Humans are social creatures. We have a fundamental need to socialize and stay connected to other people. It nourishes our emotional health to communicate with the people nearest and dearest to us. Just a hundred years ago, we could only reach out to people face to face or via letters which took weeks for a response. Now, we can connect with people on the other side of the world at the tap of a button. The digital age has meant that our lives are busier than ever before. Email, meetings, phone calls and more, being connected means we are always on the go. But that doesn’t mean we have to lose touch with the ones we love. Here are three of the most effective ways technology has kept our busy lifestyles connected.
basic communications apps. Staying in touch has never been so simple. Social media and messaging apps have kept us connected like never before. Findings show that in 2017, the total number of social media users worldwide reached 2.46 billion. Now that’s a lot of people! Social media is a great way to communicate with friends and keep in touch with their lives with a quick glance at their feed. Some people may have the notion that social media makes us anti-social, claiming that it makes us retreat into technology rather than speak to people in person. However, a report by the Global Council on Brain Health finds that social media helps (elderly people especially) to improve our social lives and expand our social circles. Some of the most effective communications apps include:
> Facebook: The same report which found the total number of social media users worldwide also found that Facebook is the most popular social network as of April 2018. Reportedly, we spend an average of around 50 minutes per day on Facebook. We’re all guilty of checking our feed at work and it helps us to stay up to date with what is happening in our friends’ lives. Events pages are the new party invites, and Facebook Messenger allows for more private communication between friends and family.
> Skype: Once upon a time, video calls with people around the world seemed like a vision of the future. That future is now here with the likes of Skype, Facetime and Google Hangouts. There are an estimated 1.33 million Skype users around the world, making it easier than ever to connect from far away. These apps allow us to have a face-to-face conversation with anyone, whether they are in the next room or on the other side of the world. They even have messaging features so you can stay in constant contact without needing to make a video call every time, and since calls and messages are done over the internet, there are no additional charges.
> WhatsApp: WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. It is essentially a text messaging client which uses an internet connection, and users can also make video and voice calls. The average Whatsapp user checks the app 23 times per day and sends around 1,000 messages from it each month. Messages are end-to-end encrypted, making your communications secure, and you don’t need to be tech savvy to use the app. Fun fact: Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg bought Whatsapp for a whopping $19 billion, essentially paying $42 per Facebook user!
multiplayer gaming. The beauty of technology is that not only can we talk to people around the world, we can play games with them too. Multiplayer gaming has come a long way in recent years, and it now provides users with a thoroughly immersive experience:
> Live Casino: Online casinos have always been a popular form of entertainment, but in recent years they’ve become much more connected. In the past, players would be lucky to have a live chat box on the screen as they play. Now, there are live casinos which add a much more human aspect to the game. Players can see live dealers and choose from a range of games, which makes it feel like players are live on the casino floor.
> Live Stream Gaming: In a similar vein, avid video gamers can stream their own gameplay or watch other gamers around the world play. Twitch is a streaming service dedicated to watching online gameplay and it is one of the most popular streaming services with over 19 million hours streamed overall. Players and viewers can keep in touch via the chat boxes and this allows people with shared interests to connect in one place.
telemedicine applications. Technology not only helps us to stay connected to other people, but it also helps us to stay connected to our health. Our health is the most important thing, and with such hectic lifestyles, it can be easy to forget to take care of ourselves. Telemedicine apps are a quick and effective way to keep on top of our health without taking a lot of time out of our days:
> PopRX: Remembering to pick up a prescription can be difficult with such busy lives, but PopRX is an app which allows you to renew your prescription and get it delivered to your door without worry. It gives users peace of mind as they can arrange for it to be delivered as needed without having to rush to the pharmacy. The app is totally confidential and it keeps track of user conditions to offer the best course of medication to take. Users can also get in touch with medical professionals through the app if they have medical concerns or questions about their prescriptions, which saves time and offers peace of mind.
> Betterhelp: Mental health is just as important as physical health, but a lot of people don’t make enough time for it. Betterhelp is a service which connects users to trained counsellors and allows them to arrange therapy sessions online according to their time schedule. All sessions are private and totally confidential, and it means that users don’t have to fork out for expensive counselling or take time out of their busy day.
Technology has helped make our lives so much easier. It keeps us connected to the ones we love, it helps to expand and improve our social lives, and it can help keep us healthy. With our lives being busier than ever, it can be easy to get lost in it all and forget to stay connected, but technology has made those aspects of our lives a lot easier.
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