Is Digital Media Hurting Civilization?

This is Amanda DeBuse, and I decided to re-work my original argument to one that is not so broad. My original argument was that we should put aside digital media, not completely put it away, but to a point where we are not hurting our personal relationships. I outlined the evolution of the book, starting with how early church leaders wrote religious books to teach from, how the printing press came about because these books were in high demand, and how the new technologies came out that allowed people to read from devices, and how that started this huge influx of mass media that we have today, and how said mass media is hurting personal relationships. I still want to keep the evolution element to my presentation, but say that while the digital/mass media is hurting personal relationships, it is also hurting civilization because of relationships are dwindling.

Communication now is largely given by means of mass media, be it Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, text message, phones, etc., and that is pretty much how our culture works and communicates now. Civilization has changed in that we now communicate with all this mass media mostly, and face-to-face pretty much when we want to step out of the comforts of media and look people in the face. History has allowed this, with the inventions and books evolution that I explained above, and was the foundation of what we have now.

Interpersonal relationships and relations with people is what makes up a society, community, and civilization. When this mass digital culture came in, these relationships were hindered because it is on the personal level that a civilization starts, and with that foundation being hurt, civilization is hurt. I think digital media is a great thing, but it should not get in the way of these forming face-to-face personal relationships that make that solid foundation for a great community and civilization.