Broadband Internet may just be the biggest development that has occurred to the Internet world.
Although the Internet has been around since the 1960s, broadband Internet only entered the scene in the early 2000s, rendering dial-up Internet connections obsolete.
The Positive Impact of Broadband Internet on Relationships
Is broadband internet really a good thing when it comes to relationship building?
Wireless Internet has undeniably made communication easier and more convenient.
It encourages frequent communication, which is now as easy as typing a few sentences in an e-mail or sending a quick note through instant messaging. Thus, it encourages people to stay in touch, however briefly, even with family and friends who live on the other side of the world.
This made it easier for them to maintain relationships.
How Broadband Internet Impacts Relationships
Unfortunately, now that communication is easy, people also tend to take it for granted.
Here are the two major effects of broadband Internet on relationships.
Reduced Effort In Communicating
In the past, people had to put a lot of effort into relationships. In order to communicate, one had to write letters by hand and mail them, while the recipient had to wait for the correspondence to arrive; this usually took weeks, depending on the distance it had to travel.
Now, the availability of broadband Internet makes it easy to send a message in mere seconds. Instead of writing letters or meeting face-to-face, people prefer to send short, informal e-mails, instant messages, and messages posted on social network profiles.
Instead of communicating more frequently, people are communicating with less involvement.
In other words, it is now less important for them to communicate, and when they do so, they don’t fill it with sentiments like they would have done when writing long, heartfelt letters.
Short and simple birthday greetings are simply posted on Facebook walls; gone are the handwritten birthday cards that come in the mail. Thus, it seems that instead of improving relationships, broadband Internet somehow reduces their value.
Lack Of Time
So many ways to communicate and so many ways to waste time too
Since broadband Internet is now found in almost every home, people also became greatly preoccupied with all the online activities the Internet has to offer.
Online gaming, social networking, and instant messaging have now taken the place of long conversations around the dinner table.
This also allows busy parents to access their work from their homes, stealing precious time they should have been enjoying with their children.
Rather than talk, couples spend their remaining hours in the day to check their respective profiles.
Broadband Internet in Every Home
With broadband Internet now welcomed into homes, people now spend more time with their relatives and friends who are living in distant area.
The debate as to whether broadband Internet is healthy for relationships or not is a dead end, as it is clear that this technology is not about to go away anytime soon.
However, it is important for people to be aware of how this technology is affecting their relationships, so they will maximize its positive impact and minimize the negative ones.
Over To You
Now that we’ve reached the bottom, here’s what you can do next:
- Tell us how the advent of broadband has affected your relationships?
- Do you think it’s been a positive or negative affect on humanity?
- How do you most use broadband within your own relationship?
And thanks for reading too – I’ll see you in the comments.
About the Author:
Daphne writes on technology and enjoys spending time learning the latest information about wireless internet at Broadband Expert. If it has anything to do with high speed internet, Daphne is right there in the middle of it.
Daphne – who has written 2 posts on GeekandJock.
How You Can Have a Successful Win-Win Divorce 
Feeding People 
Long Distance Relationships: Having a Successful One! 
Emilia
Broadband internet has definitely altered the way we perceive convenience, gone are the days when we were dependent on snail mail and costly long distance calls. More than ever, we are now given the opportunity to connect with practically anyone around the globe at a fraction of the usual cost. Thanks for the engrossing read.
Fatima
Broadband internet has changed from part time activity to the only activity. Communications of all types are kept intact via internet but family life is fully intruded by this technology. Thanks for the thought provoking share.
Martin
Great insight, Fatima.
Internet is quite pervasive in many areas, isn’t it? And it can impact on family life too … if you let it. How do you personally overcome this challenge?
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Dipa
Oh yes-evils of technology-cannot do with them and cannot do without them. How many people actually remember your birthday without Facebook reminding them of it? Gone are the days when we actually received birthday wishes from people who remembered the day without requiring such assistance. Very aptly described-thank u for sharing!
Martin
Thank you for commenting, Dipa.
Evils, you say? :)
Technology will always be on the march forward – it’s a matter of holding on, learning as we go and take the advantages … like the ease in which the Internet facilitates a lot of the communications we have in our relationships, don’t you think?
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Kristine
I can no longer imagine how my life was like back then when I had nothing but a typewriter and bulky encyclopedias :) Who would have thought that just a decade later, the world wide web would be within reach? Thanks for the share, no one can really discount the fact that the internet has changed a lot of lives!
Martin
I’m sure we’ll be using holograms soon, Kristine :)
Joy
Thanks for the remarkable share, I used to struggle with a dial-up connection back in the mid-90′s and I vividly recall how frustrating the experience is. It would take me hours to connect! :) Now that everything is so convenient for us, social networking platforms and the ability to send an email at a click has really sustained a lot of long-distance relationships.
Martin
Oh I so remember those bad old days of slow speeds, Joy. It reinforces the fact of just how lucky we are today, though in a few years time, we’ll be saying the same thing, I suspect.
