Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Technology

Hello Hello I am sorry I have been away for so long but I am back now! I was thinking the other day as I was texting like a maniac, I text a lot! Right then and there I had an epiphany; I am not the only one. Texting has become the primary form of contact for everybody across the world. It has reduced the amount of phone calls and more importantly decreased a more direct and personalized form of communication. The texting epidemic has become preposterous to the point that someone will be right next to you and you would rather text than just speak to them. This is symbolic and indicative of an even bigger problem:the evolution of technology is making our society more and more impersonal! Not only that but it is making us dumber to a certain extent.

I know what you are thinking there are two sides to this issue. Technology has improved our society in many ways. It has allowed global communication to become more feasible. It has also generated a space where information is infinitely available with a superfluous amounts of sources. It has also accommodated everyday life so that it facilitates daily tasks and makes life easier overall. In addition, it has helped us bridge gaps of unfamiliarity but has also widened them. We have become very impersonal and it has stunted social growth, personalization and interdependence that once dominated our planet. As a result it has also cultivated a culture of misunderstanding because when communication is reduced the understanding between one another and unity also declines. It has also lead to a phenomenon of alienation. We have isolated ourselves more because of technology for example, I am typing right now but I could be talking to my brother face to face. This a prototypical scenario that exemplifies how technology is cutting down our personal face to face contact.

The era of protechnology is a conondrum because it has reduced our personal communication however, we are able to communicate more often due to the propagation of technology. I think there are more pros than cons but the intimacy of the human race is suffering because of technology without a doubt. This has also contributed to the decline in gestures of love, appreciation, and expression of emotions overall. Nobody writes cards anymore or goes to somebody's house to wish them happy birthday, everything is either computerized or technologically oriented. This causes us to blanket our emotions and masquerades our facial and physical expressions and also distances what could be a close relationship.

Technology has also impaired our intellectual capabilities. A common everyday example is little kids on the train and bus with sidekicks ( popular cellular phone) and no books in their hands. Where did the concept of reading and becoming more knowledgeable go, is all kids know is MTV and youtube? Nowadays Everybody is attached to a technological device at every moment. The idea of skateboarding, playing board games, going to the library, or engaging people has become obsolete. Intelligence and the appetite for knowledge is diminishing at an astonishing rate. People are also controlled by technology through the channeled media (pun intended). Technology has dumbed down the masses and made people less of critical thinkers and more of "yes people" (people that believe everything they see or hear). They accept everything they hear for true. I will digress for a brief moment. I've heard this adage in several places: believe none of what you hear none of what you read and only have of what you see!!!!! Technology has made it easier to believe things that we see or hear because it is conveyed through technology rather than face to face or in a more personal manner. But I want to throw a controversial topic out there: does it benefit the government to keep people uneducated and ignorant and have ongoing proliferation of technology? Also in a society dominated by capitalism if we started to use technology less and make less purchases on technology the economy would take a hit, which would not make the government happy! Another question is how much better of a world would this be if we were smarter? For example in urban areas if you do not have the latest technology or are caught reading a book you are ostracized and not accepted. This demonstrates a culture of poverty and ignorance that has been perpetuated and therefore has made us dumber. So coming back from the digression, technology has shown to be an oppressing force much more than empowering. If we were to detach ourselves from our cell phone, internet or video games we would be much smarter (especially Americans). At least in the suburbs the kids come from priviledged backgrounds and have better educations so technology is not that much of a handicap but this concept is the most significant to kids from urban neighborhoods who would be able to go further in their education if they put the games and tv away. This ideology displays the utmost veracity in the Ben Carson story where a young black kid in Detroit's inner city who got bad grades in elementary school became the top scholar in his class after reading books outside of his class material and abstaining from watching tv. Instead of being idle or just settling for menial jobs the urban nucleus can ameliorate their chances of succeeding by educating themselves inside and outside of the classroom. I have the firm conviction that technology hampers the intellectual growth of our youth especially in urban communities where they are deprived of a good education as far as schooling is concerned and on top of that they lack the self education outside of school which adds insult to injury.

In closing I would like to say that technology is a remarkable asset to modern society but I will also say that it has its drawbacks that can become harmful if they are not regulated. If we are not careful, sooner or later We WILL BECOME ROBOTS

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