The Effects of Technology on Socialization Part 1 I The Distancing Effect A Social Distance Social Distance Refers to both physical and psychological distance Communication and exchange are the two fundamental processes of socialization Technologies have altered how when why and where exchanges occur eg Radio satellite car people we socialize with Modern technologies have dramatically expanded the number quantity of Modern technologies have fundamentally changed how we socialize The Social Psychological Impact of Modern Tech on Social Identity Social Psychology The study of the relationship between the individual and the group Focus is on how social groups and social structure impact the psychology of the individual and vice versa Social Identities We all posses multiple identities Identities are the interface between the individual and larger society Identities link individuals to a social hierarchy Social contexts determine which identities are relevant eg Salient The more specific the identity the more specific the group and the more specific the placement within the hierarchy eg Man vs Center for the Cleveland Browns 1 The Distancing Effect Distancing Effect The tendency of modern technologies to reduce physical and temporal distance which has the effect of widening cultural social psychological and spiritual distances between the individual and the social groups he or she is part of The distancing effect divorces the individual s identity from the social context that gives the identity meaning The quantity of groups and individuals people interact with has increased over time while the quality of those interactions has decreased The Effects of Technology on Socialization Part 2 A The Implications of Communication Technology For most of human history communication and exchanges between individuals has been limited to face to face interaction Quantity vs Quality of Social Interaction In modern times when we may have more interaction with others more of the interactions are depersonalized Increasingly our interactions are with strangers and they are short depersonalized The Quantification of People We use numbers to evaluate people s value instead of relying on personal knowledge and interaction with them eg Number of friends on Facebook credit score 2 Our technologies have replaced face to face exchanges with impersonal exchanges eg Email cell phone texting Socialization relies less on personal knowledge and face to face interaction and more on rational assessments eg Standardized tests B The Stretch Principle Stretch principle The idea that with technological improvements humans have a tendency to devote less time and energy to those things technologies control Stretching the Family and Community Modern technologies have a tendency to undermine the family and act to destroy communities Many technologies become an excuse for non interaction 3