Technology: The Double-Sided Coin
Technology has made its way Into every aspect of human life. It is influencing our lives from the moment we wake up to alarms on our phones, to the second we go to sleep and ask Alexa to shut off the lights. acknowledge has changed the world for better and for worse. Since the mid-2000s, technology has evolved exponentially and has gathered a lot of critics for this rapid expansion. As someone who was born after cell phones were first made, and is a “digital native” I believe that technology overall can be a is a good tool for encouraging deeper thinking, but very recent developments have led to the opposite effect and have repurposed technology into something that robs people of their ability to think independently and focus deeply.
Technology has blessed us with the ability to access vast amounts of information, helping people stay informed and expand their knowledge. In my own life, I have gained a lot of valuable information from the internet, and even long-form social media like YouTube. Having access to news articles from a variety of sources has helped me stay informed about the world, and allows me to participate in adult conversations. On YouTube, I have learned about media analysis and how to think critically about entertainment content. I have gained so much from the internet in these ways, and what I would not be as critical of a thinker as I am without the internet making this intellectually stimulating material more accessible. These sources of information are works that someone took the time to research, write, and meticulously revise in order to provide the best information possible. This effort is what makes these aspects of technology helpful instead of harmful. However, when you encounter aspects of technology that lack this effort and passion, that is when technology becomes harmful to its users. In the examples I listed above, technology is merely a tool to amplify these works, not as something that is doing the work of creating these works. These works could still be created as physical copies or written word analyses, but the internet helps convey them to a wider audience. When I read a new article, I know I am gaining information from it because I know that is the intention of the writer, as well as the creator of the website. They write these articles in order to inform and educate. This intention is the most important distinction between helpful and harmful technology. Technology that does not intellectually benefit its users typically has the intention of making people addicted to it in order to maximize profit. In the last 15 years, this intention has become the main goal for most social media, and consequently the majority of the internet. This change has sparked a major difference in the use of technology as a supplemental tool into something that makes our lives easy and creates content that lacks passion and effort.
The rise of “effortless” Technology such as short form social media has caused its users to become less independent thinkers and more lazy, distracted people. These types of Technology are not created with, or for, the goal of informing or helping users. They are meant to provide ease and minimal work for people. When I go on social media, I am immediately flooded with content tailored to my interests, and that is no longer than 60 seconds. I never have to give it my full attention, or go out of my way to find content that I want to see. These apps are very influential, and have had a massive impact on the way that their users process information. For example, I have personally noticed that there is a large herd mentality on social media, of which I have been a victim of. When I have a set opinion on a topic and then I see people on the internet having a different take on said topic, I start to doubt my original stance and get swayed to agree with the majority. One could argue that this is good because I am seeing an opposing point of view to my own, and therefore expanding my horizons and becoming more empathetic to others who don’t see something the way I do. However, I think this phenomenon becomes troubling when people start outright refusing to take a stance on a topic before seeing the general public opinion. This is making our ability to think freely and independently decline, which is very troubling. It also leads to people having no logical or moral backing for their opinions, so eventually when they do get challenged on their beliefs, they will have nothing to support them. This phenomenon is an example of why a lack of independent thinking is so dangerous, as it also leads to a lack of intelligence and ability to participate in meaningful discourse. In addition to this, social media is also causing a decline in our ability to truly focus on the world around us. Recent social media has developed a very successful algorithm that tailors the content to the specific user. This algorithm is very addicting, and personally, I find myself wasting hours of my day mindlessly scrolling on these apps instead of being productive. Despite the fact that I am aware of this habit, it is still incredibly hard to break due to the incessant hits of dopamine I get from this content, and the way that these apps are crafted. I am unable to properly focus on assignments without reaching for my phone and scrolling through TikTok. The idea of focusing deeply and thinking deeply about an assignment or any task that requires undivided attention is unappealing, especially as there are other ways I can occupy my time that require much less effort. These apps have conditioned me into favoring the ways that they distribute information, because the more reliant I am on them for entertainment or as a way to fill time, the more they profit.
There used to be a time when research needed to be done in a computer lab, a room with a handful of computers the size of boulders, or it was done through books in the library which had to be located using the Dewey Decimal system, and a time where instant messages was not so instant, you had to actually write a letter and drop it into a mail slot. These methods and practices are in the rearview mirror of the 21st century. Today, most everyone carries around a smartphone in their pocket that allows them to “Google” anything and everything and receive results in milliseconds. Similarly, smartphones come equipped with instant messaging, which allows for communication across the globe instantaneously. While these were all positive intentions of technology, humans today have twisted it into a way that could have never been anticipated. Problems such as inappropriate communication, eating disorders, and physical dangers such as crossing a road with your head buried into your phone or ignorant social media challenges which put your life at risk all for a few likes. These examples, although some of the more apparent ones, are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the unintended dangers and consequences associated with technology. While it was created to provide users with information at their fingertips, technology has unintentionally created a world with an increased sense of anxiety and automation.
Anxiety, specifically social anxiety, has increased dramatically since the emergence of digital technology and the apps that accompany it. I have found that people, mostly younger generations including adolescents, teens, and young adults, are strucken with a sense of fear and anxiety whenever they are tasked with social interactions that force them to speak without a screeen rather than being burried behind one. I know personally, I cannot properly give a quick and easy presentation in front of a class without stuttering every other word and burring my face into my note cards. Similarly, I cannot walk into a large venue such as a sporting event, concert, or large group event alone because the thought of wandering in on my own and having to look into the massive crowd to find a seat by myself terrifies me. I feel, however, that these are not exclusive experiences. I know through conversation and online posts that these are relatable experiences amongst people my age. But why? Why can my professors give seamless lectures for 90 minutes or more, but I cannot seem to present for 5. Why can my dad walk into a game, or any social space for that matter, and act as if he owns the place interacting with everyone around him but I must wait outside until someone I know shows up to accompany me? While yes, some of this can be attributed to overall more experience, I feel as though there is a more dominant reason for this immense difference. Technology. Technology, and the varous social media apps that accompany it, are to blame for the heightened social anxiety in the younger generations. This is because on the internet, using apps such as Snapchat or Instagram, you are almost certain how your interactions will take place. Most of the time, you choose who you interact with on these platforms. You know that these people will make a positive impact in your everyday life and if not, you can “leave them on open” or block them. But you can’t do that in real life. There is no block button or real way to leave them on open. You can’t block someone out of your presentation or block them from having a conversation with you. In real, non-technological interactions, putting yourself out there is extremely difficult because of all the uncertainity. For quite some time the idea that you will always receive a favorable or positive response has been ingrained into their minds which makes social interactions, even stepping outside of your house, extremely difficult.
Repetitive technology use has also impacted brain function due to the easily accessible automation it provides. To put it simply, technology’s role in today’s world is to be a tool making the users life easier. However, the “make their life easier” aspect has caused humans to transition from robust thinkers to surface level thinkers who are reliant on the automation provided to them by their phones or computers. Think, how many times on a road trip, or a 5-minute drive to Starbucks have you relied on your Google or Apple maps. Most everyone has these programmed into their cars without even thinking about it. These apps completely eradicate the necessity of remembering your way around because the programs do it for you automatically. Similarly, tools such as autocorrect eliminates the need for writers to be concious about their spelling because if their spelling is wrong, eventually a red squiggly line will appear underneath the word and with a click of a button, the error will be corrected. I know without autocorrect I would be lost. In this paragraph alone, I had 8 or 9 red squiggly lines appear under my poor attempt at typing fast and misspelling words. This tool has become a virus in the human mind, eliminating the need for them to think freely. Furthermore, the tools that are powered by or that offer artificial intelligence that provides users with autogenerate “thoughts” in seconds completely erase the need for any thinking whatsoever. My mother, who teaches 3rd grade called me up earlier in the year enthralled about a new program her school had shown them. This program was an AI powered report card system, allowing users to press a button under each student’s name and automatically generate a sentence that reflects their performance. While my mom had seen this as a positive thing as it severely limited the time she had to spend writing report cards, I viewed this differently as it was delivering these families with ingenuine responses for the sake of time.
Technology: the world’s greatest resource
The world’s greatest tool to mankind is technology this tool can be used for immense greatness or it can be used to destroy the world this is something that everybody in the world holds but it is all about how you use it when the wrong people you get in control of very dangerous technology you can have an immense cat and catastrophic outcomes it can also lead to great things like advanced agriculture practices or ways to help people in need technologies downside is that it can create some very bad things in the world it has created guns that have killed millions of people and it has created things like nuclear bombs that kill people too even things that are good like nuclear reactors which are for good can have negative impacts like when reactors malfunction people have to evacuate the area for thousands of years in recent times technology has created AI which can be used for good as well As for bad things
The goodness that technology is all around us all of the technology does not even have to be digital right now I am writing with a mechanical pencil which is something technology built into it technology has brought us so many great things imagine a world where there is no TV or no phones or no anything with which technology is used for technology is an overall very positive thing if left in the right hands when left in the wrong hand’s technology can be used to make very bad and dangerous things technology is being used every day to harm people whether it be through guns cars or any other mean of hurting someone theology is also used to create phones which have a very Different it’s still a very negative impact on US funds have all people addicted to them they are in everyone’s pockets and they are making us more and more addicted and reliant on them as time passes through social media people are more addicted to their devices because with technology they’re able to be in a different world that is perfectly crafted for the user energy is also being used to destroy natural places in the world and technology is destroying them
Technology can also be used for good but have negative effects like cars have very negative outcomes to them being a thing because they can be used to kill people or harm things another thing that is like this is nuclear reactors they are used for something very good nuclear energy which is a clean energy source the negative from this is the possible chance that the reactor melts down this act can have catastrophic outcomes and lead to people dying or not being able to access things for long amounts of time
Actually technology is the world’s greatest swimming tour as it holds the knowledge of past generations and the answers to future questions technologies ability to help me think is my favorite part about it I can find the answers to mostly all of the questions I have I’ve personally used it many times taught me to learn a certain topic in classes and I am given many different resources to learn and comprehend the topic I am researching This is why I like to think of technology as a wilderness more than a strait jacket like the wilderness technology is the same where you need to have the skills to navigate it so that way if you get lost you can find your way back to where you started I believe if you think of technology as a straight jacket I think you will subconsciously make you anxious of what you are doing and the goals you were trying to achieve by using the technology would not be achieved
Yeah should be viewed as a way to support us not as a parasite that we need to worry about now yes AI can become a bad thing but it only has to be used correctly AI is just incorrect then we should be concerned but we should be using it to help us finance our problems humanity should not be going against AI at all we need to learn to channel it to do things we need help with
Natalie Bell
3 April 2025
The Powers and Drawbacks of Technology
Overtime, technology has changed dramatically with its continuous evolution. From my own perspective, technology is deeply intertwined into almost all aspects of my everyday life. I am an ad technology user need to use it every day for many different things. For instance, technology has changed the way I write with its efficiency of being online as well as being able to type everything faster than writing it all out. The presence of technology in my life has altered communication overall, as well as being able to search and look up whatever I want or need to end it popping up right away. Although these examples may seem normal, has changed the way I do my work communicate and even look stuff up.
