When was the last time you did not know the answer to a question and you researched the answer? I am not referring to researching the answer using your phone/computer/tablet/or lap top. I am talking about looking through a book or article to discover the answer to the question. The answer anyone would give me would most likely be along the lines of, “I could not tell you, I cannot remember.” How about the last time you wanted to come in contact with someone and you just drove over to there house to talk to the face to face? Probably going to get the same response. I ask these questions because I believe society is becoming too dependent on computers and technology to the point where they would struggle without it, including myself.
In a study, people were asked to give a personal opinion of whether they believe society is too reliable on technology and how they came up with that response. The results were one-sided. 77% of people responded believe society as a whole relied too much on technology to succeed. Some of the responses looked like this, “Thirty years ago, 90% of the kids were outside getting oxygen and playing sports. In addition, they were building forts and enjoying life. In this day an age, more than 75% of our children are playing video games and staying indoors. Now, our dilemma is that we are having a weight issue with our children. Child obesity is a growing concern with our nation.” Those numbers used are an exaggeration, but he has a point. Very few, if any, enjoy the outdoors and can enjoy life without technology sitting in front of them.
Walk through campus and see how many times you see two people standing right next to each other, but do not say a word to each other. People have shown they can hold conversation over the internet and through phone, but put a real face in front of them and they struggle. Conversation is now viewed as a skill in today’s society, and our citizens should not have to avoid face-to-face contact because of their addiction to a cell phone or computer.
A computer or phone has been a great development for technology and has lead us to various technological advances, but with the good, also comes the bad. MNN did a study of seven different signs showing the controversy of why society is based around technology. A few of the signs included, “Without your phone you feel naked, Nobody knows a phone number, and if the internet is down, work is over for the day.” Society has integrated technology into every aspect of human life so we cannot live without. Jobs, breakthroughs, and values have all been invested into your hand held phone and computer you take for granted. A study shows the brain when realizing a phone is broken and our thought patterns. The patterns show the same as if it was a man who was clinically depressed and needs help. If one breaking a phone and leading into emotions that are similar to a man who needs help emotionally, the definitive answer is society has issues with their connection to society. So here is my advice to you, put your phone down when at that point in time it is not a necessity and go outside and get some fresh air because the importance of enjoying yourself without technology has been lost.
Works-Cited
1.) http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-we-too-dependent-on-computers
2.) http://www.liutilities.com/articles/is-society-dependent-on-computers/#.ViooiTZdHIU
3.) http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-electronics/stories/7-signs-we-are-too-dependent-on-technology
4.) http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/dec/22/phone-smartphone-loss-damage-grief
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I agree with you completely! As a kid, I was never the video game type, I would always go outside and ride my bike. However, now-a-days when I call people instead of text them they think I’m crazy. They think that that is weird. It’s crazy how our society has evolved, and when it comes to socializing, we’ve evolved in a very bad way. Like I said, I find your blog very interesting. So, after reading I felt compelled to do a little bit more research on the topic and I found this HuffPost article with a ton of information. Definitely check it out if you are interested!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sophia-a-nelson/when-did-texting-replace-_b_5105265.html
This post is a very important topic to the developing society of today. Although technology advancements appear to be bringing the world together, they are also pushing individuals apart. In the last blog period, I too conducted research regarding the over reliance on technology. I think that one strong variable that comes into play is age. The younger generations are growing up with this technology constantly at their disposal while older generations who did not grow up with them are used to life without technology. I think that if something is not done to limit time spent with technology such as smart phones, then many young and developing children will lack social skills later on in life. Although these social skills won’t be necessarily important at their young age it will come back to harm them when they are seeking a job and making friends.
See I think this is a win and lose topic for conversation. Of course without technology we would have not progressed as a society as much as we have. But of course with progression comes a loss of something. Personal interaction is just that and it is kind of a sad thing. Of course texting is more convenient but calling is a more efficient way to communicate since you can get a sense of feeling and the truth behind someones words. Texting there are moments when you cant tell whether someone is being sarcastic or not ect. But overall as a society we are talking less and texting more which is losing the personal traits that we have build up for years to have.
Yes, society is too dependent on computers and smart phones. Everyone is always on their phone at some point throughout the day. Some people cannot even hold a conversation because they are used to being on their phone. I did a bog post earlier, and in it i included that over 6 billion people in the world have cell phones, and over 300 million americans do. Feel free to check out my blog post here . Also, here is a news article from 5News that has different responses from people asked at random. Most of the responses include the person feeling lost without their phone. Not on the map or loss of direction physically, but lost with time and not knowing what to do or how to spend that time. Sometimes i feel like i am missing something much more than a phone if it is not in my pocket. This is simply because so much of my daily life is on my phone. My parents, friends, news and school information, etc. It is all on my phone at the click of a button whenever i want it. For these reasons I say, Yes, we are becoming too dependent on out phones and computers.
I am currently taking an Information, Science, and Technology class and we talk about the issue of technology overpowering our lives very often. Technology has affects on us socially, mentally, and physically. I know I do not get enough sleep partially due to the fact that I check my phone 50 times before I fall asleep. Technology also takes away a lot of our social skills as well. I think it would be interesting to see a study conducted where you take your subjects and split them into two and only allow one group to have cell phones and take away the other groups cell phones and see if there is any improvement in class grades, sleep patterns, and general health. Here is an article found written in the New York Times that talks about how your phone distracts you even when you aren’t using it ! Cell phones and technology are such a large distraction, but where would we be without it.
From the moment I saw your title, I knew that this blog post would be interesting and extremely relevant to todays generation. I feel that this is an ongoing concern for many individuals today. It seems like everything today involves the use of electronics or has to do with electronics. For that reason, I do believe that society is becoming too dependent on electronics. Of course it is so nice to be able to do all of the things you can do on electronics, but I feel it is also important to monitor the extent as to how much you rely on these electronic devices. I found an article that was very eye-opening as it unwrapped the repercussions that technology use can have on individuals lives, as it provides us with first hand examples. Here is the link:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/19/tim-lott-too-much-technology