How Technology Has Changed Our Lives

Technology is defined as machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge. Its original use was meant solely for the service of humans, however overtime it has evolved into something much different. What was originally meant to be an assisting piece of machinery has changed almost every aspect of our culture. The way we think, communicate, lie, and even love has been impacted by the use of technology, and all of this is has made for interesting pieces of literature. In pieces such as Her and I, Robot, we see the evolution of robots and artificial intelligence into a more empathetic and humanlike creatures. This gradual change in our views of robots overtime speaks volumes to the evolution of technology. Technology in literature has become a reflection of human beings themselves, mirroring the very qualities of ourselves that make us human. By looking at the personality that technology takes on in literature, we can greater understand the aspects of ourselves that truly make us human.

Sherry Turkle, the Harvard educated MIT professor, founder and current director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, asserts that “people have never been more connected—or more alienated” from each other; that they may not aspire to their vision of best self as their devices become increasingly important. People unintentionally place more importance on “virtual relationships over real, instant messages over deep complex feelings, robots over live

What will we be like if we continue to develop intimate relationships with our devices? Will we be more connected than ever, or more alienated? In “Can You Hear Me Now?”, by Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science and technology, argues that technology has made people more connected, but has also made us more alienated from each other. How now, when in public people mostly want to be alone with their personal networks, or devices. People used to talk to one other as they waited in line, or rode on the bus or subway. Now we spend that downtime checking emails, responding to messages, or scrolling through our social media feed. Turkle says, “People become alienated from their own experience and anxious about watching a version of their lives scrolling along faster than they can handle” (p. 508). Our devices are increasingly becoming a part of us, an extension of our mind. Turkle does an amazing job at showing her case by stating evidence that is very relatable, along with real life examples, and feelings that her audience has felt while dealing with their devices.

Most people when asked “what is the benefits of technology?” would say without hesitation “it connects people closer together”. In reality, most of us are more disconnected than ever and don’t even know it. The ease in which we are able to reach each other has inadvertently gotten us away from the interactions that once put us closer together. My artifact 1 focuses on these issues of technology, and how technology makes us more disconnected than ever before.

Sherry Turkle makes the point that there is an immediate sense of connection that we get when we receive a text from someone far away. However, activities such as checking smartphones and emails can provide individuals with the ability to disconnect from having intimacy even when individuals are right next to each other. It allows for individuals to be selective about what they pay attention to in their daily lives. This is probably because we can easily escape the here and now through the use of a technology. Turkle argues

Technology has evolved rapidly in previous years, making the completion of task more convenient. In order to effectively highlight convenience to consumers, data security must come into consideration. The transition from swipe/PIN cards to contactless has introduced yet also removed security issues.

Digital media, smart phones, computers and technology is the fastest growing concepts in our World today. They have changed the way our society does everything. Technology has made a considerable transformation in how we communicate, pay bills, check the weather and much more. Technology has made such an impact on our society today that most people won 't leave home without their cell phone. The Apple iPhone has become a great smartphone vendor by numbers and revenue. The iPhone, PureWrist payment device, and Google glass are the evidence of the direction technology is taking to bring simplicity to our everyday life.

When we look at our history, power has always been determined by those who are able to take it through physical strength. However, technology has changed that idea. It is those that have knowledge of technology that are now able to gain power. There has been a lot of debate about what technology is really doing to our society, but with power there is always responsibility. Technology is not to blame, but the ethics of those with power.

“Over the last ten years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we’ve had time to stop and question it. In every home on every desk; in every palm - a plasma screen a monitor: a smartphone- a black mirror of our 21st century existence. Our grip on reality is shifting- we worship at the altars of Google and Apple. Facebook algorithms know us more intimately than our parents. We have access to all the information in the world but no brain space left to absorb anything longer than 140- character tweets. Black mirror taps into the collective eases about our modern world.” Black Mirror TV Show, Charlie Brooker, Channel 4. Within this quote, Brooker says that people have sold their own ability to think independently just for all the information in the world at their fingertips. Technology has only deepened its grasp on consumers by becoming a necessity for conformity. The Visits from Inside the Black Mirror will interpret the consumers desire for social acceptance.

Dear mom and dad, I know you don’t believe I have a need for a smartphone, but lately it has become more apparent that I do. With the increased use of technology in everyday life as well as in school, I am being left behind and it’s putting me at a major advantage when compared to my peers. Please put yourself in my shoes and realize that with the world depending more and more on phones, my immediate future may be compromised if I don’t have a cellphone. Aaron Smith says “. . . nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone…” (Smith 1). This just shows how today, smartphones are basic and widespread in our society.

Where technology once before acted solely as a connection tool, inviting us to involve our lives with those of others around the world, it has slowly turned to both a connection and an isolation tool. In her 2012 TedTalk “Connected, but Alone,” Dr. Turkle, a professor with a Ph.D. in Sociology and Personality Psychology, agrees that technology is detaching us from human interaction, stating that technology allows us to “put our attention wherever we want it to be; …always be heard; and…never have to be alone” (TEDTalks). Dr. Turkle believes that we turn to technology for attention because, unlike the real world, there is always someone or something in the virtual world available to listen to or to

Then there is the cost factor, to be able to use this software; you must first switch all medical records to a digital system. This appears to be so costly that the government offers incentive money to meaningful users of the electronic patient e-file. Then there is the issue of, what if the system goes down at a critical time in patient care? If there is no hard copy to fall back on how will that affect the outcome? Lastly, there is the possibility of a data breach this could cost thousands in legal fees (Khazan, n.d.)

Imagine living inside an invisible bubble, secluded from the outside world. You can see the surrounding environment, but there is a clear barrier that obstructs you from your family, your friends; the world even. As you would assume, communicating could get a little hard in this bubble. Although that analogy may seem a bit dramatic, there’s no denying that over the course of time, technology has made its mark on society in many different aspects of life, communication being one of them. So when asked to spend twenty-four hours without social media, you can imagine how frustrating it was as a creature of habit being unable to utilize the websites and apps that I would normally use on a daily basis. In turn, I was very inattentive throughout the day, as I couldn’t listen to study music or keep myself entertained, I was unable to communicate with my family, and I wasn’t very productive.

Technology truly rules over us, and the social media craze has continued to grow. The growth of technology has given us to opportunity to stay more connected with each other but it also has given us the ability to grow more lonely. If someone who is of the college age or younger was reading that sentence they would say,“What no way! My phone keeps me more connected!”, but when one truly looks at technology and its affect that it has on us, you can see that it has brought us further apart. Today, we spend more time on technology than truly being with the people who are in our everyday lives. I see this through the amount of time that I do spend on my cell phone, and with the obsession of social media that is present today.

It is sad to know that the leading cause of accidents in the United States is distraction while driving, something that cannot happen to a computer. It is also scary to know that human driven vehicles come at a very higher cost in terms of danger. Engineers have developed a new and innovative technology that is capable to decrease that number and change our lives forever. This technology is being specifically applied to cars and they are being called “autonomous cars”. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, autonomous means “acting independently or having the freedom to do so”. Tesla Motors Company has made itself the pioneer in this technology by being the first company in the world to create two autonomous car models that are able to