My daily use of technology has altered the way I read and even retain information online. Since I have nonstop access to Internet, I can access anything. I need to at any given point. When getting assigned readings for homework, I have found myself skimming over the passages to get it done faster. Nothing makes me not able to retain all the information I was supposed to causing me to take more time and reread the assignment. with the further development of technology is more common for people to skim the text while they’re reading. Give me the text, then leads to points of uncertainty asking myself. What was the main topic or what was I supposed to get out of reading that article? not retaining all the information on a reading and then have a negative effect on how I process the reading as well as how I interpret it. Interpreting the reading is one major step in reading as well. If you don’t understand the main point or even topic of the essay, did you even retain anything that the article was about, although some people use skimming as something good since it goes by faster it has a straw back as well.
Having the capability of being able to access an information online has altered the way I write. When I write my essays, I’m able to have multiple tabs and sources open. I use only sources. I can get my hands on to try to make my clearances concise, as well as go over the rubric to make sure I have everything. My piece of writing is required to need. I keep my tabs open to search for things like synonyms of words I believe I have use too much and to even brought in my vocabulary if I also have any questions, I can look it up. However, all those examples can lead to the dependency on technology. Technology can become a crutch since it is designed to make daily tasks easier. Overtime people have stopped writing on paper since I was become easier to edit and even proofread it online. Even lying on the Internet to answer all the questions I need and reflects a less reflective, kinder way of thinking and learning. Although the Internet has helped in making information easily acceptable is also shaped how people interact with each other.
With the rise of technology has transformed human communication for the better and worse at any point of the day, I can access my phone whenever I want to. Texting social media, and the phone calls have made it easier than ever to connect with others instantaneously. although this has helped strength and long-distance communication, especially well-being in college it has also we can face-to-face conversations. Long distance communication can then lead to miscommunication since you were not able to hear or even see the person’s response as well as their tone. This can even lead to people feeling less connected, even though they’re constantly in touch. Now, since a majority of people prefer online communication over speaking in person and can we decline in social skills. Although technology has brought in and opened a new path that has also raised many questions about what we could be losing in the process.
overall, technology plays a very dire part in everyone’s everyday life now however it comes with its positives and negatives. It has now shaped how we read study and even communicate I have an unlimited access to information which has transformed the way I study and learn and has also helped with efficiency over well. It has allowed me to be able to engage in conversation with my family and friends while being at college. However, were there many challenges that come with technology. Such as using Shortcuts with (work) and the potential for miscommunication. As technology continues to advance, we need to go along with its benefits and drawbacks carefully. If we go along with it this way it will help instead of diminishing our cognitive and communicative properties.
A teenage girls relationship with technology in the 21st century
My relationship with technology has changed greatly within the last few years. From anxiously attached, I grew into independence and self-love habits. I used to care so much about social media, checking likes and comments, counting and analyzing, and the most frequent habit was comparing. It’s hard not to compare yourself when people put their whole being on social media, only sharing their most impressive attributes. I only realized this later on. I don’t recall how, but it all sort of clicked one day. I realized how fake people can be, and quite unrealistic at that. I realised that consuming this media constantly made me feel insecure and unmotivated. The over consumption and overthinking built up and finally caught up to me, and I was sick of it. I deleted TikTok over 3 years ago, which was a huge step and I am ultimately grateful for. That app was the absolute worst. Not only did I have to deal with constant ads for things I truly did want, because it’s all calibrated to you specifically, I could also lose myself for hours scrolling. Freeing myself from that was as easy as a few quicks, just like how easy it was to download it years ago. Yet the effects still remain from it. I noticed it became harder to pay attention to other media, such as books, school assignments, and even movies. People used to think that movies rotted your brain… just wait until they discover 10 second videos. I want others to have that sense of freedom from social media.
Social media is known to impact mental health and physical health which many can relate to. Being born into the era of a technological boom, it’s hard not to have everyday life be severely impacted by it. I feel now that little choices we make each day, for example, to pick up a book instead of “doom scroll” before bed can have major effects on a person’s well-being and also sleep habits. I find that if I let myself rot on a screen before bed, I lose track of time, time goes by so fast, I have no idea how much I just wasted, and earn absolutely nothing from it. Specifically, a few nights ago when I was so excited to finally be done with studying and in bed before midnight even, my body was ready for sleep and I told my roommates I was going to bed and excited about it. I then opened my phone eyes, catching on a few notifications, then indulged in the screen, and I convinced myself that I deserved it and proceeded to let one and a half hours go by while scrolling on Instagram. Losing sleep, I became disappointed in myself and shut it off only to be unable to fall asleep since my mind and eyes were so awake. It seems that TikTok wasn’t my only problem… but I know, just like me, society will only go so far in self help. TikToks sole purpose is doom scrolling, yes Instagram added a reels feature which is ultimately the same, but Instagram serves many more features. Public outreach, spread awareness, build connections, etc.
Many have struggled with attachment and attention span issues due to screens but how much do we accept as normal now that it’s so deep into our lifestyle. We eat meals in front of screens, not fully enjoying or even appreciating the food. I’ve seen articles that the brain lacks in sending hunger or full signals when we are on screens too much. We need our bodies to function in the way that they were meant to. Screens have ripped apart our well-being but we’re constantly being gaslighted into thinking it’s normal, and that we have to accept that it’s just how things will be from now on, so get used to it. I urge others to try and be present even when you are alone and can’t stand the silence, don’t fill the void with unnecessary distraction. It’s hard not to let yourself get distracted when screens are all around us but it’s truly the most freeing feeling to let it go. You will find connections in the world around you that you didn’t know you had the possibility of. Discovering things about yourself along the way.
Now technology as a whole it’s a bad thing, of course. In fact the technology I’m using now is quite helpful when it comes to writing an essay, needing to move things around and don’t get me started with spell check and grammar issues. Now in comparison to writing with pencil on paper, which are both types of technology, I find that many would take the computer. It isn’t always the case, since in a recent article I read a person described feeling overwhelmed with headaches and other problems when using a computer for a long period of time. Thats where new technology comes through, blue light glasses and features to turn more yellow than blue light, etc, have their time to shine. We have now grown very accustomed to needed technology for our technology. And sellers of these technologies have taken it into account and are using it for their benefit. I see it as one big scam. Why do you think every year they come out with a new phone which, guess what, will not fit into last year’s phone case, or take last year’s charger.
Brands have found ways to infiltrate our minds and convince us that we need and deserve things. Of course it’s healthy to treat yourself once and awhile, but do you need to find a reason to do it every day? We are certainly on our phones every day. We watch ads constantly, even if we don’t know they are ads. People are paid to promote products even if they aren’t that good or actually their favorite, because of course they will be getting a check out of it. Which is another reason why it’s a scam. Now it’s nothing new, these marketing strategies all didnt come out of nowhere when phones appeared, but they certainly have become inescapable.
Kaia Anderson
Helping the Addict: A Call To Action
“Its those damn phones”. I’ve heard this phrase uttered as the blanket scapegoat of my generation’s every move on too many times. This statement tends to be followed by the relentless commentary that kids my age don’t know how to navigate the world and do things for themselves. The presence of technology has had negative effects on behavior, especially when it comes to attention span and engaging with others. However, these behavioral changes seem to be an adaptation to a constantly evolving technological world that prioritizes efficiency and speed over focus and in-person communication. In addition, in order to solve this issue, the help of older generations is crucial.
It shouldn’t go unacknowledged that our constant connections to technology are having detrimental effects on out concentration and abilities to connect with others in-person. I constantly find myself unable to focus on a task for a long period of time. Within mere minutes, I feel the urge to check my phone, scroll on social media, or even just look through my camera roll. Just something to distract me. I almost get consumed with anxiety when I don’t check my phone soon after hearing the buzz of a notification. My peers voice similar concerns. We crave the stimulation and gratification our technology provides. In fact, we are addicted to it. Yet, how can you blame us? Why is phone addiction so rampet in the current generation? Frankly, why wouldn’t it be? Our lifestyles require us to be engulfed in the technological realm. Even schoolwork is rapidly transitioning to becoming almost all digital. It is a rare occurrence if I have an assignment that is to be submitted on paper; written as opposed to typed. Other areas of our lives like shopping, even grocery shopping, can be done completely over apps. The list is growing ever longer by the day. Dating, meetings, reading, and writing are just a small list of things that have been greatly influenced by the increase of digitalization. So, of course we are all addicted and of course this issue isn’t a simple fix. Our drug is constantly and infinitely at our disposal. However, when this addiction is allowed to proliferate like it is, or if there is a disregard of its existence as a whole, we lack crucial skills, such as an ability to focus and converse, as we aren’t expected to practice and develop these specific skills.
Older generations love to criticize the technological dependency seen in the current generation despite its inefficiency at helping solve the problem. The truth is, in order to combat phone addition and enable the current generation to fix their issues regarding concentration and engagement, the proactive help of older generations is required. There is always the impression that we would be left dumbfounded at the sight of a rotary dial and that our inadequacy to operate old technology solidifies this idea that our brains are tainted by our phones and we can’t do much at all. I’ll admit, my cursive is sloppy and illegible. I couldn’t burn a CD even if I tried and I don’t know the first thing about using a cassette tap . However, I’d like to take this time to speak directly to the older generations, our very predecessors who critique our technology-engulfed lives. Do you know how to connect and operate a Bluetooth device? Could you Airdrop a photo to me if I asked? Could you change the background or your home screen without assistance? The same evidence that you use to illuminate our “incompetency” could be flipped on you. There is no doubt that our constant use of technology can cause harm; there are clearly issues regarding dependency and disconnection. Yet, all I ask is that older generations acknowledge that we have grown up in a rapidly advancing technological world. We are adapted to always being faced by a screen.
Despite popular belief, healthy relationships are achievable between the current generation and technology. Technology and the Internet can be powerful tools. Having access to a near limitless amount of knowledge in the palm of our hands had led to once unthinkable advancements in human efficiency and connectivity. Questions can be answered in mere seconds; calculations done in half that time. We can talk, text, or videochat anyone at anytime, anywhere. The acceptance of newly advancing technology has its variety of benefits. However, with such a powerful tool at our disposal there are a couple lessons we must learn in order to achieve these healthy relationships with our technology. For one, the first step of solving the issue is coming to the realization that a problem does exist. Needing to check your phone at red lights and being unable to sit alone with your thoughts for only a few minutes before becoming ancy are not normal behaviors. Once the problem has effectively been acknowledged, it is then important to stress user censorship. There needs to be a shift to phones being used as purposeful tools, used for communication, connectivity, and research, as opposed to a constant source of aimless stimulation. However, in order to jumpstart this movement of recognizing the problem of technological dependency in younger generations and promoting censorship, we need the help of older generations who can see the problem and teach us the proper skills to mend the damages. You can continue to criticize our current state and watch us fall deeper into technological addiction, or you can take an active role in solving the issue.
