Meaning Of Human Ghosting

Ghosting a computer means cloning its content to another environment—giving the appearance that the same computer is available at another location. In other words, ghosting means the computer is not present at other locations but its contents are available to be viewed at different locations. “Human ghosting” is a term being coined by this author to convey the concept similar to computer ghosting; it means people are not physically present, but they are present through the use of the internet and social networks on their computers and cell phones. People’s social networks have evolved into networks of virtual people, as they communicate through social media to share what’s happening in their life and even to socialize offline. The networks …show more content…
The human touch in one’s immediate environment is gradually thinning and fading due to reliance upon social media and other means of communication such as chat room, instant messaging platforms, etc. Newborn babies are ‘nurtured’ through webcam or webcam-based technological devices; parents are being ghosted around their babies by new technology. Mothers are seen breastfeeding their babies while focusing on her interactions with people online when it is the time for strengthening the bond with the infant by making eye contact and providing nurturance. In the future, the nature of relationships, social support systems, children and adolescents’ development, peer relationships, life-satisfaction, and competency building will change (Kaveri et al., 2015) due to interplay of cyber environment and its human ghosting phenomena. People are forming and strengthening relationship using social media and seeking natural support online. On the other hand, children are decreasing outdoor activities to get more time for online activities and their parents are learning new cyber technologies to keep pace with young children as well as keep them safe. The generation of young people is becoming more technologically competent and less socially savvy due to the use of cyber technologies, as their interactions with peers are becoming more …show more content…
People’s engagement in social activities such as sports, social gatherings, etc. is important not for the individuals involved in the activity, but collectively it influences the whole community. Putnam (1993) noted that overall economic health of a community is better where their citizens are participating in the social life. Rook (1984) has noticed that problem with close relationships such as friendship, team relationship, etc. can have adverse impact on people’s well being. Social relationships do not only impact people’s well being, but they are instrumental in forming identities, learning social conducts, mastering skills of conflict resolution, etc. Thus, a person’s physical environment and his or her interactions with other citizens are important for his or her personal psychosocial development, well-being, and being connected to the community (Rook, 1984). In the cyber environment, these social interactions have changed to network interactions, which does not include social contexts and human touch. Social contexts play an important role in human development especially among children and adolescents (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). In virtual environment, social context has evolved into cyber networks and may impact human development, behavior and psychosocial well-being differently. It is, therefore, important to understand person-in-cyber environment and its related