"E-mail. Facebook. Got a text! Oh, a retweet, awesome. What's new on Google News?" Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it? We put too much emphasis on the need to get the newer, better iPad, for example, that we forget what is actually important in life. Recently in China a young man had his kidney surgically removed in order to have enough money to buy an iPad. Guess it costs more than an arm and a leg.
Technology has made life much easier in many ways, but we face a negative aspect of new technologies as well. We become dependent on them and find ourselves spiraling out of control while attempting to make sure we have the newest technologies to make our lives seemingly easier. However, we are actually making our lives more complicated by filling them with unnecessary added stresses. I urge that we all take a moment each day to disconnect from all of our modern, technological chains and remember what is truly a priority in our lives.
An example that has likely affected you if you are a member of the modern age is the lack of appreciation of actual human interaction. And no I'm not talking about Skype. I mean actually talking to someone, whether they are your friend, significant other, or a stranger. As much as I sound like a Luddite, I swear I am not. I simply appreciate the concrete interaction that is slowly disappearing from our society thanks to Facebook, SMS messaging, and the ease of talking to someone via a "newfangled" medium. This is a problem because some meaning is lost through the process of encoding and decoding the messages sent and received through these media.
I think this could be a problem in the future if the younger generations who grew up with the new technologies lose the ability to interact effectively in the real world. They will lose the ability to make real conversation and the style that goes hand in hand with speaking. Instead everyone will be talking through their devices and, when the time arises when they will need to actually talk to someone, they will talk like computers. A generation of emotionless people who talk in a horribly direct way is on its way if something doesn’t change.
Another problem is the loss of privacy thanks to the technological age and the pervasiveness of social networks. Now, everyone can post anything and everything that is going on in their lives on their social network profile. As much as I'd like to know how great or horrible everyone's day at work or school went, I am worried about the availability of information. Aside from the marketing executives who buy your information and the hackers who could retrieve it quite easily, there are more and more, in my opinion, invasions of privacy. Now employers can even ask for your Facebook password to check for inconsistencies, explicit content, and illegal activity. Not too long ago someone who you met once wouldn't have the luxury of knowing everything about you. Today that's different, but I'm not sure if it's better.
What can we do? The answer is simple; people have been doing it since the beginning of time. Simply step away from the technologies that are consuming our lives for a while. If you are the type of person who spends half your day on Facebook, deactivate it for a week or two and see how much extra time you have to do things you enjoy in the real world. If you are the type of person who stays up all night texting, turn off your phone when you are home for the day. In fact, turn off all of your electronics before you go to bed and see how much better you sleep. This is symbolic, but it is also based in fact because it has been found that the frequency that comes from electronics, even when they’re not in use, disrupts REM sleep. Escape the destructive spiral of all of your electronic devices and just disconnect.
USB cables are our new chains and we are playing Big Brother to one another daily. As much as new technologies can improve our quality of life, they also have the potential to create more problems. I think it's important to disconnect once in awhile, and I urge everyone to do so and remember what it's like to live without the pressure to check your new Facebook notifications every thirty minutes.
I agree on some levels. Honestly, I enjoy how technology is advancing, but I believe that the people that fall victim of becoming obsessed with technology are the less intelligent. In fact I believe it is a new social Darwinistic belief, i.e., as technology becomes more and more advanced those less fit in this environment will get less accomplished in their life for being technologically obsessed. However, those that can use these new technologies for what they were intended and really see them for what they are will be more successful in the future. Yeah, this is a little far fetched, but I'm sure you understand where I am going with this.
ReplyDeleteI believe routine disconnect is important. Sometimes I find myself staring at a screen for more than seven hours a day. But, like Brenton said I really enjoy how technology is advancing. I can order Chiptole on my phone before I get there. I can order by prescriptions on my phone and they'll be ready when I get to the store. I can see where the USC tram is so I can plan when to walk out of my house. I enjoy using technology, but can definitely see how technology can corrupt some people. I have some friends that will look at their phone several times during dinner or text back while we're having a conversation. I agree with you that we should all take a step back from being chained down by our phone and it's power cords!