I see conversation as a two-way street. In one direction, traffic should be in a constant state of motion without stoppage or interruption. The other side of the street, in theory, should be the same. This uninterrupted motion will allow as much through put as possible. With the emphasis on should, we don’t always have the opportunity to keep those lines of traffic flowing. There will be times when cars or conversations are interrupted, cutoff, or crash onto the side of the road. I also see speech in the same way. Since we as humans have evolved into highly sophisticated beings with the ability to communicate through dialogues and passing an idea back and forth to see how it changes our mind overtime. Having two people who are speaking together creates a kind of two-way street where patterns are formed and a cadence between the two starts. The conversation is seen as the fastest and most effective way of transmitting nearly any kind of information, and naturally, the cadence will only grow faster overtime. Going back to the street model, if there is traffic that is trying to turn against the grain, it will begin to backlog on both sides and the cadence begins to deteriorate. The conversation ultimately grinds to a halt and this is when the information begins to get lost in confusion.
There needs to be fluidity within communication. Most people who do converse typically are not taking the time to really think about what they are wanting to say. Unlike an essay where patience is needed to get a strong point across, a simple conversation will be quick and to the point. The idea of an essay is a careful consideration of a collection of words and phrases, manipulating the reader to visualize an event through their own eyes without being in the presence of the author, yet almost having a full conversation with that author about his or her experiences. Open dialogue speech should be fluid. It calls on our memory and recognition skills to immediately put pictures into our eyes with a collection of words that help describe that item. If the articulation or description lacks any kind of information, either the part of the memory behind it, or the actual scene of the speech it entails, then the conversation will not be fulfilled.
When it comes to the use of technology I see it as an everyday occurrence. This has been my choice, of course, with the selection of the line of work I have been wanting to get into. I have been exposed to new technologies over the past few years I would’ve never guessed were real or impactful to this industry. With technologies also expanding outside of my line of work, we use many on a daily basis, including phones, computers, and cars. The world around us is growing at a furious rate and some technologies I thought were new a few short years ago are now completely outdated and probably can’t be used. For example, after reading a few articles about new age technologies from authors like Sherry Turkle, Nicholas Carr, and Sam Anderson, their viewpoints of how the advancements of new age devices have ruined the way we can effectively communicate with each other intrigues me. Throughout their articles, many of their examples call on how we adjust to an ever-evolving industry. Some say that we are doomed, and that technology has taken over the way we accept information. People so heavily rely on technology that it takes away from our real world experiences that we have began to decline in tangible knowledge and only look for the latest and supposed greatest. Other arguments lean on a more conventional route of adapting to change and accepting our role as part of a newfound and animated society. Advancing technologies have driven to the development of countries, medicines, and ways we take part in other industries. Just to think only about a hundred years ago, we were developing the idea of flight. The raw mental aptitude it took to think of how something so big can fly under its own power. And here we are now, developing technologies that allow vehicles to be autonomous, and move around with limited incidents, fully aware of their surroundings as if a real person was the one controlling it. As for myself, I see it as wanting a happy middle ground. I will admit it, yes, technology has most certainly changed and morphed our physical world, but only to an extent. I think it is truly necessary to have a movement, both from the pressure of making sure we grow and advance as a species, but also to have the idea that we need to control the limits of what we create. There is a dangerous leveling system for what can be done with the creation of advanced technology. Some people may have already begun to see this idea and abuse the new powers it could hold over others.
The ways I personally use technology in the workspace obviously depends on the situation at hand, but thankfully, most of my future work will be hands on, utilizing technologies as an important but secondary role. With advancing industries all over the world such as AI generated information, we have to be very careful with how we approach the use of it. The deviation from our real-world knowledge has begun to merge seamlessly into a blackhole of computer-generated false realism. A place where information can easily get lost, information that may be mission critical for a number of reasons, such live saving knowledge, gone in milliseconds. What is spit back out is a collection of points created from an algorithm written to show only what the creator wants you to see. A façade, fashioned and manipulated in a trap of misinformation. This is the dark path I see technology abuse could be going down. Somewhere that knowledge goes to die. But, on the other side of that I see automation machines as an incredible tool that could help in so many ways. The storage and collection of enormous amounts of information, all compiled into a tiny digital space. I believe that technology is certainly a key part of my specific line of work. With the ability to have a controlled setting, entirely eliminating the probability of human error could help drive the industry to new heights. And after reading the articles about technology and communication, I could see these devices that to some degree distract us from reality, provide a different perspective on how we could save the lives of many endangered species, and help build healthier ecosystems around the world.
Noah Kesler
4/3/25
Technology is many things ranging from helpful to almost threatening. But it’s not all technology, I mean specifically things like our phones and computers. They can perform some of the most simple tasks like telling us the date and time, but at the same time, they are collecting every bit of information about us as possible. That scares a lot of people. Why does it collect our information? Because we told it too. Technology is whatever we let it be and we let it get out of hand, we provided it with too much.
Our devices have us in a straight jacket of sorts. We are bound by it and it’s our fault, we climbed into the straight jacket and tightened it down on ourselves. For example, our phones. I don’t think I’ve been more than 10 feet away from it all week, even when I sleep it’s sitting right there on the window sill next to me. I’m sure many people can relate to this, our phones go with us everywhere. Knowing exactly where our phones are at all times gives us a feeling of security and comfort and sometimes it feels like you are going to go crazy without it near you. Just like a straight jacket keeping someone contained and secure so they don’t go crazy. It keeps us like this because we designed it to show us exactly what we want whenever we want it.
We let technology become a part of us, a part of who we are like an extension of ourselves. That comforting feeling you get when your phone is nearby could just be the piece of mind knowing you didn’t lose a decently expensive rectangle of metal and glass, or it could be a replication of the comforting feeling we get when someone we care deeply about is around us. Some of us have the same connection to our phones that we do with our closest friends or maybe even family. I believe the emotional connection comes from the time that we put into taking care of our phones every day. At this point, it’s just become second nature for us and we don’t think about it much anymore, but we truly treat our phones like they are a living thing. When we are bored we turn to our phones to entertain us in the same way we would turn to a friend to spend time with. We take time out of our day to keep them “fed” by charging them so they don’t die, much like the way a pet owner would take time out of their day to feed their pet. Many people put cases on their phones to protect them, be stylish, or both. As well as changing the background and voice of the AI assistant to make it more personal, that’s us putting a part of who we are into our phones. No wonder so many people are so inseparable from their phones, they are being given everything they want like more ways to express themselves, a source of entertainment, and a way to have any information they could ever want with the push of a button. Not to mention, our phones were designed for the sole purpose of figuring out what we like and giving us more of it and as much of it as we could ever want or need.
When looking at how far technology has come, it is important to analyze its effects, and I think that social media in and of itself has a lot of effects on how people digest information. Social media is so broad that things are able to quickly spread from place to place that it can be hard to track down the original source. In a large effect social media has on people is changing their ability to think and read deeply, leaving everyone to do so on a shallow level. Many authors have joined into the argument that technology changes the way we think, and that I believe to be true. With the influx of social media this can be seen better than ever before. And the main transition we are seeing is people going from deep thinking to shallow thinking. Everywhere you look, there are gossip websites that portray themselves as news sites. And many people fail to see this and end up believing what these sites post. However, when you step back to look at the bigger picture, not only can it be easy to switch to deep thinking once aware, but also see how shallow thinking can be helpful when going through daily processes.
Specifically with social media, I constantly notice how easy it is for misinformation to spread. This is usually a result of when people see something on a social media platform that they tend to take it at face value. This can happen for a number of reasons. Either the person sharing that information was being satirical but came off too serious, they read information incorrectly and shared it the way they interpreted it, or they spread incorrect information with the intention of people being misinformed. I know that I on occasion have fallen victim to taking information at face value. However, luckily for me, it was never any harmful misinformation. This is a result of shallow thinking Which can impact many online communities. Personally, I’m a part of the Formula One slash Motorsports community online. And many in this community love to gossip. Whether it is about who will be in the Red Bull seat next season or the drivers love lives, the gossip accounts always. Have something to talk about. While some rumors that came out Are true. Many are also false. This is because many fans don’t do their own research on these topics. A lot of the times this. Ruined reputations in the sport. All of which is a result of shallow thinking. The information that we consume on the daily needs to be processed quickly in order for us to comprehend the hundreds of videos. And post we scroll through on the daily. And with the fast consumption of Information people are also quick to comment, repost and share. The information spreading like wildfire.
It is a very easy to repost and scroll after watching a quick 32nd video. I know that. I am very guilty of doing this. However, more and more I take the time to step back and digest the information fully. This allows me to see plot holes within the video. I am able to do my own research on a topic. And dive deeper than just the surface videos. Finding the truth and being able to make my own informed opinion on the matter. Sometimes pausing and breaking down what you just saw can help you think deeper and come to a more educated decision. Comprehension and reading in between the lines is also a good way to deep deepen your thinking on a topic. This is what I tried to do. On most videos and posts that I flag a suspicious in my head.
However, while the misinformation train runs rampant through social media due to many shallow thinkers, not everything is intended to be taken seriously or has loaded information attached to it. Sometimes a funny video is just a funny video. And when you try to apply deep thinking. When watching these videos, it can take away from the mindless scrolling that. Most do just to take a break from the outside world. This is when people should try to have a mental markers or alarms for when they should get out of their shallow thinking state and take a step back to identify if the information that they are seeing is real. Important or misleading? In these instances, social media goers should try to access deeper thinking so as to not become misinformed. But I think that shallow and deep readings slash thinking can be adapted to be used on a case by case basis. Our lives move too fast for us to always stop and analyze every detail we come across. It’s just not very plausible.
We can turn shallow and deep thinking into tools that we use when applicable. Not everything that has resulted from the. Integration of technology and the Internet. Must only be seen as negative. I think that. Should people try hard enough? Almost all of the negative effects we come across Can be turned into a sort of positive or even a tool. Many are quick to jump to the conclusion that all Internet effects are bad and that it will crumble society. But should we try and work with the ever changing Internet we can find a solution to many of the problems we face.
Technology as a whole has come a long way from its origins. Starting off as just a new way for researchers and scientists to compute large equations, modern technology (computers, phones, etc.) has exploded into a million different outlets of communication, creativity, and community. I myself have quite the tie with technology, as in this day and age, it is nearly impossible to do anything without the assistance of technology, like applying for college. However, that’s not to say that technology is a golden bastion of all of humanity. It, too, is as flawed as its creators. It creates a sense of not needing to understand material, with information more important than truly understanding and looking into the context of certain events, facts, etc. Why learn it when you can just google it? There’s also this idea of the internet being this wild space, a place that laws can’t quite reach. This comes with both downsides and certain freedoms other mediums can’t afford.
