All over the world we’ve read or seen how people were born and raised before technology. Changes began when light, machines and newer inventions were made to when the newest smartphone, watch, and devices were created. Some of us have experienced throughout these changes when our world was introduced to the Internet and how it brought impacts to our society today.
Technology shouldn’t be used as a distraction that will separate us from our social world. It should bring benefits to our education, opportunities to contact close ones who are far away from us, or access to any interest/concerns/questions we want to be answered. The Internet was created to help communities in a positive way but now people are misusing it which has made it seem like a negative impact.
In this century we’ve seen how people, including children, are becoming antisocial, lazy, shy, or overweight because they are not being active socially and physically. I remember when technology was rising, on the kids channel there would be commercials about a lazy potato watching television all day instead of being active and going outside to play. The purpose of the commercial was to motivate kids to go outside to be active instead of being home all day watching television. This indicates that adults and adolescents are spending more time at home using phones, iPads, computers, watching TV, or playing video games; which also relates to social media and other apps. Regardless of social media’s pros and cons, it has been a distraction for people during school, work, and driving.
The rise of technology has created changes to our society. From the way we think to how we manage our daily lives today. Nicholas Carr wrote an article called, ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid?’. On page 88, he stated, “I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used robbery easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative[...] I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle”. This is a perfect example how the internet has changed our society in both good but also bad. It’s good that with just a few quick clicks we get to see what we looking for link after link. In fact the author isn’t the only one who feels the same way, several of us do too.Though, the way we were taught to read has changed the way we write today and also the way we learn today. Most of us learn better through an audio, video, or a visual example and not so much by reading. Which is an important thing to do during school, applying for jobs, signing important papers, buying cars, or anything important that requires reading and following instructions.
Instead of the Internet bringing better changes, people in our community have misused the usage of technology. For instance, we see less and less people being aware and alert while they are walking, crossing streets, driving, or riding in the bus. By this, I mean that people are constantly using their phones everywhere they go. It’s almost like an addiction or a trend to our society, “everyone around you does it, so should you”. Just like in a recent article by George Orwell, ‘Shooting An Elephant’. The main character knew it was wrong to shoot the elephant and in reality he had empathy towards the wild animal. But because he was a police, people in his community expected him to kill the innocent animal with the weapon he was carrying. It’s the same experience realistically today. A personal experience was when I went out to eat with my parents. While we were waiting inside the car in the drive thru line, there was a young man standing still waiting. This man looked very bored and lonely while everyone around him were on their cellular devices. I said to my mother, “Look ma’ the guy over there looks very award just standing there”. My mother’s response to me was that the reason why the man looked so odd to me was because we’ve become adjusted to a society where it’s impossible to see a person unattached to these devices; it has become a natural habit. In other words, we are expected to have a phone or else we look strange, just like the police was expected to shoot or else he’s considered a careless white man.
In contrast to how technology has created bad habits to our communities, there are still positive things remaining. The Internet gave us access to video calls and quicker access to contact friends and family that are miles away from us. People in our community create websites to view educational videos. Apps to listen to music to keep concentrated while doing things we have to do like clean or going for a run. We have access to view movies or episodes we’ve missed before and we’d like to watch on our break. And there are several other useful things we are able to be a part of by just pressing a few buttons. To me the title, ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid’, is ironic because whoever invented Google is a genius. Google has answered all of our questions and concerns within seconds. Not to mention, it gives other useful resources and articles that can answer what you are looking for. On page 93, Carr quoted, “More than a hundred years after the invention of the steam engine, the Industrial Revolution had at last found its philosophy and its philosopher[...]. His ‘system’, as he likes to call it, was embraced by manufacturers throughout the country and in time around the world. Seeking maximum speed, maximum efficiency, and maximum output, factory owners used time and motion studies to organize their work and configure the jobs of their workers”. At some point in our history, there was the Industrial Revolution where there were several men working in factories when new machine were invented. Sure many were killed and injured but this event in our history is what shaped and created the way our society is today. This man succeeded in making these machines and have access to several people with jobs during these hard times in history.
In conclusion, technology has its pros and cons. The way it impacts our society will be determined by the people who are being involved with our new technologies and how we choose to use it. Regardless of how beneficial the Internet can be to our lives, at the moment, I believe our society has made it as a negative impact because of how addicted we are to use it for the media or any idiotic sites.