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Technology Advancement
Technology has been evolving for a long period of time at a very fast rate. Is the overall effect of technology necessarily a good or bad thing? What people thought was impossible to make a few years ago is now becoming a reality. Individuals used to be afraid of technology, but now that it has been growing more, the fear has settled. New products are being made too fast and too often. People don’t realize this because they just look at the good outcomes and don’t think about that bad. Scientific advancement needs to come to an end. People are too dependent on technology these days and not only that, but there are many bad things that these tools may cause to happen. Now there are many who disagree because of how helpful technology is, but what if one day all these things disappeared? Would individuals still be capable of continuing their daily lives without these items? Technology advancement is ruining our society and ruining the true meaning of life.
Our society has become more and more dependent on technology ever since the Industrial Revolution. People expect instantaneous responses to their voicemails, emails, phone calls, etc. They begin to weep when their computer freezes or the battery to their cell phone dies. Why do people act like this? “Before the advent of television and internet, people had ways of having fun together every day. Many of these primitive methods of fun have almost disappeared in the modern world,” (Negative Effects of Modern Day Technology). This is true because families don’t seem to be spending as much time together anymore. New technologies such as: TV’s and video games have taken over the children’s brains. Kids today would have a pretty hard time imagining life without items like iPods, internet, or cable. In past time, kids would go out and play “freeze tag” or “hide and go seek” with their friends as entertainment. Parents didn’t have to worry nearly as much as they do today. Now a days, technology has extended news in a variety of means and it’s available 24/7. As Leigh Goessl has once said, “Today the media thrives on generating fear and people are constantly bombarded with the negatives in society. While the expansion of the news due to technology doesn't directly impact children, it indirectly has a huge effect on their lives,” (Goessl). With the public exposure of negativity shared on the news, parents are afraid to let their kids out and supply them with other sources of entertainment that will make them stay home. Individuals also rely on the internet. Instead of going to a store and buying clothes or food, they tend to order everything online. Instead of kids using their books to find answers, they can type the question onto Google and in a matter of seconds they will get their answer. Is this how everyone wants their kids to be educated?
A lot of the new inventions have really bad effects on the environment, as well as people. As I mentioned before, the internet is used by a number of people every day. It’s used for purchasing goods, applying for scholarships, banking reasons, etc. Activities like this lead to identity theft. “Any person, with the knowledge to do so, can track another person’s activity on a computer. Phone conversations can be monitored, government satellites can be used to watch your every move, and records can be kept electronically during your lifetime,” (Johnson). E-mail scams are common. The scam artist may send a thousand at a time and will try and convince people to talk on the phone. Any unprotected information online can be found and could result in identity theft. New technology can also result in an increase of unemployment. Music doesn’t have to be purchased at a music store anymore which causes the big music store chains to shut down for good. Currently, people can now use the internet to download music onto their iPods. Newspaper companies have also been hit by the advancements in technology. On the article Ayden Corkern wrote, “Big newspapers and local agencies have been forced to either lay off a percentage of their work force or shut down altogether because news is readily available for free on the internet,”(Corkern). Some schools are also in debt because of the new advancements. Laptops are more popular and now even smart boards are being used in almost every classroom. Money is being used on pointless item that don’t make that much of a difference.
On the other hand, many people think that new technology is a good thing. It made a huge influence on others because of how useful and helpful it is. People don’t even need cars anymore because we can basically get anything we want off line. Manali Oak said, “The Internet has brought an important positive change to the entertainment and advertising industry,” (Oak). Now there are other sources of transportation other than bicycles and rollerblades. People can get to work using a bus, train, or a car. As time goes on, more inventions will keep coming out and making our daily lives simpler. I disagree with this whole idea of making life easy. Sure, technology did make an impact on our society but it also made everyone lazy and unhealthy. After a long day of work or school, we come home, grab a snack, and sit in front of the TV watching our favorite show for a couple hours. For dinner, instead of making a healthy meal we throw a pizza in the microwave, set the timer, and within minutes it will be warm. Like Melody said, “We should always remember that technology is developed with the purpose of making our lives easier to manage. It has never been designed to enslave or to incapacitate us whatsoever,”(St.John). In other words, others take advantage of technology way too often. It should be something that’s there, but not used constantly that way it actually improves our living conditions.
To sum this up, we’ll never be able to stop technology from advancing. What we can do is use less of it and not waste our money on something that will only make us depend on it more than anything. Why not use a bike to get to school or read a book for once? Technology is only there for us to use and do things without any effort. It’s important that individuals teach their new generations to become more independent. There’s only so much that technology can do.
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Work Cited
Corkern, Ayden. The Negative Effects of Advancing Technology on Society. 5 Dec. 2009
< http://www.published-articles.com/Art/17707/191/The-Negative-Effects-Of-Advancing-Technology-On-Society.html>
Goessl, Leigh. Technology: Its effects on children. 25 Sept. 2007.
<http://www.helium.com/items/613503-technology-its-effects-on-children>
Johnson, Daniel. DJohnson’s Blog. 23 Mar. 2005.
< http://dhjohnson.blogspot.com/2005/03/negative-impacts-of-technology.html>
Negative Effects of Modern Day Technology. 2010.
< http://www.online-learning-guide.com/negative-effects-of-modern-day-technology/>
St. John, Melody. Negative Impact of Technology Growing too Fast. 11 Apr. 2008.
< http://www.helium.com/items/990170-negative-impact-of-technology-growing-too-fast>
Oak, Manali. Positive Effects of Technology on Society. 2011.
< http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-technology-on-society.html>
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