On a personal level, technology has shaped my life. I attribute a lot of my outward emotion to the internet and the technology I’ve had access to for all of my existence. Without it, I would never have found communities I have interacted with and found media that I enjoy on a deeper level. I also have a large connection with one form of technology – video games. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved playing video games. It probably comes from my dad, who similarly loves playing video games, and it was by watching him play that I grew attached to them. It was a way to escape reality, to be as creative as I wanted, and was a great way for me to interact with my two older brothers. It wasn’t till I was getting into middle school that I even gained access to the internet. It remains a strange middle ground for me to this day. I spent a good half of my life without it, so I really don’t find myself relying on it. However, I know I’ve made the mistake of using technology to do my work for me, but I haven’t in a long time.
As for communication, the internet and its subsequent leaps in global communication allows humans to feel and be closer than ever before. News can reach anyone from across the globe instantly, allowing people to stay informed. It also allows people of different countries, cultures and backgrounds to easily mingle with each other. I myself have been able to meet people from just about everywhere in the world from South America to Europe to Indonesia. I do feel as though I am connected to a lot of the world. However, there are many that feel all this connection is false, as if it is a simulation. They say we may feel like we are connected, but technology is actually pushing us further away from each other than ever before. I am unfortunately inclined to agree with them. I have spent a lot of dinners sitting at the table watching as my friends – rather than strike up a conversation – look at their phones the whole time. It’s very strange to watch as they talk to 50 different people but don’t say a word outside the phone. However, I can consider myself lucky, as those times have passed. I have reached a certain age along with my friends that we talk together much more now, not looking at our phones nearly as much, and my family has never had that problem, especially at the dinner table. It might be because of my own personal experiences that technology has affected me in a different way than some may describe. I still get to feel connected to the world without having to worry that I am losing those connections in the real world, with those around me. I’ve spent much more time of my life off my screen, and I am all the more thankful for it.
As great as technology may seem, with all its connection power and computing engineering, the one thing it does not have going for it is its freedom. As grand of an idea as it is to have a space, free from scrutinization of the outside world, sometimes, it’s not always a bad thing to have around. I would like to say first, however, that many people create communities that promote well-being and inclusiveness, and that the only thing they wish to happen on their communities is for people to talk to each other and share whatever they want that they may love. Unfortunately, their reputation is often smeared due to the anonymity that the internet promotes. Anyone can say just about anything, and more often than not, there isn’t much you can do about it. It is becoming an increasing struggle to learn how to deal with harmful people online and has gotten to a point that the police and government have had to get involved with the policies of online platforms. Now, there are rules in place for most online platforms that people use, with moderation teams behind them. However, a lot of hate and spite slips through the cracks, and there is often no real action you can take against someone if they do something to you. They can steal your information, they can blackmail you, they can cyberbully you. There have been many cases where people have been unable to deal with the bullying of the online world and have unfortunately passed away. This is a problem that the world is still trying to deal with, with many tech companies also looking for solutions. Perhaps one day the internet will be a fully safe space.
With all of that said, the internet is a wide and vast space. I enjoy parts of it that you may never hear of, and you may do the same. No matter who you are or what you do in life, the internet seems to have just about whatever you can think of on it. And if it doesn’t have it, then you can create it. The amount of power the internet gives its users is greater than any tool that has been created yet. It allows for so much creativity from its users that it may never die, living on through those that use it. Even if by some catastrophic event all the internet dies, people would find a way to bring it back. It is a truly wonderful and horrifying tool.
Where Did We Go Wrong?
Technology is something that can be conside4red as simple, yet complex. In order to go about our days, we must use our phones, computers, the Internet, etc. As the years go by, technology continues to advance and find ways to bring more users in. The reliance on technology has caused us to feel amputated without it, which makes me come to the realization that it is an extension of who we are. Our constant connection to technology reveals that we live in a world where we cannot survive without it. The integration of technology into the very framework of our existence has me ponder; who are we when technology is removed from our every day lives?
Whether it is the workplace, school, or even at home, we are consumed by technology and its presence. When we go home after a long day, we find ourselves “disconnecting” by numbing our mind through watching the TV or scrolling through Tik Tok. I do not know about most other people, but I do not remember having a moment of wanting to part ways with technology. As technology continues to evolve, users are finding themselves relying more on it for mindless information, like “when does the Snow-White movie come out?” What exactly do I mean by technology? For my argument technology includes our phones, computers, and the Internet. Parting ways with these forms of technology would be nearly impossible, as it is a part of our lives.
If we were to cut technology from our daily tasks, we would find ourselves feeling lost. Society, especially technology brands like Google and Apple, have conditioned us to rely on technology. Even while driving our car, we find ourselves checking our phones in fear of missing out. Checking our screens and using the Internet has become our habits and it is when we cut this out of our life that we feel lost. We are in a constant state of “where is my phone?” Feeling uncomfortable in the elevator; check your phone. Nervous before an interview; check your phone. We want to access technology not necessarily because it is helpful, but because we have made it an extension of who we are.
Sometimes, I find myself thinking about life before the existence of modern technology. Whenever I talk to my parents about their childhood, they tell me about constantly riding their bikes and spending a majority of their time hanging out with friends in the great outdoors. Even though my parents grew up in the late 70s, it makes me realize how much technology has changed over the last 100 years. After World War II, people thought there would be flying cars, instead we have a heavy addiction to Tik Tok, Instagram reels, and Facebook reels. I wish I was born in the time period where I could grow up without getting into a fight with other girls by simply saying something like “okay.” We have been trained to form and maintain relationships by using technology. Rarely do we prefer in-person conversations when we could just send a quick text, right? I would do anything to go back to when I was young and enjoy every second of life before technology got a hold of me.
If technology were to be removed from my life, I would feel amputated. Every morning, my routine consists of turning off my alarm and checking social media. But, what would happen if I did not rely on my devices to wake me up? Technology is something that has become essential to my lifestyle. It allows me to do schoolwork, do paperwork at my job, and see what my friends and acquaintances are up to. Society has been able to become more interconnected and it has its positives and negatives. The positives include performing every day tasks that I have previously mentioned. However, the negatives include relying on technology to give us information, both true and false, as well as the wanting of technology to satisfy our needs. This constant need to use technology has resulted in it becoming a part of us, almost like another brain. I have found that I rely on technology and the Internet for the most useless things, such as “the periodic table,” does McDonald’s have Pepsi or Coke products,” and “when does the Minecraft movie come out?” These are a few examples of me exploiting the Internet for the most mindless activities and ideas. This goes to show how I use technology and the Internet, and who is to say what other people use it for. For my English class, I challenged myself to go 36 hours with no social media. That task was hard enough as it was, and who knows how much worse it would have been if we were stripped of technology. Someday, if technology were to be cut out of all of our lives, I think society as a whole would feel lost.
Technology has become an essential piece of our survival and it poses the question: where would we if it was removed from our lives? People all have different things going on in their day to day lives, but technology is able to relieve any stress by consuming them and avoiding reality. We rely on technology for things like the closest Wingstop or something as simple as waking up. It is best for us to enjoy the simple things outside of our screens before we dive too far into what technology can offer us. Our lives could positively be impacted if we switch back to finding important information to boost our knowledge. Even if technology may never be taken from our livelihoods, it is important to acknowledge the beauty in the world around us.
Katie McGuire
Technology and the Effects on our Life
My personal relationship with technology has become a combined mix of frustration, addiction and love. I have allowed it to develop into a major part of my daily life. This has begun to affect how I interact with others, think, read and write. It has been a cause for challenge in the world including mental health like anxiety and depression. Through aspects of communication technology has also added convenience to my life. There are billions of benefits it comes with. Technology gives you access to information, research, and articles at my fingertips. Through all the challenges and benefits there are serious concerns that need to be addressed to find a healthy, balanced life.
There is a sense of ease that comes with technology through ways of how I learn and communicate. Apps like messages and calls that give me the opportunity to speak with my parents, family and friends who are miles aways in New Jersey. Along with that I am able to efficiently get information for classes, homework or projects. Even if I am not researching for class I can use technology for different aspects in my life that draw curiosity from anywhere. However all of this ease comes with frustration when it comes to technology glitches or a dead device. This frustration may even turn into stress during instances like a glitch when trying to get an assignment completed. Another instance may be when I have a dead phone, I lose my ability to communicate with my parents. My parents may start to worry if I am not answering if an incident has occured. This loss of communication now causes stress for multiple people.
Technology may make communication easier, but it comes with harm. For instance, endless hours of scrolling and little in person conversation can cause isolation and alter my interactions. Through my generation and younger generations we are at risk of falling short of the ability to learn how to mature through conversation. This stronghold addiction to technology is shown in public spaces. It has become rare that you see a kid or my age group without their phone or a form of technology at places like restaurants or the dining hall. This restricts the ability to have genuine conversations and develop relationships. I find myself turning to my phone instead of thinking and finding interest in a conversation. Being on my phone feels like my brain is frozen and it helps me run from thinking. Oftentimes this can be a cause of anxiety or depression for me and many others.
Technology can cause anxiety or depression in several different ways. I have read multiple science studies that prove the blue light disrupts sleep and alters hormones in your brain. Personally, I have noticed that if I am scrolling on social media before bedtime I don’t fall asleep right away even if I am exhausted. Social media and the internet becomes addictive and turns into damage that increases levels of anxiety. The balance of daily life, school, sports and other important hobbies becomes difficult to manage and intensifies stress. Social media has become something that I have found terrible when trying to be productive. It distracts me from the things I need to do and makes me less motivated. Instead of getting my work done, there is so much on my phone that I can turn to which sadly draws my interest more.
I think that technology influences the way I think and write, mostly for the worse. There is a big temptation to either procrastinate or multitask. This often leads to making my work less thorough. I often find myself skimming readings and articles rather than engaging and learning. With easy access to fly through online books and find what I’m looking for right away, I lose the opportunity to think, gain more knowledge and make my writing detailed. Technology can take away from engaging in school and work and cause myself and others to think less.
Along with multitasking, trying to stay in the present becomes difficult. Constantly getting notifications and having multiple apps and websites shifts my focus. Finding ways to battle these distractions are challenging, however not impossible. There are strategies like screen time limits or turning notifications off when I sit down to focus on school work. Personally, I think it is important to find a balance so I don’t become distracted and my work is better. To grow and develop, staying in the present is beneficial so I don’t live a technology driven life.
Reflecting on my relationship with technology and how it affects the world, reminds me to maintain a balance. It is useful to increase many skills in my life and be a tool for me. I gain many benefits from communication to easy access at the comfort of my home. On the down side it can cause anxiety, laziness and make me less aware. Most importantly it restricts me from maturing and having real life conversations. I believe that myself and others need to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. This starts with forcing myself to lessen technology in my life. To stay consistent with a balanced life, I need to be aware of its harm and where it draws me away from real life.
