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Technology : The Positive And Negative Effects Of Technology

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Throughout history, technological advances have been an effective way for the media to get information out to society, whether it was factual or not. Technology affects almost every aspect of society and can be used as a device to spread the word which alters the way that many people live their lives. In the graphic novel “The influencing machines”, written by journalist Brooke Gladstone and cartoonist Josh Neufeld, the authors embrace the reluctant views towards the history of technology while arguing the positive and negative effects when dealing with false accusations that are brought to people's attention. People don’t fear technology itself, they fear the unknown effects that could be brought upon them in their future. Although everyone has the ability to make their own decisions and believe what they choose, the media has a huge influencing factor in the way we view, analyze, and talk about news. The absurd amount of false implications that is spread in the media, add to the reason why many people don’t believe everything they see or hear. While scrolling through social media, many people can pertain false information that can form bias opinions, rather than actually finding the truth out from the main source. Instead of listening to credible sources, “a “fact” sent by one person spreads in a geometric progression to others until millions of people around the world potentially believe it” (Gladstone, 2011/2017, p.332). Many people will see such information and decide to believe that source without determining if it’s the truth or not. If it is displayed enough through friends sending links, or sharing stories, eventually people are going to start believing it's the truth because others believe it as well. By allowing media to influence our decisions on certain topics, those people can form bias opinions on things that may not even be true; therefore leading to false information that fluctuates society's views on things. Gladstone implies that many people use the internet as a way for entertainment, or to express their views, and we need to be aware of our use of media due to the effects it'll have on others. Media can be a good thing, but being aware of the correct ways to use it is the only way our

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