Face to Face Contact as Viewed by the Three Social Sciences

Although it is often done subconsciously, face to face contact is one of the most important ways humans and some animals communicate. Small changes in eye movements, a furrowed brow, or twitches in the corners of a mouth (called micro expression) are all ways which we can pick up someone’s true emotions—even if these emotions go against to what the person is trying to communicate verbally. Before verbal communication, micro and macro expressions in people’s faces and body language was the only way to converse. However even now with strongly developed languages, face to face contact still allows for an inside look to a person’s emotions or feelings.

                Micro and macro expressions exhibited during face to face is of particular interest to psychologists for many reasons. These expressions and reactions to things said during a conversation can be used to figure out what someone is really thinking about the conversation. Macro expressions are not to difficult for most people to figure out. A furrowed brow, a lack of sustained eye contact, or fidgeting can easily be attributed to nervousness or boredom. However, when it comes to more complex emotions, such as whether someone is being truthful or not, one must resort to reading micro expressions, a feat which is much harder to accomplish without many years of training.

                Face to face contact is a very personal thing and tends to be associated with affecting individuals more readily than society as a whole. However, with today’s increases of interactions over text messaging, phone calls, or the internet, it must be asked what the sociological impact of having reduced face to face contact will be. It is likely that any change will be neither positive nor negative to society as a whole. On a positive not, people can communicate faster and more efficiently. However, without face to face interactions, it can be hard to tell exactly what someone is trying to communicate and misunderstandings may become more prevalent. So long as we, as a society learn to adapt positively to shorter, less detailed or informative communications, there will be no negative impact on society. 

The adverse effects of Technology in our Society, and Environment

The adverse effects of Technology in our Society, and Environment

                There can be little doubt that advances in modern technology will change our world forever. As with anything, the changes brought about by technology will be both positive and negative. Currently, everything in the developed world, from banking and international finance, to education, to personal entertainment depends greatly on technology such as the internet, computers, cell phones, and other technological systems which we have come to rely on. This comes as both a blessing and a curse.  On a positive note, technology has, and is currently making our lives easier and more efficient. These days, even things like banking can all be done with a pocket sized Smartphone and 3G internet connection. However, the downside of all this is with technology and connections to the world so easily accessible, we often forget basic social skills which can lead to various social and emotional implications.

                Take this scenario: your wife comes home every day after work and spends upwards of six hours on a chat room. She feels great because she is meeting many new people, but she is forgetting about you, your family, and your shared household responsibilities. This is not an unrealistic scenario at all. Many people become attached to what could almost be seen as alternative families online.  People have been known to spend hours on these chat rooms, as well as online games such as World of Warcraft and there are many accounts of ruined relationships due to obsessions with excessive use of the internet. A similar example of this which many more people , (primarily those in high school and university) is social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, amongst others.  These are especially accessible because their so easy to use on mobile devices, which the majority of young people have. This means that if you have some form of smartphone, you are literally never disconnected from social networking. This can be a major distraction from real relationships and it can distract from important activities like school or work.

                Psychologically, addiction to technology can severely impact the social interaction skills of people due to lack of practice. This then transmits to negatively affecting society, because the individuals who make up society can no longer effectively interact with each other. Technology can also have adverse environmental impacts if discarded improperly. Many computerized devices contain heavy metals and materials which cannot break down and which are harmful to the environment. Future anthropologists will look upon the environmental degradation caused by our dependence on technology with distain. However, as with everything, we must attempt to pursue the lesser of two evils, and ironically, it is likely that future technological developments will assist in solving the problems which technology is currently creating for the environment.  And as we have done for thousands of years, humans will adapt to the changes technology is bringing both to society, and to individuals.

Five Future Headlines

Five Future Headlines

Germany, France, Netherlands unite under new coalition. Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Ireland call for aid.

                The increasing instability of the Euro, caused by fraud and financial mismanagement from various European countries will inevitably cause the breakup of the European Union. The continent will undergo several years of fiscal turmoil as they adapt to once again, having separate economic systems. Countries such as Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland who have the worst government deficits, credit ratings, and unemployment levels will suffer the worst of all. In order to whether the economic chaos, fiscally strong countries like Germany, France and the Netherlands will unite to form a new European Union and will adopt a common courtesy, without having to deal with the broken political and economic systems of the various European countries which are partially responsible for the majority of the current crisis.

United States of America adopts Chinese Yuan as official currency

                Similarly to the situation in Europe, the United States is plagued by a large federal deficit, massive amounts of debt, and high unemployment, all of which are the fallout of two very costly wars and a Wall Street caused recession.  As the nation plunges further and further into debt, the cost of borrowing money will begin to increase rapidly. It is likely that a future presidential administration, either republican or democratic will attempt to solve this debt crisis by printing large amounts of money, essentially devaluing the US currency and making the 15 trillion dollars and counting owed by the government easy to pay back. Unfortunately, this will wreak havoc on the savings of the American people. As seen in Zimbabwe and post WWI Germany, the United States will go into hyperinflation putting it’s people into a state of absolute poverty.  To solve this crisis, the government will adopt a stable and (becoming more) powerful currency. In this hypothetical situation, that currency will be the Chinese Yuan.

Canadian technology giants Research in Motion and Bombardier merge and expand.

                Canada’s economy revolves heavily around the primary industry, ie. Resource development. Since the majority of these resources, such as coal, oil, potash, and iron ore are finite, and will inevitably run out in the not so distant future. That means that in order to remain a large player in the global financial system, Canada will have to expand and capitalize on its research and development and manufacturing sectors, much like Japan, Korea, and Germany. This means that Canadian technology giants like Research in Motion and Bombardier, along with other new companies that may emerge, will become much more prominent figures in Canada’s economy.

 Human population stabilized at 9.5 billion for third year running

                Many developing countries in the world today have already seen drastic drops in their fertility rates due to greater access to education for men, and more importantly, women. Women in countries like Iran and India are now only having two to four children as opposed to seven or more which was the norm not too many years ago. This, along with better access to contraceptives, aging baby boomers, and China’s one child policy indicate that the earth’s population will eventually stabilize. The UN predicts the world’s population will reach 9 billion by 2050, and if trends of reducing birth rates continue, it will probably stabilize shortly after that.

Last documented case of HIV/ AIDS recorded one year ago to the day!

                Scientists are already making huge strides in finding treatments and preventative vaccines for HIV/ AIDS. As with many other diseases which are now history, it is inevitably that a cure will somehow be found. This, coupled with increased education on sexual health for women in developing countries and access to contraceptives, will eventually cause HIV/AIDS to go the way of smallpox.