13 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 23”
Faith Santiago
Technology: The Double-Sided Coin
Technology has made its way Into every aspect of human life. It is influencing our lives from the moment we wake up to alarms on our phones, to the second we go to sleep and ask Alexa to shut off the lights. acknowledge has changed the world for better and for worse. Since the mid-2000s, technology has evolved exponentially and has gathered a lot of critics for this rapid expansion. As someone who was born after cell phones were first made, and is a “digital native” I believe that technology overall can be a is a good tool for encouraging deeper thinking, but very recent developments have led to the opposite effect and have repurposed technology into something that robs people of their ability to think independently and focus deeply.
Technology has blessed us with the ability to access vast amounts of information, helping people stay informed and expand their knowledge. In my own life, I have gained a lot of valuable information from the internet, and even long-form social media like YouTube. Having access to news articles from a variety of sources has helped me stay informed about the world, and allows me to participate in adult conversations. On YouTube, I have learned about media analysis and how to think critically about entertainment content. I have gained so much from the internet in these ways, and what I would not be as critical of a thinker as I am without the internet making this intellectually stimulating material more accessible. These sources of information are works that someone took the time to research, write, and meticulously revise in order to provide the best information possible. This effort is what makes these aspects of technology helpful instead of harmful. However, when you encounter aspects of technology that lack this effort and passion, that is when technology becomes harmful to its users. In the examples I listed above, technology is merely a tool to amplify these works, not as something that is doing the work of creating these works. These works could still be created as physical copies or written word analyses, but the internet helps convey them to a wider audience. When I read a new article, I know I am gaining information from it because I know that is the intention of the writer, as well as the creator of the website. They write these articles in order to inform and educate. This intention is the most important distinction between helpful and harmful technology. Technology that does not intellectually benefit its users typically has the intention of making people addicted to it in order to maximize profit. In the last 15 years, this intention has become the main goal for most social media, and consequently the majority of the internet. This change has sparked a major difference in the use of technology as a supplemental tool into something that makes our lives easy and creates content that lacks passion and effort.
The rise of “effortless” Technology such as short form social media has caused its users to become less independent thinkers and more lazy, distracted people. These types of Technology are not created with, or for, the goal of informing or helping users. They are meant to provide ease and minimal work for people. When I go on social media, I am immediately flooded with content tailored to my interests, and that is no longer than 60 seconds. I never have to give it my full attention, or go out of my way to find content that I want to see. These apps are very influential, and have had a massive impact on the way that their users process information. For example, I have personally noticed that there is a large herd mentality on social media, of which I have been a victim of. When I have a set opinion on a topic and then I see people on the internet having a different take on said topic, I start to doubt my original stance and get swayed to agree with the majority. One could argue that this is good because I am seeing an opposing point of view to my own, and therefore expanding my horizons and becoming more empathetic to others who don’t see something the way I do. However, I think this phenomenon becomes troubling when people start outright refusing to take a stance on a topic before seeing the general public opinion. This is making our ability to think freely and independently decline, which is very troubling. It also leads to people having no logical or moral backing for their opinions, so eventually when they do get challenged on their beliefs, they will have nothing to support them. This phenomenon is an example of why a lack of independent thinking is so dangerous, as it also leads to a lack of intelligence and ability to participate in meaningful discourse. In addition to this, social media is also causing a decline in our ability to truly focus on the world around us. Recent social media has developed a very successful algorithm that tailors the content to the specific user. This algorithm is very addicting, and personally, I find myself wasting hours of my day mindlessly scrolling on these apps instead of being productive. Despite the fact that I am aware of this habit, it is still incredibly hard to break due to the incessant hits of dopamine I get from this content, and the way that these apps are crafted. I am unable to properly focus on assignments without reaching for my phone and scrolling through TikTok. The idea of focusing deeply and thinking deeply about an assignment or any task that requires undivided attention is unappealing, especially as there are other ways I can occupy my time that require much less effort. These apps have conditioned me into favoring the ways that they distribute information, because the more reliant I am on them for entertainment or as a way to fill time, the more they profit.
Technology: The Virus of Today
There used to be a time when research needed to be done in a computer lab, a room with a handful of computers the size of boulders, or it was done through books in the library which had to be located using the Dewey Decimal system, and a time where instant messages was not so instant, you had to actually write a letter and drop it into a mail slot. These methods and practices are in the rearview mirror of the 21st century. Today, most everyone carries around a smartphone in their pocket that allows them to “Google” anything and everything and receive results in milliseconds. Similarly, smartphones come equipped with instant messaging, which allows for communication across the globe instantaneously. While these were all positive intentions of technology, humans today have twisted it into a way that could have never been anticipated. Problems such as inappropriate communication, eating disorders, and physical dangers such as crossing a road with your head buried into your phone or ignorant social media challenges which put your life at risk all for a few likes. These examples, although some of the more apparent ones, are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the unintended dangers and consequences associated with technology. While it was created to provide users with information at their fingertips, technology has unintentionally created a world with an increased sense of anxiety and automation.
Anxiety, specifically social anxiety, has increased dramatically since the emergence of digital technology and the apps that accompany it. I have found that people, mostly younger generations including adolescents, teens, and young adults, are strucken with a sense of fear and anxiety whenever they are tasked with social interactions that force them to speak without a screeen rather than being burried behind one. I know personally, I cannot properly give a quick and easy presentation in front of a class without stuttering every other word and burring my face into my note cards. Similarly, I cannot walk into a large venue such as a sporting event, concert, or large group event alone because the thought of wandering in on my own and having to look into the massive crowd to find a seat by myself terrifies me. I feel, however, that these are not exclusive experiences. I know through conversation and online posts that these are relatable experiences amongst people my age. But why? Why can my professors give seamless lectures for 90 minutes or more, but I cannot seem to present for 5. Why can my dad walk into a game, or any social space for that matter, and act as if he owns the place interacting with everyone around him but I must wait outside until someone I know shows up to accompany me? While yes, some of this can be attributed to overall more experience, I feel as though there is a more dominant reason for this immense difference. Technology. Technology, and the varous social media apps that accompany it, are to blame for the heightened social anxiety in the younger generations. This is because on the internet, using apps such as Snapchat or Instagram, you are almost certain how your interactions will take place. Most of the time, you choose who you interact with on these platforms. You know that these people will make a positive impact in your everyday life and if not, you can “leave them on open” or block them. But you can’t do that in real life. There is no block button or real way to leave them on open. You can’t block someone out of your presentation or block them from having a conversation with you. In real, non-technological interactions, putting yourself out there is extremely difficult because of all the uncertainity. For quite some time the idea that you will always receive a favorable or positive response has been ingrained into their minds which makes social interactions, even stepping outside of your house, extremely difficult.
Repetitive technology use has also impacted brain function due to the easily accessible automation it provides. To put it simply, technology’s role in today’s world is to be a tool making the users life easier. However, the “make their life easier” aspect has caused humans to transition from robust thinkers to surface level thinkers who are reliant on the automation provided to them by their phones or computers. Think, how many times on a road trip, or a 5-minute drive to Starbucks have you relied on your Google or Apple maps. Most everyone has these programmed into their cars without even thinking about it. These apps completely eradicate the necessity of remembering your way around because the programs do it for you automatically. Similarly, tools such as autocorrect eliminates the need for writers to be concious about their spelling because if their spelling is wrong, eventually a red squiggly line will appear underneath the word and with a click of a button, the error will be corrected. I know without autocorrect I would be lost. In this paragraph alone, I had 8 or 9 red squiggly lines appear under my poor attempt at typing fast and misspelling words. This tool has become a virus in the human mind, eliminating the need for them to think freely. Furthermore, the tools that are powered by or that offer artificial intelligence that provides users with autogenerate “thoughts” in seconds completely erase the need for any thinking whatsoever. My mother, who teaches 3rd grade called me up earlier in the year enthralled about a new program her school had shown them. This program was an AI powered report card system, allowing users to press a button under each student’s name and automatically generate a sentence that reflects their performance. While my mom had seen this as a positive thing as it severely limited the time she had to spend writing report cards, I viewed this differently as it was delivering these families with ingenuine responses for the sake of time.
Technology: the world’s greatest resource
The world’s greatest tool to mankind is technology this tool can be used for immense greatness or it can be used to destroy the world this is something that everybody in the world holds but it is all about how you use it when the wrong people you get in control of very dangerous technology you can have an immense cat and catastrophic outcomes it can also lead to great things like advanced agriculture practices or ways to help people in need technologies downside is that it can create some very bad things in the world it has created guns that have killed millions of people and it has created things like nuclear bombs that kill people too even things that are good like nuclear reactors which are for good can have negative impacts like when reactors malfunction people have to evacuate the area for thousands of years in recent times technology has created AI which can be used for good as well As for bad things
The goodness that technology is all around us all of the technology does not even have to be digital right now I am writing with a mechanical pencil which is something technology built into it technology has brought us so many great things imagine a world where there is no TV or no phones or no anything with which technology is used for technology is an overall very positive thing if left in the right hands when left in the wrong hand’s technology can be used to make very bad and dangerous things technology is being used every day to harm people whether it be through guns cars or any other mean of hurting someone theology is also used to create phones which have a very Different it’s still a very negative impact on US funds have all people addicted to them they are in everyone’s pockets and they are making us more and more addicted and reliant on them as time passes through social media people are more addicted to their devices because with technology they’re able to be in a different world that is perfectly crafted for the user energy is also being used to destroy natural places in the world and technology is destroying them
Technology can also be used for good but have negative effects like cars have very negative outcomes to them being a thing because they can be used to kill people or harm things another thing that is like this is nuclear reactors they are used for something very good nuclear energy which is a clean energy source the negative from this is the possible chance that the reactor melts down this act can have catastrophic outcomes and lead to people dying or not being able to access things for long amounts of time
Actually technology is the world’s greatest swimming tour as it holds the knowledge of past generations and the answers to future questions technologies ability to help me think is my favorite part about it I can find the answers to mostly all of the questions I have I’ve personally used it many times taught me to learn a certain topic in classes and I am given many different resources to learn and comprehend the topic I am researching This is why I like to think of technology as a wilderness more than a strait jacket like the wilderness technology is the same where you need to have the skills to navigate it so that way if you get lost you can find your way back to where you started I believe if you think of technology as a straight jacket I think you will subconsciously make you anxious of what you are doing and the goals you were trying to achieve by using the technology would not be achieved
Yeah should be viewed as a way to support us not as a parasite that we need to worry about now yes AI can become a bad thing but it only has to be used correctly AI is just incorrect then we should be concerned but we should be using it to help us finance our problems humanity should not be going against AI at all we need to learn to channel it to do things we need help with
Natalie Bell
3 April 2025
The Powers and Drawbacks of Technology
Overtime, technology has changed dramatically with its continuous evolution. From my own perspective, technology is deeply intertwined into almost all aspects of my everyday life. I am an ad technology user need to use it every day for many different things. For instance, technology has changed the way I write with its efficiency of being online as well as being able to type everything faster than writing it all out. The presence of technology in my life has altered communication overall, as well as being able to search and look up whatever I want or need to end it popping up right away. Although these examples may seem normal, has changed the way I do my work communicate and even look stuff up.
