Technology-How Much Is Too Much?

Technology is something that will never stop growing. Looking back through history, it is clear that we have already come a long way and have achieved things that once seemed impossible. While the technological advancements of modern day have created a more efficient way of life there is evidence that while technology comes with positives it also comes with negatives. Social skills and the ability to communicate effectively stem from social interaction, but with new advancements social interaction is not a necessity. Cell phones and lap tops have become the necessity and it seems that each new device has more and more applications that literally change the way people live from day to day. The following link leads to an article that was written in 1999. The excessive use of technology was already being questioned at that point and our dependence on it has grown even more throughout the past decade. http://www.sierrasource.com/cep612/internet.html  It is important to understand the impact technology has on the way we communicate, both the good and the bad. Technology is revolutionary and extremely beneficial, but it does have the power to hinder social skills.  

                                              

 

The benefits of technological advancements are clear. It creates a more efficient way to get things done and furthers intellect and access to information. Technology is not the problem, it is the dependence we have on it. What happens when a child learns how to use applications on smartphones before they learn how to play tag? Or when a child chooses to sit in their room on a computer instead of playing outside with friends? According to an article on the impact computer use has on children http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/kraut/www/RKraut.site.files/articles/subrahmanyam00-Compute%26kids.pdf  over one fifth of children over 8 have a computer in their room which means that the computer may often be used in solitude, interfering with the development and maintenance of friendships, the article also supports that excessive internet use is linked to lonliness and depression. The fact that technology is being introduced to kids so early in life is a one of the main reasons why teens and adults have become so dependent. It seems as though people cannot survive without their iPhones and Blackberry's these days and that is because society as a whole has grown to rely on them so much. The following audioboo clip is the response from a Maryland student when asked why she chose the iPhone, why it's beneficial and weather she texts or calls more.   listen to ‘Everything in hand ’ on Audioboo

                                                          

Technology has advanced right before our eyes which may be what makes it hard to pick up on. The public is not aware of how much our dependence on technology has grown, but there are statistics that show just how addicted we have become. According to the New York Times,    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html? The Pew Research Center found that half of American teenagers send fifty or more text messages a day and one third send more than a hundred a day. Two thirds of the people surveyed said they were more likely to use their cell phones to text friends than to call them and fifty-four percent said they text their friends once a day, but only 33 percent said they talk to them face-to-face. These are startling statistics that are only going to increase unless social interaction is reinforced and we start depending less on our phones and more on our voices. Using technology to communicate is efficient, but when you think about it how can you fully understand a message without certain aspects such as facial expressions, body language and tone of voice? Face to face communication generally ensures that the  message sent is the message received.

It is not the technology should be deemed as a negative aspect of society its just that we should utilize it differently and understand that is shouldn't take over our lives. No matter what technology is going to grow and we cannot put universal limitations on it, but if people individually were more aware and actually made an effort to cut down on just how much they rely on their phones and computers I think it would improve the communication skills of the public for the better. Technology is a huge part of society and everyday life and we are in fact living in a technological age, however it is important to ask the question, how much is too much?

 

Here is a clip of an  interview with Steve Underhill who is one of my Communications professors. In the interview he discusses how technology has taken an effect on society and what could happen as our dependence grows.