The document discusses how technology and the internet have transformed the concept of connection, leading to a society that is digitally connected yet emotionally detached. It emphasizes that individuals are increasingly dependent on technology for social interactions, often prioritizing online communication over face-to-face engagement. To regain genuine connections, the text advocates for reduced screen time and a focus on real-life interactions.

1. Has technology and the internet caused us to
lose the true meaning of connection?
By: Taylor Mansillo
Connection
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picjumbo:
iPhone
6
Connected
to
iTunes
by
Viktor
Hanacek

2. Photo
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from
picjumbo:
Girl
wri?ng
on
sofa
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Viktor
Hanacek
Humans are becoming digital
junkies[2], developing digital
brains. [3].
We are addicted to being
digitally connected.

3. With 2.22 billion social
network users in 2015 and a
projected 2.5 billion users in
2018 [1]
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from
picjumbo:
Snapchat
ghost
by
Viktor
Hanacek

4. The use of social media has
become more prevalent
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from
picjumbo:
Girl
Checking
Tumblr
on
Her
MacBook
Pro
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Viktor
Hanacek

5. Photo
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picjumbo:
Business
Woman
at
Lunch
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Viktor
Hanacek
With 84% of households
having a cell phone and 7%
of those having a tablet.
[7]

6. Photo
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from
picjumbo:
Photographer
Designer
Workspace
Setup
From
Above
by
Viktor
Hanacek
This obsession with always
being digitally connected has
lead to the trend of
detached connections.

7. 89% of cellphone users
admit to using their phones
during their most recent
social gathering. [8]
Photo
sourced
from
pixabay

8. About half of individuals
miss a key moment in their
life because they are using
a mobile phone. [9]
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
Man
Using
his
iPhone
6
on
a
Sofa
by
Viktor
Hanacek
10% of which are checking
social media [9]

9. We are now a world that is
connected but detached.
Photo
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from
Flickr:
Disconnect
by
Thomaz
Stolfa
hMps://www.flickr.com/photos/tomazstolfa/4314805310/

10. “Teens are texting and communicating through
online games and social networks more frequently
than they are spending time
together in person” [10]
Photo
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from
picjumbo:
Gaming
Controller
is
Ready
by
Viktor
Hanacek

11. 39% of Americans spend
more time socializing
online compared to
face-to-face. [11]
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
Girl
with
iPhone
6
in
Sunlights
by
Viktor
Hanacek

12. This constant use of
technology and the internet
has changed the meaning of
connection
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
Evening
Sunset
Bokeh
Cityscape
by
Viktor
Hanacek

13. From meaning
connected to people
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sourced
from
Flickr:
Holding
Hands
by
Yoel
Ben-­‐Avraham

14. To now meaning
connected to
technology
Photo
sourced
from
flickr:
Connect
by
Natalie
Hackenberg
hMps://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliehackenberg/4641394574/

15. The word connection is
associated more with
your Wifi or Internet
access rather than
physically being
connected to someone.
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
iPhone
4S
White
in
Hand
by
Viktor
Hanacek

16. This constant need for
fabricated connection
has spiraled into a full-
blown nomophobia “no
mobile phone phobia” [4]
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
Man
Holding
iPhone
in
His
Car
by
Viktor
Hanacek

17. To the point were some
college students start
going “crazy” after a
few minutes without
their phones or a
computer. [5]
Photo
sourced
from
pixabay

18. This detached connection is
causing us to be dependent
on technology rather than
each other
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo:
iPhone
6
in
Hand
by
Viktor
Hanacek

19. Photo
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from
picjumbo:
Two
People
Go
Through
The
Underpass
by
Viktor
Hanacek
To bring back the meaning of
connection to people rather
than devices we need to,

20. Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo
Young
Couple
Enjoying
Roman?c
Sunset
from
Car
Trunk
by
Viktor
Hanacek
Not treat technology as a
substitute for real
relationships.

21. Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo
Hard
Work
with
a
Book
by
Viktor
Hanacek
Instead of banning social
media in general, we should
limit our exposure [12]

22. Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo
Woman
Reading
a
Book
in
a
Chair
by
Viktor
Hanacek
Go low-tech once in a while,
cut the cord

23. Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo
Sunset
Bubbles
by
Viktor
Hanacek
“Most of all, we need to remember -- in between texts and
e-mails and Facebook posts -- to listen to one another, even
to the boring bits, because it is often in unedited moments,
moments in which we hesitate and stutter and go silent,
that we reveal ourselves to one another.” [13]

24. Citations:
1. Statistics and facts about Social Networks, retrieved from www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-
networks/, Accessed May 28th, 2016
2. Andressen, Erin. “Digital overload: How we are seduced by distraction.” The Globe and Mail,
March 29th 2014, Accessed May 28th, 2016
3. Rosenwald, Michael. “Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers
say” The Washington Post. April 6th 2014. Accessed May 28th, 2016
4. Fung, Brian. “Why you shouldn’t confuse ‘nomophobia’ with an actual addiction to smartphones”
May 19th 2015. The Washington Post, Accessed May 29th, 2016
5. Knoolkova, Maria. “ How Facebook Makes us Unhappy” September 10th 2013, The Newyorker.
Accessed May 29th, 2016
6. Wrenn, Eddie. “The biggest phobia in the world? 'Nomophobia' - the fear of being without your
mobile - affects 66 per cent of us.” The Daily Mail. May 8th 2012, Accessed May 29th, 2016
7. Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2018 (in billions), http://
www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/ Accessed May
29th, 2015.
8. Rainie, Lee & Zickuhr, Kathryn. “Americans’ Views on Mobile Etiquette” Pew Research Centre,
August 16th, 2015. Accessed May 30h.
9. Are mobile phones making you miss special moments? The Telegraph. March 11th, 2015. Accessed
May 29th, 2015.
10. Kang, Cecilia. “Third of all teens who meet strangers online are meeting them in person, too.”
The Washington Post. August 6th, 2015. Accessed May 29th, 2015.
11. Generation Lonely? 39 Percent of Americans Spend More Time Socializing Online Than Face-to-
Face. Market Wired. April 25th, 2012. Accessed May 29th, 2015
12. Payne, Elizabeth. “Teens' poor mental health linked to social media use.” Ottawa Citizen. August
8th, 2015. Accessed May 29th, 2015.
13. Turkle,
Sherry.
“The
flight
from
conversa?on”
April
22,
2012.
The
New
Yorker.
Accessed
May
19th,
2016
Photo
sourced
from
picjumbo
Beau?ful
Sunset
Over
The
Yellow
Rapeseed
Field
by
Viktor
Hanacek