My daily use of technology has altered the way I read and even retain information online. Since I have nonstop access to Internet, I can access anything. I need to at any given point. When getting assigned readings for homework, I have found myself skimming over the passages to get it done faster. Nothing makes me not able to retain all the information I was supposed to causing me to take more time and reread the assignment. with the further development of technology is more common for people to skim the text while they’re reading. Give me the text, then leads to points of uncertainty asking myself. What was the main topic or what was I supposed to get out of reading that article? not retaining all the information on a reading and then have a negative effect on how I process the reading as well as how I interpret it. Interpreting the reading is one major step in reading as well. If you don’t understand the main point or even topic of the essay, did you even retain anything that the article was about, although some people use skimming as something good since it goes by faster it has a straw back as well.
Having the capability of being able to access an information online has altered the way I write. When I write my essays, I’m able to have multiple tabs and sources open. I use only sources. I can get my hands on to try to make my clearances concise, as well as go over the rubric to make sure I have everything. My piece of writing is required to need. I keep my tabs open to search for things like synonyms of words I believe I have use too much and to even brought in my vocabulary if I also have any questions, I can look it up. However, all those examples can lead to the dependency on technology. Technology can become a crutch since it is designed to make daily tasks easier. Overtime people have stopped writing on paper since I was become easier to edit and even proofread it online. Even lying on the Internet to answer all the questions I need and reflects a less reflective, kinder way of thinking and learning. Although the Internet has helped in making information easily acceptable is also shaped how people interact with each other.
With the rise of technology has transformed human communication for the better and worse at any point of the day, I can access my phone whenever I want to. Texting social media, and the phone calls have made it easier than ever to connect with others instantaneously. although this has helped strength and long-distance communication, especially well-being in college it has also we can face-to-face conversations. Long distance communication can then lead to miscommunication since you were not able to hear or even see the person’s response as well as their tone. This can even lead to people feeling less connected, even though they’re constantly in touch. Now, since a majority of people prefer online communication over speaking in person and can we decline in social skills. Although technology has brought in and opened a new path that has also raised many questions about what we could be losing in the process.
overall, technology plays a very dire part in everyone’s everyday life now however it comes with its positives and negatives. It has now shaped how we read study and even communicate I have an unlimited access to information which has transformed the way I study and learn and has also helped with efficiency over well. It has allowed me to be able to engage in conversation with my family and friends while being at college. However, were there many challenges that come with technology. Such as using Shortcuts with (work) and the potential for miscommunication. As technology continues to advance, we need to go along with its benefits and drawbacks carefully. If we go along with it this way it will help instead of diminishing our cognitive and communicative properties.
A teenage girls relationship with technology in the 21st century
My relationship with technology has changed greatly within the last few years. From anxiously attached, I grew into independence and self-love habits. I used to care so much about social media, checking likes and comments, counting and analyzing, and the most frequent habit was comparing. It’s hard not to compare yourself when people put their whole being on social media, only sharing their most impressive attributes. I only realized this later on. I don’t recall how, but it all sort of clicked one day. I realized how fake people can be, and quite unrealistic at that. I realised that consuming this media constantly made me feel insecure and unmotivated. The over consumption and overthinking built up and finally caught up to me, and I was sick of it. I deleted TikTok over 3 years ago, which was a huge step and I am ultimately grateful for. That app was the absolute worst. Not only did I have to deal with constant ads for things I truly did want, because it’s all calibrated to you specifically, I could also lose myself for hours scrolling. Freeing myself from that was as easy as a few quicks, just like how easy it was to download it years ago. Yet the effects still remain from it. I noticed it became harder to pay attention to other media, such as books, school assignments, and even movies. People used to think that movies rotted your brain… just wait until they discover 10 second videos. I want others to have that sense of freedom from social media.
Social media is known to impact mental health and physical health which many can relate to. Being born into the era of a technological boom, it’s hard not to have everyday life be severely impacted by it. I feel now that little choices we make each day, for example, to pick up a book instead of “doom scroll” before bed can have major effects on a person’s well-being and also sleep habits. I find that if I let myself rot on a screen before bed, I lose track of time, time goes by so fast, I have no idea how much I just wasted, and earn absolutely nothing from it. Specifically, a few nights ago when I was so excited to finally be done with studying and in bed before midnight even, my body was ready for sleep and I told my roommates I was going to bed and excited about it. I then opened my phone eyes, catching on a few notifications, then indulged in the screen, and I convinced myself that I deserved it and proceeded to let one and a half hours go by while scrolling on Instagram. Losing sleep, I became disappointed in myself and shut it off only to be unable to fall asleep since my mind and eyes were so awake. It seems that TikTok wasn’t my only problem… but I know, just like me, society will only go so far in self help. TikToks sole purpose is doom scrolling, yes Instagram added a reels feature which is ultimately the same, but Instagram serves many more features. Public outreach, spread awareness, build connections, etc.
Many have struggled with attachment and attention span issues due to screens but how much do we accept as normal now that it’s so deep into our lifestyle. We eat meals in front of screens, not fully enjoying or even appreciating the food. I’ve seen articles that the brain lacks in sending hunger or full signals when we are on screens too much. We need our bodies to function in the way that they were meant to. Screens have ripped apart our well-being but we’re constantly being gaslighted into thinking it’s normal, and that we have to accept that it’s just how things will be from now on, so get used to it. I urge others to try and be present even when you are alone and can’t stand the silence, don’t fill the void with unnecessary distraction. It’s hard not to let yourself get distracted when screens are all around us but it’s truly the most freeing feeling to let it go. You will find connections in the world around you that you didn’t know you had the possibility of. Discovering things about yourself along the way.
Now technology as a whole it’s a bad thing, of course. In fact the technology I’m using now is quite helpful when it comes to writing an essay, needing to move things around and don’t get me started with spell check and grammar issues. Now in comparison to writing with pencil on paper, which are both types of technology, I find that many would take the computer. It isn’t always the case, since in a recent article I read a person described feeling overwhelmed with headaches and other problems when using a computer for a long period of time. Thats where new technology comes through, blue light glasses and features to turn more yellow than blue light, etc, have their time to shine. We have now grown very accustomed to needed technology for our technology. And sellers of these technologies have taken it into account and are using it for their benefit. I see it as one big scam. Why do you think every year they come out with a new phone which, guess what, will not fit into last year’s phone case, or take last year’s charger.
Brands have found ways to infiltrate our minds and convince us that we need and deserve things. Of course it’s healthy to treat yourself once and awhile, but do you need to find a reason to do it every day? We are certainly on our phones every day. We watch ads constantly, even if we don’t know they are ads. People are paid to promote products even if they aren’t that good or actually their favorite, because of course they will be getting a check out of it. Which is another reason why it’s a scam. Now it’s nothing new, these marketing strategies all didnt come out of nowhere when phones appeared, but they certainly have become inescapable.
Kaia Anderson
Helping the Addict: A Call To Action
“Its those damn phones”. I’ve heard this phrase uttered as the blanket scapegoat of my generation’s every move on too many times. This statement tends to be followed by the relentless commentary that kids my age don’t know how to navigate the world and do things for themselves. The presence of technology has had negative effects on behavior, especially when it comes to attention span and engaging with others. However, these behavioral changes seem to be an adaptation to a constantly evolving technological world that prioritizes efficiency and speed over focus and in-person communication. In addition, in order to solve this issue, the help of older generations is crucial.
It shouldn’t go unacknowledged that our constant connections to technology are having detrimental effects on out concentration and abilities to connect with others in-person. I constantly find myself unable to focus on a task for a long period of time. Within mere minutes, I feel the urge to check my phone, scroll on social media, or even just look through my camera roll. Just something to distract me. I almost get consumed with anxiety when I don’t check my phone soon after hearing the buzz of a notification. My peers voice similar concerns. We crave the stimulation and gratification our technology provides. In fact, we are addicted to it. Yet, how can you blame us? Why is phone addiction so rampet in the current generation? Frankly, why wouldn’t it be? Our lifestyles require us to be engulfed in the technological realm. Even schoolwork is rapidly transitioning to becoming almost all digital. It is a rare occurrence if I have an assignment that is to be submitted on paper; written as opposed to typed. Other areas of our lives like shopping, even grocery shopping, can be done completely over apps. The list is growing ever longer by the day. Dating, meetings, reading, and writing are just a small list of things that have been greatly influenced by the increase of digitalization. So, of course we are all addicted and of course this issue isn’t a simple fix. Our drug is constantly and infinitely at our disposal. However, when this addiction is allowed to proliferate like it is, or if there is a disregard of its existence as a whole, we lack crucial skills, such as an ability to focus and converse, as we aren’t expected to practice and develop these specific skills.
Older generations love to criticize the technological dependency seen in the current generation despite its inefficiency at helping solve the problem. The truth is, in order to combat phone addition and enable the current generation to fix their issues regarding concentration and engagement, the proactive help of older generations is required. There is always the impression that we would be left dumbfounded at the sight of a rotary dial and that our inadequacy to operate old technology solidifies this idea that our brains are tainted by our phones and we can’t do much at all. I’ll admit, my cursive is sloppy and illegible. I couldn’t burn a CD even if I tried and I don’t know the first thing about using a cassette tap . However, I’d like to take this time to speak directly to the older generations, our very predecessors who critique our technology-engulfed lives. Do you know how to connect and operate a Bluetooth device? Could you Airdrop a photo to me if I asked? Could you change the background or your home screen without assistance? The same evidence that you use to illuminate our “incompetency” could be flipped on you. There is no doubt that our constant use of technology can cause harm; there are clearly issues regarding dependency and disconnection. Yet, all I ask is that older generations acknowledge that we have grown up in a rapidly advancing technological world. We are adapted to always being faced by a screen.
Despite popular belief, healthy relationships are achievable between the current generation and technology. Technology and the Internet can be powerful tools. Having access to a near limitless amount of knowledge in the palm of our hands had led to once unthinkable advancements in human efficiency and connectivity. Questions can be answered in mere seconds; calculations done in half that time. We can talk, text, or videochat anyone at anytime, anywhere. The acceptance of newly advancing technology has its variety of benefits. However, with such a powerful tool at our disposal there are a couple lessons we must learn in order to achieve these healthy relationships with our technology. For one, the first step of solving the issue is coming to the realization that a problem does exist. Needing to check your phone at red lights and being unable to sit alone with your thoughts for only a few minutes before becoming ancy are not normal behaviors. Once the problem has effectively been acknowledged, it is then important to stress user censorship. There needs to be a shift to phones being used as purposeful tools, used for communication, connectivity, and research, as opposed to a constant source of aimless stimulation. However, in order to jumpstart this movement of recognizing the problem of technological dependency in younger generations and promoting censorship, we need the help of older generations who can see the problem and teach us the proper skills to mend the damages. You can continue to criticize our current state and watch us fall deeper into technological addiction, or you can take an active role in solving the issue.