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more. As it is wonderful that everything is SO convenient for us all with all of the technological advances out there, I cannot help but think about all of the negative social implications due to all of this technology and the fact that we can't really chose to opt out of it at this point either unless we want to completely shut ourselves out from the world. I struggle with this daily and have "deleted" my FB and Twitter multiple times only to get back on not more than a week later because I feel disconnected with everything! I hate the fact that I'm constantly checking my FB and Twitter 24/7 and if I'm not I feel like I'm missing an arm or something. What scares me most is that this is only the beginning. Like FB's timeline is the creepiest thing yet. Everything is so connected now that I can't have Spotify if I delete my FB so I had to get back on...people don't need to know everything I do throughout the day or what I'm thinking, but that's basically what it's coming to and that's scary, I don't care if it's "progress," it's too much.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! As much as technology has advanced communication and provided the capability of easily interacting with anyone anywhere in the world, it has begun to replace traditional human interaction which I believe is the main problem. Especially for our generation and younger, we are becoming so accustomed to texting our friends, emailing, skyping, facebooking, etc that our ability to interact socially in the "real" world. As Lena kind of touched on, it is scary how much control Facebook specifically is beginning to have over our society. My philosophy with social media is just because we can, doesn't always mean we should.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, because it can get annoying going our with a group of friends and half the time having all of them with their heads down looking at their phones. At that point speaking becomes generic and they don't even realize what you may be saying to them as they begin to give generic yes or no answers. When technology is being used in moderation I think it can serve its purpose and I know this as I am also a victim of this technological era, however, not to the extent to which I will lose touch of human interactions. I don't like the fact that is has already taken over the lives of so many people. When you hear someone saying "I feel naked without my phone" then you know that we have serious problem. Human interaction and face to face contact has been minimized due to the constant advancements of technology and soon enough later generations won't be able to understand the proper social skills as they will be so consumed with technology and socializing through that.
ReplyDeleteI think we're at a point in human history where technology and humans are beginning to merge. Quite scary if you ask me. Soon they're going to be putting computer chips underneath our skin. But it's strange; technology has become such an integral part of our lives and it's constantly bombarding us. It's as if the time and distance between each human being is becoming exponentially shorter. I just have to agree with everything you're saying. Privacy and security are still extremely important values we can't give up in the name of modernization. And I just want to quote Timothy Leary that sometimes we just need to "turn on, tune in, drop out."
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument but I also think that an emphasis on disconnecting from technology needs to come from the top down. I think many people view the connectivity made through technology use to be necessary to their position in society. Many people feel that if they don't stay connected they will regress in whatever their project as a human is. What if Apple encouraged its consumers to spend one day away from using all Apple products? Surely they wouldn't because they don't want to lose consumers but maybe if Apple sent a message like that we wouldn't resent them when we do feel like we spend too much time on the computer. Right now, I hate my laptop because it is a necessary evil to getting my work done. I don't hold Apple accountable for the work I have to do but I certainly want to shy away from their using their products simply because I need to get off the computer. How could we change the ample and incessant connectivity? Maybe the government mandates a no technology day once a month. Maybe we turn off the power grids so that no one can use their devices for a day. These are completely ridiculous claims but I think that the project of getting people off devices has to come from a higher rung to have a real effect.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I see your points and I agree with many of your observations but it just doesn't phase me. I don't necessarily see it as that much of a negative to just stop using my technology. I enjoy how much we are advancing in technology and like being connected. Yes it is healthy to find places without being connected every now and then, I'll admit that. But it would be completely ridiculous to stop using these devices altogether. We need to find a middle-ground with technology where we can keep our cultural human values and integrate them with tech culture because, sorry to break it to you, but this tech isn't going anywhere. In fact, you are going to see a lot more of it. 20 years from now you are going to look back and laugh at how little technology actually is interacting with our lives (that is if the robots haven't taken over already). It's probably best to just accept that this is the way it is now. Make it Facebook official and put it as your status on your iPhone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post, but I've found that it is extremely difficult to disconnect from your devices. Although I would like to take a day or a week off from my phone and computer, I've found that they've become so deeply engrained in my life that it would be nearly impossible. In the past, you could turn off the television and the computer and still have ways to communicate with the outside world if necessary. However, with a cellphone and no landline, and no physical mail being delivered to me, this makes things pretty tough. One of the things I'd like to do at some point in my life is to go to some exotic country (like Burma or something) and spend a month where people have no way of getting in touch with me. This seems like it would be a refreshing exercise away from electronics.
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