Philip Evans

Research Paper

ENGL 1102-031

03/19/2014

Society as a whole is connected and directly affected by the interactions that take place

through micro and macro level interactions. The types of interactions vary across the different

spheres of interactions. These social interactions are shaped through the technology available to

be able to communicate as a society. As technology grows, communication is able to occur at

faster rates. This increasing ability to transfer information at higher speeds as a society has

created an environment where communication on global scales is instantaneous. Being able to

transfer information from person to person at these rates has even spawned new spheres of

communication through technology. Throughout this research paper, we will explore how the

increasingly connectivity through technology impacts social interactions and spheres for which

they occur in. This increasing connectivity through technology could inspire a new sense of

belonging for society.

Technology

Technology, as defined by Dictionary.com, is defined as the branch of knowledge that deals with

the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the

environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and

pure science.10 This definition is useful in establishing technology as a part of our social

environment. They are directly related to one another in that they both are independent but

dependent of each other. As society’s demands change, technology changes to satisfy the needs

of society. As new technology is presented, it changes how society interacts. Our social

interactions are directly affected by the technology present to carry out these interactions.

Social spheres

For purposes of this research paper, social spheres will be approached as the independent settings

in which social interactions take place. As we look at these spheres, we can observe how

technology has impacted the social interactions that take place within these settings. These

spheres take place at many levels throughout society. They can exists through direct means of

communication between two people face to face. Also, these spheres can include the mass

distribution of information to a large population. The exchange of information and effect on

social practices are the focus on these small and large scales.

Socializing in today’s society compared to yesteryears.

Relative to the history of society and the existence of communication, technology with

computers is a new practice. The creation of the internet and a global network of computers has

given rise to a new type of communication for social interaction to take place. Communication

began with only hand gestures that led to sounds being formed to speed up the idea being

presented.11 Spoken language and crude pictures on walls in a single place were the only way for

humans to interact and socialize. Our socializing was limited to only the people in that vicinity

that could come in direct contact with their social counterpart. The only portable way of

Commented [P1]: Types of spheres and interactions?

Commented [P2]: How are they shaped?

Commented [P3]: More specific.

Commented [P4]: Expand on this introduction.

Commented [P5]: How to site exactly. Use or not use.

Commented [P6]: Some like this/ some don’t

Commented [P7]: What environment?

Commented [P8]: Good paragraph.

Commented [P9]: Great paragraph. Great detail and story told here.

communicating an idea would be to document the information on a physical object and then

physically transport that information to the desired person. Our social sphere only took place in

our immediate area for the most part. Now, we have the technology to interact with another

human being an entire world away and more in fractions of seconds. The technology of today’s

social sphere consist of communicating with almost every human being on the planet instantly.

Technology has made it possible to transmit unfathomable amounts of information immediately.

The technology exists to be able to transmit up to a terabyte of information in one second.9 In

one second, we now can transfer a lifetime’s worth of information to interact with one another.

Humans have gone from struggling to tell one another that they are hungry in minutes to being

able to transfer more information than a person can learn in a lifetime in mere seconds. This has

led to socializing changing to be much faster and over vast distances. Technology has come to

have a profound influence on society’s daily operation. Society provides the demand for a

solution to complete tasks, especially communication and socializing. Technology has come to

lead how society operates. Observers have witnessed that technology has effected almost every

aspect of society’s roles. It has shaped how we complete tasks and drives how interaction

occurs.7

International/ Political Socializing

Because of the influence of technology, the world has changed to be exponentially more

connected with one another. There are no more barriers of distance. There are few barriers of

the amount of socializing that can be done between societies around the world. This has created

a new way in socializing and accepting information. Information carries a whole new meaning

on this global scale and participates in this type of socializing have different roles. People are

now able to respond to information with a global presence in mind whereas before it was

responding within a smaller social sphere.3 Our actions have an immediate effect on the social

climate of the world. This enhances political and figures of power around the world. For

example, a leader elected to a country no longer has the social authority to simply preside over a

society of people. They now carry the responsibility to immediately represent that society on a

global scale in interacting with the world. This new role of social interaction politically carries

much more social pressure. Taking political figures out of the international sphere, the world is

able to share events and respond to them quickly, weighing in on all information with a global

presence. Society gains a new sense of individual on this scale.3 They are not merely an

individual among the people they physically interact with. They are an individual among the

entire world’s population in a significantly larger social sphere.

