Personal Space
Most people attribute the changes in society of the last 10–15 years to the Internet. In doing so, they fail to give enough credit to cell phones and other portable communication devices. Such technological devices have "fractured" society, not by driving wedges between people, but by allowing people to drive wedges between themselves.
Before cell phones and other portable communication devices, people could not communicate at a distance as freely as they do today. Friends who chose to go to different colleges would communicate through letters and infrequent phone calls. Upon arriving at college, they found that they could not rely on old friends to be there all the time, and because of this, they attempted to make new friends. Today, these same people do not have to seek out new friends because they can communicate instantly with old friends across great distances through phone calls and text messages. As a result, they meet fewer new people and spend less time outside of the world in which they feel comfortable.
The fractures that we see in today's society are a direct result of this kind of change. Technology gives people the option of not exploring the worlds that exist outside of their daily lives, interests, and closest friends. Far too many people choose that option.
6
Based on this article, what can the reader infer about people who depend too heavily on technological devices?
A.
They probably have difficulty forming close relationships with new people.
B.
They were probably surrounded by technology when they were children.
C.
They do not have much money because they spend it on cell phones.
D.
They have very active social lives and spend lots of time with friends.