It is not not surprising to learn that today's youth (ages 12 through 22) prefer a less personal approach to communicating with their friends. It is also not surprising to learn that the trend is growing.
When a person wants to talk, they can pick up a cell phone to call or text another person. When someone turns on their television, they can immediately find something to watch. To do research, he or she can turn on their computer and access the Internet to find immediate results. Even though society has migrated towards a right here, right now mentality, having these quick choices does not necessarily mean they are good choices. Society has become reliant on today’s technology with its many quick choices and instant access, but it also comes with drawbacks. Having instant access to everything can remove human interaction, can become addictive, can encourage laziness, and severely affects the overall health of society.
In the mid-1980s, personal home computers became popular. Accessing the Internet became a way of life instead of using a computer to create programs or work complicated formulas. Today, with home computers, smartphones, televisions, various social media sites, and even video game platforms, people have the capability of accessing the Internet to instantly communicate with each other. These means of communication provide people with an infinite amount of instant access to not just the Internet, but to each other.
While all of this automation may seem nice and convenient, it does take away from every day human interaction. People have the capability of shopping online to purchase just about anything. By making online purchases, people avoid going to the store, thus avoiding human interaction. By using smartphones, a person can communicate by texting or accessing the Internet.
Long gone are the days of going to the local corner drug store or the town hall to 'visit a spell'. Society as a whole has become impatient and intolerant towards each other. How often to do you see someone honking their horn at another person because they're taking too long at the drive-thru window?
The more technology advances, the more anti-social society becomes. There is less human interaction when online technology is used. In fact, have you noticed that your local bank would prefer that you use the ATM or even your smartphone to conduct business? Before you know it, the whole of the banking industry will become automated.
Not only does the instant technology promote and encourage a lack of human interaction and laziness, it can also become addictive.
The word “Addiction” is defined as a “compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance” (Merriam-Webster). Typically, it is understood that the habit-forming substance refers to alcohol, nicotine, or heroine, etc. However, with the way Americans have become reliant on today’s technology and are constantly looking at their various devices to check to see if another person has communicated with them, it would be safe to include today’s instant technology to the definition of “Addiction”. It has become compulsive because people are constantly picking up their cell phones to see if someone has sent them a text, email or posted a message on their Facebook or Twitter page. It’s almost impossible to walk down the street or even drive a car without seeing other people interacting in some way or another with their cell phones. This behavior bleeds into every aspect of American’s lives. Whether a person is out having dinner with friends, standing in line at the grocery store or sitting in an office meeting, people are lead to take the lazy way out by communicating with each other via texting instead of verbally communicating (Davidson). As today’s technology has become more and more commonplace today, it is easy to understand how instant access has become habit-forming, compulsive and addictive. With society’s right here, right now attitude, society has become addicted to instant access.
While today’s instant technology is convenient in some instances, such as calling a loved one that lives in another state, it has also become an obstacle. By avoiding the ease and convenience of instant access through technology, society will become less anti-social, less addictive, less lazy, more active, and live healthier, longer lives.
With all that being said, it's a sign of the times that when a small entrepreneur like myself starts up a business, we are counseled to get out on all of the social media sites (like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, Reddit, MySpace, Linkedin, etc.) right away to make our presence known. It is rather daunting and extremely time consuming but what else is a business owner to do? Like any smart business owner, I've listened to the counsel of my peers and picked a few sites to start making my presence known. Please feel free to check out my website, Facebook and Twitter pages and let me know what you think!
Ruth Osborn
BRU'S BOOKS & BAUBLES
www.brusbaubles.com
www.facebook.com/brusbaubles
www.twitter.com/brusbaubles
No comments:
Post a Comment