Media/ News through Technology

One of the primary avenues society is changed is by the events that take place that help shape

them. It is part of history that we as the human race attempt to learn from tragedies and

mistakes. By technology shaping most of society to have a more global presence, these tragedies

and mistakes are shared as a collective society. What was our small social sphere’s history now

becomes a larger global social history. These events and information are transferred through

what many describe as media and the news. These spread current events and important

happenings from around the world to almost every person. This is a powerful tool to spread

information and influence smaller social spheres around the world. Western culture has taken

strong advantage of this. Western culture can be seen in almost every part of the world through

technology. Many societies find themselves embracing or unknowingly allowing technology

Commented [P10]: Define

shape their culture towards a western style of society. This can be observed through various

brands, fashion and socially accepted practices.4

Encountering Cultures through Technology

Not only is media able to spread cultural and social influence but people as well. People are able

to directly influence on another through social interaction via today’s technology. Observers of

this social interactions that there are many aspects of this interaction. Even though the world has

developed all of this technology, not every has access to the same technology.7 This creates a

difference of approach to interaction through technology. Many cultures around the world are

lacking in education of the use of technology. Cultures that are more developed in their

education of the use of technology socialize faster and transfer information faster than those that

don’t. This makes the social disassociation of the two types of social spheres create an

exponentially growing gap. The global social sphere of the world’s leaders have realized this

and have begun to implement welfare programs to make technology available to everyone in the

world. It is a noble movement to maintain an equal global society.

Technology in schools

In every modern culture that utilizes technology, a primary source of socialization is a school

system in which that society educates their young to be a productive participant in that society.

School also provides one of the most crucial times in which social interaction abilities are

formed.12 When a person is a young baby, their primary source of human interaction is with their

family. Once they reach the stage in their lives where they are ready to begin their education,

most begin attending school with other children. School is one of the first places that a child is

able to socialize on a larger scale outside their family. These are during crucial learning stages

of their development and have a significant effect on their interaction abilities. The integration

of technology here serves many purposes. Not only does technology change how society

interacts with one another while gaining education but it also enhances the rate at which this

education can be transferred to students. This technology varies across different social spheres

around the world. Different levels of technology are available to different societies. Students in

more developed areas have a higher knowledge of the most effective technology than students in

lesser developed areas.1 Technology has also influenced social roles of the participants in the

education systems across the world. Teachers have adapted to the implementation of technology

in their teachings. The interactions between educators and students has shifted from direct

teaching to a monitor of an environment and allowing technology to carry most of the load of

education.2 Students then have a higher responsibility to absorb the information. Technology

has created a whole new social sphere in the education system of the modern world.

Our Society’s Role (United States)/ effect on our view, view on us.

The United States has major influence around the world. It is a major source of technology and

ideas that are spread quickly around the globe. This global roles greatly effects how our society

views the world and how the world views the United States. The United States’ influence can be

seen all over the world establishing that much of the world has adopted a culture the same or

similar to what exists in the US. The world has much mixed views of the United States as a

major contributor of social influence. With technology having the ability to exchange

information and create interaction instantly on a global scale events and media about the United

States is spread quickly. Much of the world views the United States as a leader. This creates a

high standard and when negative events impact the social sphere of the US, the global social

sphere is quick to draw conclusions of negativity.5 The uniqueness of the United States’ role

causes it to have such an influence on shaping social spheres around the world on large and small

scales. It has many negative opinions around the world but also has brought much prosperity to

the world through its influence. There have been many major contributions of technology,

economic prosperity and creation of social happiness and togetherness around the world from the

United States’ role.6 As with the figures of power, the US will have great amounts of criticism

and scrutiny.

New sense of belonging

The world is more connected than ever before through technology. Society is able to transfer

information and knowledge faster than ever. This makes it able for every person on the planet to

be connected. Everyone has the opportunity to socialize with anyone from any region of the

world. Our species has reached a new level of connectivity through technology. Social barriers

could theoretically be removed completely. Other than a simple lack of interest to expand

outside of our own immediate social spheres, we could branch out to any social sphere around

the world.