Nick Kachmarik
Communication, dangers of tech, and saving lives
I see conversation as a two-way street. In one direction, traffic should be in a constant state of motion without stoppage or interruption. The other side of the street, in theory, should be the same. This uninterrupted motion will allow as much through put as possible. With the emphasis on should, we don’t always have the opportunity to keep those lines of traffic flowing. There will be times when cars or conversations are interrupted, cutoff, or crash onto the side of the road. I also see speech in the same way. Since we as humans have evolved into highly sophisticated beings with the ability to communicate through dialogues and passing an idea back and forth to see how it changes our mind overtime. Having two people who are speaking together creates a kind of two-way street where patterns are formed and a cadence between the two starts. The conversation is seen as the fastest and most effective way of transmitting nearly any kind of information, and naturally, the cadence will only grow faster overtime. Going back to the street model, if there is traffic that is trying to turn against the grain, it will begin to backlog on both sides and the cadence begins to deteriorate. The conversation ultimately grinds to a halt and this is when the information begins to get lost in confusion.
There needs to be fluidity within communication. Most people who do converse typically are not taking the time to really think about what they are wanting to say. Unlike an essay where patience is needed to get a strong point across, a simple conversation will be quick and to the point. The idea of an essay is a careful consideration of a collection of words and phrases, manipulating the reader to visualize an event through their own eyes without being in the presence of the author, yet almost having a full conversation with that author about his or her experiences. Open dialogue speech should be fluid. It calls on our memory and recognition skills to immediately put pictures into our eyes with a collection of words that help describe that item. If the articulation or description lacks any kind of information, either the part of the memory behind it, or the actual scene of the speech it entails, then the conversation will not be fulfilled.
When it comes to the use of technology I see it as an everyday occurrence. This has been my choice, of course, with the selection of the line of work I have been wanting to get into. I have been exposed to new technologies over the past few years I would’ve never guessed were real or impactful to this industry. With technologies also expanding outside of my line of work, we use many on a daily basis, including phones, computers, and cars. The world around us is growing at a furious rate and some technologies I thought were new a few short years ago are now completely outdated and probably can’t be used. For example, after reading a few articles about new age technologies from authors like Sherry Turkle, Nicholas Carr, and Sam Anderson, their viewpoints of how the advancements of new age devices have ruined the way we can effectively communicate with each other intrigues me. Throughout their articles, many of their examples call on how we adjust to an ever-evolving industry. Some say that we are doomed, and that technology has taken over the way we accept information. People so heavily rely on technology that it takes away from our real world experiences that we have began to decline in tangible knowledge and only look for the latest and supposed greatest. Other arguments lean on a more conventional route of adapting to change and accepting our role as part of a newfound and animated society. Advancing technologies have driven to the development of countries, medicines, and ways we take part in other industries. Just to think only about a hundred years ago, we were developing the idea of flight. The raw mental aptitude it took to think of how something so big can fly under its own power. And here we are now, developing technologies that allow vehicles to be autonomous, and move around with limited incidents, fully aware of their surroundings as if a real person was the one controlling it. As for myself, I see it as wanting a happy middle ground. I will admit it, yes, technology has most certainly changed and morphed our physical world, but only to an extent. I think it is truly necessary to have a movement, both from the pressure of making sure we grow and advance as a species, but also to have the idea that we need to control the limits of what we create. There is a dangerous leveling system for what can be done with the creation of advanced technology. Some people may have already begun to see this idea and abuse the new powers it could hold over others.
The ways I personally use technology in the workspace obviously depends on the situation at hand, but thankfully, most of my future work will be hands on, utilizing technologies as an important but secondary role. With advancing industries all over the world such as AI generated information, we have to be very careful with how we approach the use of it. The deviation from our real-world knowledge has begun to merge seamlessly into a blackhole of computer-generated false realism. A place where information can easily get lost, information that may be mission critical for a number of reasons, such live saving knowledge, gone in milliseconds. What is spit back out is a collection of points created from an algorithm written to show only what the creator wants you to see. A façade, fashioned and manipulated in a trap of misinformation. This is the dark path I see technology abuse could be going down. Somewhere that knowledge goes to die. But, on the other side of that I see automation machines as an incredible tool that could help in so many ways. The storage and collection of enormous amounts of information, all compiled into a tiny digital space. I believe that technology is certainly a key part of my specific line of work. With the ability to have a controlled setting, entirely eliminating the probability of human error could help drive the industry to new heights. And after reading the articles about technology and communication, I could see these devices that to some degree distract us from reality, provide a different perspective on how we could save the lives of many endangered species, and help build healthier ecosystems around the world.
Noah Kesler
4/3/25
Technology is many things ranging from helpful to almost threatening. But it’s not all technology, I mean specifically things like our phones and computers. They can perform some of the most simple tasks like telling us the date and time, but at the same time, they are collecting every bit of information about us as possible. That scares a lot of people. Why does it collect our information? Because we told it too. Technology is whatever we let it be and we let it get out of hand, we provided it with too much.
Our devices have us in a straight jacket of sorts. We are bound by it and it’s our fault, we climbed into the straight jacket and tightened it down on ourselves. For example, our phones. I don’t think I’ve been more than 10 feet away from it all week, even when I sleep it’s sitting right there on the window sill next to me. I’m sure many people can relate to this, our phones go with us everywhere. Knowing exactly where our phones are at all times gives us a feeling of security and comfort and sometimes it feels like you are going to go crazy without it near you. Just like a straight jacket keeping someone contained and secure so they don’t go crazy. It keeps us like this because we designed it to show us exactly what we want whenever we want it.
We let technology become a part of us, a part of who we are like an extension of ourselves. That comforting feeling you get when your phone is nearby could just be the piece of mind knowing you didn’t lose a decently expensive rectangle of metal and glass, or it could be a replication of the comforting feeling we get when someone we care deeply about is around us. Some of us have the same connection to our phones that we do with our closest friends or maybe even family. I believe the emotional connection comes from the time that we put into taking care of our phones every day. At this point, it’s just become second nature for us and we don’t think about it much anymore, but we truly treat our phones like they are a living thing. When we are bored we turn to our phones to entertain us in the same way we would turn to a friend to spend time with. We take time out of our day to keep them “fed” by charging them so they don’t die, much like the way a pet owner would take time out of their day to feed their pet. Many people put cases on their phones to protect them, be stylish, or both. As well as changing the background and voice of the AI assistant to make it more personal, that’s us putting a part of who we are into our phones. No wonder so many people are so inseparable from their phones, they are being given everything they want like more ways to express themselves, a source of entertainment, and a way to have any information they could ever want with the push of a button. Not to mention, our phones were designed for the sole purpose of figuring out what we like and giving us more of it and as much of it as we could ever want or need.
Mae Buchanan
4 April 2025
When looking at how far technology has come, it is important to analyze its effects, and I think that social media in and of itself has a lot of effects on how people digest information. Social media is so broad that things are able to quickly spread from place to place that it can be hard to track down the original source. In a large effect social media has on people is changing their ability to think and read deeply, leaving everyone to do so on a shallow level. Many authors have joined into the argument that technology changes the way we think, and that I believe to be true. With the influx of social media this can be seen better than ever before. And the main transition we are seeing is people going from deep thinking to shallow thinking. Everywhere you look, there are gossip websites that portray themselves as news sites. And many people fail to see this and end up believing what these sites post. However, when you step back to look at the bigger picture, not only can it be easy to switch to deep thinking once aware, but also see how shallow thinking can be helpful when going through daily processes.
Specifically with social media, I constantly notice how easy it is for misinformation to spread. This is usually a result of when people see something on a social media platform that they tend to take it at face value. This can happen for a number of reasons. Either the person sharing that information was being satirical but came off too serious, they read information incorrectly and shared it the way they interpreted it, or they spread incorrect information with the intention of people being misinformed. I know that I on occasion have fallen victim to taking information at face value. However, luckily for me, it was never any harmful misinformation. This is a result of shallow thinking Which can impact many online communities. Personally, I’m a part of the Formula One slash Motorsports community online. And many in this community love to gossip. Whether it is about who will be in the Red Bull seat next season or the drivers love lives, the gossip accounts always. Have something to talk about. While some rumors that came out Are true. Many are also false. This is because many fans don’t do their own research on these topics. A lot of the times this. Ruined reputations in the sport. All of which is a result of shallow thinking. The information that we consume on the daily needs to be processed quickly in order for us to comprehend the hundreds of videos. And post we scroll through on the daily. And with the fast consumption of Information people are also quick to comment, repost and share. The information spreading like wildfire.
It is a very easy to repost and scroll after watching a quick 32nd video. I know that. I am very guilty of doing this. However, more and more I take the time to step back and digest the information fully. This allows me to see plot holes within the video. I am able to do my own research on a topic. And dive deeper than just the surface videos. Finding the truth and being able to make my own informed opinion on the matter. Sometimes pausing and breaking down what you just saw can help you think deeper and come to a more educated decision. Comprehension and reading in between the lines is also a good way to deep deepen your thinking on a topic. This is what I tried to do. On most videos and posts that I flag a suspicious in my head.
However, while the misinformation train runs rampant through social media due to many shallow thinkers, not everything is intended to be taken seriously or has loaded information attached to it. Sometimes a funny video is just a funny video. And when you try to apply deep thinking. When watching these videos, it can take away from the mindless scrolling that. Most do just to take a break from the outside world. This is when people should try to have a mental markers or alarms for when they should get out of their shallow thinking state and take a step back to identify if the information that they are seeing is real. Important or misleading? In these instances, social media goers should try to access deeper thinking so as to not become misinformed. But I think that shallow and deep readings slash thinking can be adapted to be used on a case by case basis. Our lives move too fast for us to always stop and analyze every detail we come across. It’s just not very plausible.
We can turn shallow and deep thinking into tools that we use when applicable. Not everything that has resulted from the. Integration of technology and the Internet. Must only be seen as negative. I think that. Should people try hard enough? Almost all of the negative effects we come across Can be turned into a sort of positive or even a tool. Many are quick to jump to the conclusion that all Internet effects are bad and that it will crumble society. But should we try and work with the ever changing Internet we can find a solution to many of the problems we face.
I entirely forgot to add my title:
Technology’s Effect on our Deeper Thinking
Technology as a whole has come a long way from its origins. Starting off as just a new way for researchers and scientists to compute large equations, modern technology (computers, phones, etc.) has exploded into a million different outlets of communication, creativity, and community. I myself have quite the tie with technology, as in this day and age, it is nearly impossible to do anything without the assistance of technology, like applying for college. However, that’s not to say that technology is a golden bastion of all of humanity. It, too, is as flawed as its creators. It creates a sense of not needing to understand material, with information more important than truly understanding and looking into the context of certain events, facts, etc. Why learn it when you can just google it? There’s also this idea of the internet being this wild space, a place that laws can’t quite reach. This comes with both downsides and certain freedoms other mediums can’t afford.
