Is the absolute latest, most advanced technology necessary to live? Do we NEED the most recently released Nook or iPhone?
It doesn’t matter how you answered the above two questions, because society has already decided for us that our lives depend on the fastest, most pristine of technology on all spectrums. And that’s the problem right there…society has already decided for us. We—individuals—have not had a say in how far the Digital Age will go, nor the consequences of its rapid and powerful uprising.
Already, families are being torn apart by the worldwide enhancement of technology, as described by Dr. Heller, a retired parenting and marital counselor:
“A TV in a young child’s bedroom admittedly bothers me but in reality it is not the presence of the TV but whether the parent manages its use that really matters. Even more important is whether screen time totally replaces quality human time or still allows for meaningful parent-child or child-child interaction.”
Notice that Dr. Heller mentions that watching TV is not the issue; the issue is making time for family bonding, as well as making the TV time substantial to growth and development in several ways.
Technology within boundaries is perfectly acceptable, and actually makes life much better by expanding our realms of communication and defeating some barriers in mutual understanding, such as sharing movies, music, etc. But, if we allow it control everyday life and actions, we will lose a part of ourselves, or at least a part of what we could potentially be.
If technology has no boundaries, we can only look forward to self-induced social destruction via lack of face-to-face human contact, which forces one to speak directly and think critically on-the-spot. Furthermore, communication via technology increase the chances of paradigm, or the theory that message sent does not equal message received.
Within the constraints of appropriate use, technology can create jobs and advance communication. Without proper usage, however, technology can actually eliminate jobs and weaken communication.
From here, we must ask ourselves how far is too far. And perhaps, at the end of this Age of Technology that defines Generation Y, we—the Millenials—will need to evoke a sort of exorcism, ridding it from our lives entirely, or at least cut down usage a great deal. Like banishing a demon from within a human spirit, our generation may need to expel the demon that will have taken over our lives in all aspects. Let’s face it, no good can come from anything that isn’t controlled in some manner. We, as humans, need order and discipline in our lives. I’m not saying we all need to be reprimanded for each Facebook wall post written, each Tweet sent, or even the countless emails sent and received daily. What I am saying, is that maybe without controlling our use of technology now, we will pay in the future by doing something drastic, like eliminating some aspects entirely, or bringing in an influx of its polar opposite—direct human, face-to-face contact.
Heller, Kalman M. "Is Technology Detroying Family Life?" 21 Jan. 2012. site: http://www.drheller.com/technology.html
I found your statement that face-to-face contact forces you to think critically and respond on the spot, as opposed to communication through the Internet, indeed, like these blog posts and comments, to be very interesting. I certainly agree that theoretically, the Internet allows you to take your time in responding to others and to think through your responses and analyze them before you make them. However, in practice, how often is that the case? Because people feel less accountable, are they less likely to consider the implications of their actions and to respond by firing back, as you see so often in flame wars? Does face-to-face communication actually force you to take the time to think about how you are responding to a question, even an accusation, because the person you're conversing with actually knows you and can put your face to your actions? I feel like that could be an interesting tangent of your ideas to explore.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go with a Lady Gaga quote to respond to this...she says, "Can you exist in a real moment if someone's photographing you?" ...meaning that reality is essentially non-existent because we are always putting on a show for the people around us, especially when our responses and appearances are so thought out and carefully placed. True reality really only exists in real-time, with only immediate responses, like actions and words.
ReplyDelete