In nature, it is a fact that any species that exist can only interact with and learn from the

others they are able to interact with. Nature has only provided all species with the ability to

communicate through immediate physical presence. With the technology we have created, we

now can interact across the planet and even beyond into space. This ability hosts such great

potential to grow and improve our quality of life as a whole. We cannot only take the

experiences and knowledge gained by the few that came before us that can pass this information

to us but we can take the experiences and knowledge from the entire world to pass on.

Across the world people have many social spheres large and small. Small social spheres

are merely people and where they fit in and feel most comfortable. I would like to take the time

to look at larger social spheres particularly on a nationalism sphere level. The world is very

large and even driving a few miles down a highway, one would observe changes in social

spheres among the people they encounter. Most of the time though, one would notice that they

do belong to a larger social sphere of similar language and similar nationality. In the United

States, no matter where you go, we could assume you might run across a few American flags

posted from porches or raised in front yards. We all share in that social sphere. This could be

seen worldwide with all of the different nations that make up our planet. There will always be a

strong shared social sphere of nationality anywhere in the world.

With the introduction of amazing advancements in technology in the last thirty years, we

are all interconnected around the world. Think about how passionately people are about their

nationality. When you ask a person from New York or Texas how they feel about being an

American, how do they react? The same could be observed from someone from Brazil or Egypt.

I feel that through major reform and creative thinking, we can start to remove some of the global

scale social barriers to move towards a one world nationalism way of thinking instead of a local

country style feeling of nationalism. Technology has already changed the way people interact

socially by changing the roles they have. Through technology, people have a voice now on a

larger scale to be heard around the world. Instead of having their voices heard in small social

Commented [P11]: Can leave. Sounds good.

Commented [P12]: What happened to this sentence. Clean up.

Commented [P13]: What are these exactly. A class can be large compared to a table of people.

spheres that they come in direct contact with, they have a voice with the global community. We

have already begun an unconscious movement socially towards this idea slightly.

This idea could be best spread by beginning to educate at a young age about the benefits

of technology and a unified world through it. Most of the world is in need of their education

system being overhauled and brought to appropriate social standards. Why not lean towards a

more global standard emphasizing on technology and its uses? Many in the UN are already

attempting to make the newest technology available to countries that do not have the same

technological resources as others. To put it in a comparison of the United States, we have states

that are not as financially well off or up to standards but as a country we attempt to help one

another due to nationalism most feel discussed earlier. A similar idea is already being applied

globally. If people were educated about being more interconnected globally and having a sense

of global nationalism then the world might be able to accomplish larger scale ideas.

Another key way to focus on shifting to a more unified world society through technology

would be to change the way politics currently are. More specifically, put more emphasis and

power in the hands of the representatives sent to the United Nations. They are a perfect example

of how we as a society are already moving to a more global scale socially.

The benefits of shifting to a more global nationalism social sphere by everyone would

serve to fix many of the world’s major social problems that plague it everywhere. Socially, the

world would be more unified and accepting of one another instead of holding on to feeling

negative towards one another simply because they are different. For example, some may find the

practices of someone from India awkward simply because they are not familiar with the culture.

More exposure to their practices would allow for someone to be more accepting and open to their

common practices not shared by most. This would open a large door for diversity all over the

world. The more diverse a group of people and their ideas are, the better solutions can be found

due to the different perspectives that can be applied to a problem.

Having this sense of acceptance would change the way the world would approach one

another. All of this could bring about a new enlightenment towards how we treat each other. It

could pave the way for a new level of peace and non-violence around the world. There are

plenty of disagreements even in the United States. Again, because of our interconnectedness, we

are familiar with one another and settle them through debate and compromise. One would not

observe Idaho bombing or sanctioning Nevada because of a disagreement about Mormonism.

That would be a ridiculous situation to most but this is what takes place globally. The world

would be able to pull together and focus on the greatest good.

Technology has enabled us to reach the far ends of the planet in fractions of a second.

This has taken place over hundreds of years but has made unfathomable leaps in innovation over

the last thirty years. Yet, society is still holding onto and operating in a system established

thousands of years ago. The question could be asked, are we going to maintain a primitive

selfish society that only considers our immediate roles in our small social spheres? Or are we

going to embrace this gift of technology that continues to grow and our new global roles in the

larger global social sphere? We do not have the ability to change the world immediately. We do

Commented [P14]: Expand this paragraph.

have the ability to consciously make the decision to make strides in changing the way things are

done politically on a worldwide scale and in education for children.