Josh Ray, Tyler Murata, Preston San, Ben Reed

Professor Kelly Rowley

English 115

December 5, 2012

Drawing the Line of Technology

Technology has come a long way from what it used to be. Now, we live in a world run by the mass media. As a result, we have a constant need for the latest and greatest technology. Each year, our technological abilities become greater, as well as our cravings for new technology. However, when many think of new technology, and what they can get their hands on, they become anxious. They will stop at nothing in order to get something new. Many are starting to question whether this addiction for technology is becoming a pro or a con in today’s society.

Technology can be very helpful to a lot of people, mentally and physically. With all the endless amounts of opportunities technology has given us, we as a species have been able to succeed. Thanks to technology, people with certain disabilities that have lost their hearing or limbs are able to make up for it using hearing aids and prosthetic limbs. Technology has helped people become more productive by allowing us to create major advancements such as televisions, phones, and computers. Over the years, technology rapidly started to become more advanced. Because of this, people began to break the privileges we have been given by our technological knowledge. As a result, have simply become lazy. With the introduction of social networking, one of the largest technological advances we’ve ever had, human laziness has significantly increased.

You may ask yourself, “but wait, how can social networking make us socially lazier?” Social networking has had a substantial impact on the way humans choose to live. Before social networking was ever even conceived, people used to talk on the phone, write, and visit each other if they ever wanted to get in contact. People still do all of these things, but with the introduction of social networking, people have become less inclined to do so, because all of these things can now be accomplished behind a computer screen. Writing physical letters, talking on the phone, and even visiting other people has become a burden to many in this day and age, and that is because social networking now exists. Because of email and text messaging, many people no longer have the want or need to mail out letters or talk on the phone. Technologies like texting and Facebook have taken away many of the emotional aspects of human communication, because texts or wall posts lack emotion. The smartphone in particular has given us the ability to access these same distractions on the go, causing our lazy human nature to reveal itself in places other than in the comfort of our own homes. With all the many applications these new smart phones have, we are able to access the necessities we need in a day by a few touches of a button. Smart phones are a wonderful luxury to have, but when we overuse them, we become too familiar with the idea of having everything that we think we need in the pockets of our pants.  Nowadays, too many people have become more concerned with their social statuses rather than their statuses in the real world. According to apa.org, “studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.” One check does not seem like much, but without a doubt, Facebook and social networking have contributed to the increasingly bad grades that many students obtain in school. In short, social networking combined with advancing technology is a large reason why people become increasingly lazier each year.

In conclusion, technology has become a powerful force in modern society. As our technological abilities became greater, so did our lust for the latest and greatest things they have to offer. The pros versus the cons of technology have become a major topic of debate. Technology has been very helpful, and necessary, in order to help us evolve into the advanced society we have become to this very day. With advancements in medicine and an overall understanding of the human body and the world in which we live, we have been able to successfully prosper. Major technological inventions, such as the television, prosthetic limbs, and smartphones, have without a doubt made life more convenient for most. However, these same conveniences we have been privileged with have brainwashed us, causing us to become excessively lazy, and too focused on the newest advancements. Technology has made plenty of us forget what it is like to be human, and interact with others properly. It has essentially given people a new outlook on life, a lot for the better, but a lot for the worst as well. But at the end of the day, technology is necessary for our survival, and it will naturally become a larger part of our daily lives as time passes. It is ultimately up to humans to decide whether they will use the technology, or let the technology use them.