Abhishek
Broadband has made long distance relationships possible. There was a time when making phone calls to another country was so so expensive. Now we have skype, gtalk and so many other services including internet telephony which have completely revolutionized the way we communicate. There were friends with whom I lost touch after school and its so fascinating to connect with them on FB/Twitter. Now even if I dont speak to my friends in months, I am aware whats going on in their life by checking their FB updates.
Martin
Oh, sorry I missed your comment here, Abhishek so thank you for making the effort, my friend.
It wasn’t all that long ago when there was the need for all those expensive phone calls either – it still is needed too. I remember when Pam was in the UK and she didn’t have any Internet access. Boy, were those phone calls short, sweet and expensive :)
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Aayna
A very nice share!! Broadband has truly revolutionized the definition of relationships. We feel connected with our friends, families and love interest even though, we are living far away from them. There is indeed a lack of time in the busy schedule of each and every person, that internet provides a convenient and effective way to stay in touch. Thanks for this thoughtful share.
Martin
Always a pleasure to hear your comments, Aayna.
The fast paced world we live in does have a tendency to lose track of our friends and loved ones. Thank goodness for the fast paced Internet – though I tend to wonder whether the Internet itself is the root cause for our current fast paced world. Guess that’s a ‘chicken or the egg’ situation, huh?
Richa
Broadband surely has a lot of impact on our relationships. But I would add it has both negative and positive implications. For the positive side, it has made communication faster and easier. And on the flip side, when we have things at hand we tend to take them for granted. Like earlier when we had to make efforts to reach someone, we used to know the value of it.
I am with Mariella on the chat room thing. I have made so many friends on chat from around the world and it feels so good knowing each other. Been using yahoo chat room for a considerable time now and yes it depends on you whom you want to talk, as there are all kinds of people. But good ones can surely be find. I am a regular visitor to books and literature room 3 on yahoo, and most of the people there know me well. We have fun, chat on books and we can talk about anything that is there in the world.
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Martin
Absolutely fascinating, Richa – I can see I need to do more research on chatrooms :)
Funny you you mention new found friends though.
It was only last week that a Facebook friend who I’ve never meet sent me a FB Private Message and wanted to hook up for just a coffee since he just discovered we’d moved to the area (12 months ago mind you).
What a great time we both had chatting away – he’s apparently been following my exploits for the past 4 or 5 years. It was so cool.
And all because of the value of broadband and the Internet. Thanks so much for your sharing too.
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John Ernest
The Internet not only have improved relationships, it has also greatly improved our hunt for a good partner. It is important that we have a lot of prospects for a possible partner and having a site as huge as Facebook for your prospects is a lot! Thanks for the post!
Martin
Sorry I missed your comment, John and thank you for the visit too.
How have you found Facebook to be full of potential dates? I’m very interested to hear your view if you would like to share.
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Swamykant
Broadband has improved my lifestyle.. Now i can work and blog from anywhere and at any time.
Nice post.
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Martin
Thanks for the visit and also for your comment, Swamykant.
Tell us where you’re from. I’m more interested in the way you can do all those things. I know I write a blog post framework on my iPad while on the train but interested in how you take advantage of broadband.
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Mariella Lombardi
Hi Daphne, when I discovered chatrooms 15 years ago, it was like-wow! I can talk with people all around the globe. I don’t know if the outcome can be defined as positive or negative, it is too black vs white. I guess it had so many effects on our consciousness that it is hard to describe it.
Martin
Wow, you know, I’ve never used a chatroom and I’ve been on the Net for 25 years :)
I always used to associated the term with some sex chat type of thing and that isn’t my cup of tea.
What chatrooms did you use, Mariella and what value did you think you got from them?
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Phil Mayes
Hi Martin. I have been known to phone Maude in the next room to tell her the bath is ready, but I don’t think it’s affected us much.
I do think there’s a downside to the constant connectedness that I praised. People won’t go on a hike or a long drive without a cell phone and GPS. They won’t stay somewhere without WiFi or a cell connection. The opportunity for quiet reflection is crowded out by these new technologies. As you say, it’s a done deal, and has many upsides, but it changes our experience of both ourselves and the world.
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Phil Mayes
The answer to your 2nd question about its affect on humanity is that it is having a huge positive effect. It shows us others around the world, and we start to see they are like us.
We fear the unknown, and strangers and foreigners have historically been the unknown. Governments have exploited this, as excellently portrayed in “1984? by three super-powers in perpetual war. However, the Internet has popularized alternative narratives, and along with recognizing the humanity in all of us, world peace will be possible within the century.
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Martin
A big welcome back, Phil and thanks so much for your comment too, mate.
Well, I don’t know about world peace within the century but certainly internet has had a major influence on both relationships as well as communication – pity about all those physical country borders though.
How has it affected your relationship with Maude?
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