We're Connected More than Ever

More and more important decisions are being made through e-mails, full conversations are being composed in text messages, and families separated by large distances are staying connected by video chatting. Technology has become a new language, one we are still learning to use effectively. There have been obvious benefits to the age of connectivity, but there are also negatives to consider. The Amnet Blog will take a quick look at the pros and cons of keeping connected through technology.

The Pros

• Being connected means enhanced safety. No mater what emergency you face; contacting the right help is no longer a serious concern. Through increased technology, cell phone range is greater than ever. Car accidents and unpredicted accidents and illnesses even in remote locations can be quickly relayed to emergency help services.
• Staying in contact is now as easy as clicking a button. Ask any soldier deployed over seas and they’ll tell you that staying in touch with their families is now easier than ever. Sending a message takes only a second thanks to highly advanced Internet connections and international bandwidth.
• Technology has made telecommuting an accessible reality. Thanks to cloud computing, working from home is easy and practical. This allows workers on maternity or sick leave to maintain a valuable level of productivity.

The Cons
 

• Being connected means being always available. True, it is nice to be in touch with those you love, but we all need some privacy. We all have days when we need a little alone time and being constantly connected makes that time more and more difficult to find.
• The ability to take your office with you also means you are always at the office. While redefining the workday and allowing for more flexible hours can increase productivity, it can also make workers over-work. It’s important to keep your private and professional lives separate, which is increasingly difficult thanks to increased connectivity.
• Constant connectivity can make us seem faraway to those close to us. Remaining in contact with a far-away friend is easy to do through text messages, but that communication can be a hindrance to personal face-to-face conversations. Increased connectivity can, ironically, make it more difficult to connect.

Digital communication is simply a new way for us to communicate. However, it’s important to remember moderation when deciding how connected we allow our lives to become. Connectivity is not inherently good or bad; instead its merit is dependent on how you utilize it.

For more information on connectivity, as well as an interesting look at unplugging yourself from technology, take a look at this article