On a personal level, technology has shaped my life. I attribute a lot of my outward emotion to the internet and the technology I’ve had access to for all of my existence. Without it, I would never have found communities I have interacted with and found media that I enjoy on a deeper level. I also have a large connection with one form of technology – video games. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved playing video games. It probably comes from my dad, who similarly loves playing video games, and it was by watching him play that I grew attached to them. It was a way to escape reality, to be as creative as I wanted, and was a great way for me to interact with my two older brothers. It wasn’t till I was getting into middle school that I even gained access to the internet. It remains a strange middle ground for me to this day. I spent a good half of my life without it, so I really don’t find myself relying on it. However, I know I’ve made the mistake of using technology to do my work for me, but I haven’t in a long time.
As for communication, the internet and its subsequent leaps in global communication allows humans to feel and be closer than ever before. News can reach anyone from across the globe instantly, allowing people to stay informed. It also allows people of different countries, cultures and backgrounds to easily mingle with each other. I myself have been able to meet people from just about everywhere in the world from South America to Europe to Indonesia. I do feel as though I am connected to a lot of the world. However, there are many that feel all this connection is false, as if it is a simulation. They say we may feel like we are connected, but technology is actually pushing us further away from each other than ever before. I am unfortunately inclined to agree with them. I have spent a lot of dinners sitting at the table watching as my friends – rather than strike up a conversation – look at their phones the whole time. It’s very strange to watch as they talk to 50 different people but don’t say a word outside the phone. However, I can consider myself lucky, as those times have passed. I have reached a certain age along with my friends that we talk together much more now, not looking at our phones nearly as much, and my family has never had that problem, especially at the dinner table. It might be because of my own personal experiences that technology has affected me in a different way than some may describe. I still get to feel connected to the world without having to worry that I am losing those connections in the real world, with those around me. I’ve spent much more time of my life off my screen, and I am all the more thankful for it.
As great as technology may seem, with all its connection power and computing engineering, the one thing it does not have going for it is its freedom. As grand of an idea as it is to have a space, free from scrutinization of the outside world, sometimes, it’s not always a bad thing to have around. I would like to say first, however, that many people create communities that promote well-being and inclusiveness, and that the only thing they wish to happen on their communities is for people to talk to each other and share whatever they want that they may love. Unfortunately, their reputation is often smeared due to the anonymity that the internet promotes. Anyone can say just about anything, and more often than not, there isn’t much you can do about it. It is becoming an increasing struggle to learn how to deal with harmful people online and has gotten to a point that the police and government have had to get involved with the policies of online platforms. Now, there are rules in place for most online platforms that people use, with moderation teams behind them. However, a lot of hate and spite slips through the cracks, and there is often no real action you can take against someone if they do something to you. They can steal your information, they can blackmail you, they can cyberbully you. There have been many cases where people have been unable to deal with the bullying of the online world and have unfortunately passed away. This is a problem that the world is still trying to deal with, with many tech companies also looking for solutions. Perhaps one day the internet will be a fully safe space.
With all of that said, the internet is a wide and vast space. I enjoy parts of it that you may never hear of, and you may do the same. No matter who you are or what you do in life, the internet seems to have just about whatever you can think of on it. And if it doesn’t have it, then you can create it. The amount of power the internet gives its users is greater than any tool that has been created yet. It allows for so much creativity from its users that it may never die, living on through those that use it. Even if by some catastrophic event all the internet dies, people would find a way to bring it back. It is a truly wonderful and horrifying tool.
Peyton Perkins
April 4, 2025
Where Did We Go Wrong?
Technology is something that can be conside4red as simple, yet complex. In order to go about our days, we must use our phones, computers, the Internet, etc. As the years go by, technology continues to advance and find ways to bring more users in. The reliance on technology has caused us to feel amputated without it, which makes me come to the realization that it is an extension of who we are. Our constant connection to technology reveals that we live in a world where we cannot survive without it. The integration of technology into the very framework of our existence has me ponder; who are we when technology is removed from our every day lives?
Whether it is the workplace, school, or even at home, we are consumed by technology and its presence. When we go home after a long day, we find ourselves “disconnecting” by numbing our mind through watching the TV or scrolling through Tik Tok. I do not know about most other people, but I do not remember having a moment of wanting to part ways with technology. As technology continues to evolve, users are finding themselves relying more on it for mindless information, like “when does the Snow-White movie come out?” What exactly do I mean by technology? For my argument technology includes our phones, computers, and the Internet. Parting ways with these forms of technology would be nearly impossible, as it is a part of our lives.
If we were to cut technology from our daily tasks, we would find ourselves feeling lost. Society, especially technology brands like Google and Apple, have conditioned us to rely on technology. Even while driving our car, we find ourselves checking our phones in fear of missing out. Checking our screens and using the Internet has become our habits and it is when we cut this out of our life that we feel lost. We are in a constant state of “where is my phone?” Feeling uncomfortable in the elevator; check your phone. Nervous before an interview; check your phone. We want to access technology not necessarily because it is helpful, but because we have made it an extension of who we are.
Sometimes, I find myself thinking about life before the existence of modern technology. Whenever I talk to my parents about their childhood, they tell me about constantly riding their bikes and spending a majority of their time hanging out with friends in the great outdoors. Even though my parents grew up in the late 70s, it makes me realize how much technology has changed over the last 100 years. After World War II, people thought there would be flying cars, instead we have a heavy addiction to Tik Tok, Instagram reels, and Facebook reels. I wish I was born in the time period where I could grow up without getting into a fight with other girls by simply saying something like “okay.” We have been trained to form and maintain relationships by using technology. Rarely do we prefer in-person conversations when we could just send a quick text, right? I would do anything to go back to when I was young and enjoy every second of life before technology got a hold of me.
If technology were to be removed from my life, I would feel amputated. Every morning, my routine consists of turning off my alarm and checking social media. But, what would happen if I did not rely on my devices to wake me up? Technology is something that has become essential to my lifestyle. It allows me to do schoolwork, do paperwork at my job, and see what my friends and acquaintances are up to. Society has been able to become more interconnected and it has its positives and negatives. The positives include performing every day tasks that I have previously mentioned. However, the negatives include relying on technology to give us information, both true and false, as well as the wanting of technology to satisfy our needs. This constant need to use technology has resulted in it becoming a part of us, almost like another brain. I have found that I rely on technology and the Internet for the most useless things, such as “the periodic table,” does McDonald’s have Pepsi or Coke products,” and “when does the Minecraft movie come out?” These are a few examples of me exploiting the Internet for the most mindless activities and ideas. This goes to show how I use technology and the Internet, and who is to say what other people use it for. For my English class, I challenged myself to go 36 hours with no social media. That task was hard enough as it was, and who knows how much worse it would have been if we were stripped of technology. Someday, if technology were to be cut out of all of our lives, I think society as a whole would feel lost.
Technology has become an essential piece of our survival and it poses the question: where would we if it was removed from our lives? People all have different things going on in their day to day lives, but technology is able to relieve any stress by consuming them and avoiding reality. We rely on technology for things like the closest Wingstop or something as simple as waking up. It is best for us to enjoy the simple things outside of our screens before we dive too far into what technology can offer us. Our lives could positively be impacted if we switch back to finding important information to boost our knowledge. Even if technology may never be taken from our livelihoods, it is important to acknowledge the beauty in the world around us.
Katie McGuire
Technology and the Effects on our Life
My personal relationship with technology has become a combined mix of frustration, addiction and love. I have allowed it to develop into a major part of my daily life. This has begun to affect how I interact with others, think, read and write. It has been a cause for challenge in the world including mental health like anxiety and depression. Through aspects of communication technology has also added convenience to my life. There are billions of benefits it comes with. Technology gives you access to information, research, and articles at my fingertips. Through all the challenges and benefits there are serious concerns that need to be addressed to find a healthy, balanced life.
There is a sense of ease that comes with technology through ways of how I learn and communicate. Apps like messages and calls that give me the opportunity to speak with my parents, family and friends who are miles aways in New Jersey. Along with that I am able to efficiently get information for classes, homework or projects. Even if I am not researching for class I can use technology for different aspects in my life that draw curiosity from anywhere. However all of this ease comes with frustration when it comes to technology glitches or a dead device. This frustration may even turn into stress during instances like a glitch when trying to get an assignment completed. Another instance may be when I have a dead phone, I lose my ability to communicate with my parents. My parents may start to worry if I am not answering if an incident has occured. This loss of communication now causes stress for multiple people.
Technology may make communication easier, but it comes with harm. For instance, endless hours of scrolling and little in person conversation can cause isolation and alter my interactions. Through my generation and younger generations we are at risk of falling short of the ability to learn how to mature through conversation. This stronghold addiction to technology is shown in public spaces. It has become rare that you see a kid or my age group without their phone or a form of technology at places like restaurants or the dining hall. This restricts the ability to have genuine conversations and develop relationships. I find myself turning to my phone instead of thinking and finding interest in a conversation. Being on my phone feels like my brain is frozen and it helps me run from thinking. Oftentimes this can be a cause of anxiety or depression for me and many others.
Technology can cause anxiety or depression in several different ways. I have read multiple science studies that prove the blue light disrupts sleep and alters hormones in your brain. Personally, I have noticed that if I am scrolling on social media before bedtime I don’t fall asleep right away even if I am exhausted. Social media and the internet becomes addictive and turns into damage that increases levels of anxiety. The balance of daily life, school, sports and other important hobbies becomes difficult to manage and intensifies stress. Social media has become something that I have found terrible when trying to be productive. It distracts me from the things I need to do and makes me less motivated. Instead of getting my work done, there is so much on my phone that I can turn to which sadly draws my interest more.
I think that technology influences the way I think and write, mostly for the worse. There is a big temptation to either procrastinate or multitask. This often leads to making my work less thorough. I often find myself skimming readings and articles rather than engaging and learning. With easy access to fly through online books and find what I’m looking for right away, I lose the opportunity to think, gain more knowledge and make my writing detailed. Technology can take away from engaging in school and work and cause myself and others to think less.
Along with multitasking, trying to stay in the present becomes difficult. Constantly getting notifications and having multiple apps and websites shifts my focus. Finding ways to battle these distractions are challenging, however not impossible. There are strategies like screen time limits or turning notifications off when I sit down to focus on school work. Personally, I think it is important to find a balance so I don’t become distracted and my work is better. To grow and develop, staying in the present is beneficial so I don’t live a technology driven life.
Reflecting on my relationship with technology and how it affects the world, reminds me to maintain a balance. It is useful to increase many skills in my life and be a tool for me. I gain many benefits from communication to easy access at the comfort of my home. On the down side it can cause anxiety, laziness and make me less aware. Most importantly it restricts me from maturing and having real life conversations. I believe that myself and others need to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. This starts with forcing myself to lessen technology in my life. To stay consistent with a balanced life, I need to be aware of its harm and where it draws me away from real life.