How Broadband Internet has Revolutionized Relationships

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

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

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.

Many families don’t watch TV together anymore, as each family member becomes engrossed in his or her online activities.

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 checking 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 areas.

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 effect on humanity?
• How do you most use broadband within your own relationship?

And thanks for reading too – I’ll see you in the comments.