. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. 2007. Print. 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The Power of Celebrating Victories - and What Youre Missing if You Dont

The Power of Celebrating Victories - and What Youre Missing if You Dont How good are you at celebrating victories? Even little ones? Lex Ishimoto had every reason to believe, even assume, that he would be given a coveted ticket to the â€Å"So You Think You Can Dance† Academy.[1] Lex is one of the most qualified candidates who has ever auditioned for this show. He has been dancing since the age of seven, competed in countless dance competitions, and trained extensively in hip hop, modern, and ballet. At age 15, he received a rare offer to train with the American Ballet Theater – and turned it down. He played Billy Elliot on Broadway, and performs with the famous Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound Dance Company. Lex took a risk. He danced an improvisational routine rather than a choreographed one. He received a standing ovation from the judges and was given a ticket straight to the Academy. Unexpected Celebration! I honestly thought it would be reasonable for Lex not to be surprised or particularly excited about getting his ticket. Really, it was a foregone conclusion. And personally, when I am 99% sure I am going to reach a result, I often don’t exhibit a lot of emotion when I get it. I just don’t think it’s a big deal. But Lex looked almost like a little boy running out to the street with his ticket in hand, not quite knowing what to do with his excitement. Here’s a video that includes his response to his victory. The quality is not great, but it’s the best I could find (please Google Lex Ishimoto YouTube if you’d like to view a better-quality video of the performance itself): I was struck by my own thoughts about celebration as I watched Lex do his little victory dance. Here’s some of what went through my head: I’m so glad he celebrated. I feel better because he celebrated! I bet people around me would feel better if I celebrated more. I can celebrate things even if they seem small to me. Guess I don’t have to sit around waiting for big victories. Maybe Lex celebrated because he risked doing an improv routine. He challenged himself and it could have backfired, but instead it paid off. I often feel true excitement when I take a risk and it pays off (and sometimes even when it doesn’t). I should write a blog about this. Hmmm†¦ I wonder what the research is on celebration? That last bullet prompted me to do some Googling. Here’s what I found about why it’s important to celebrate, even small victories – especially in the workplace. (See 7 Reasons It Always Pays to Celebrate Small Victories and Here’s why you should throw yourself a party the next time you reach a goal.) Some Benefits of Celebrating Victories: Positive reinforcement. People are motivated to perform better when they celebrate, and are celebrated for, their wins. Celebration creates future success. Fun. Celebrations make life – and work – fun! We work hard to achieve what we achieve, and it’s important to allow ourselves to be joyful for what we’ve done, rather than quickly move to the next thing. Marking progress. When you celebrate consistently, you create markers of where you’ve come from and where you are now. Keeping this perspective will motivate you to keep going, set even bigger goals, and clarify the direction you want to go. Confidence. Getting outside acknowledgment is one thing, but choosing to celebrate a victory for yourself is ultimately a more sustainable way to build confidence and joy. Yes, we get to create our own joy! It’s infectious. Celebrating yourself can create joy and satisfaction in others, particularly the people who helped you reach your goal. It will encourage them to join you too! Plus, you’ll start celebrating others more when you intentionally give props to yourself. I realize there might be some naysayers out there who think reveling in your wins will make other people feel bad. I would suggest you stop worrying about them and surround yourself with people who will rejoice with you! Gratitude. Much has been written on the benefits on gratitude. Celebrating victories is a powerful way to give thanks for what you have accomplished. Remember, you don’t need to have big wins to find cause for celebration. Today I expressed joy when I received a meaningful compliment. I’m celebrating that a friend took me up on my offer to come over and use my WiFi when his was down. I’m celebrating that I went to the first meeting of an Entrepreneurs group at 6am this morning. And I’m celebrating that I made it through 10 rounds of a challenging circuit at the gym. In a moment, I will give myself some love for writing my blog on Thursday night, three days before I usually sit down to do it. There are so many things to inspire joy in life if you look for them. What can you take time to celebrate today? [1] â€Å"So You Think You Can Dance† is a dance competition and TV show where dancers with a range of experience compete, first to get into the Academy, then to the Top 20, and then to win the competition. Winners must not only become fluent in dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and Bollywood, but they must also exhibit a compelling range of emotion on the dance floor.