The Digital Nation : Pros And Cons Of The Digital Nation

How has technology affected mankind over time? How has it affected the youth of our country? How has it affected the adults? We rely on the internet for almost everything, do we still have the power to detach ourselves from it? The article, “The Virtues of Reality” written by Ross Douthat caught my attention with a thesis that is quite realistic. Douthat theorizes that the main cause of both the youth becoming safer over time along with the adults growing more immature is the virtual reality that the internet provides us with. Douthat then leaves the readers with a thought to ponder about. He questions if we as human beings have become so reliant on technology, that we can’t take a step back. What I wish to know is why should we need to take a step back when the world that we live in has infused technology along with the internet into everything that we do in life?

We rely on technology for everything in our lives today. It is hard for us to be more than ten steps away from our phone. Dependence on technology is even evident in Fahrenheit 451. In the novel, the TV is everything to some people. It becomes their friend their family and even their life. They even have technology that butters their toast and medical procedures. We use technology everyday whether it is our phone, laptop, or ipod. We use them every single day all day long. If something was not to work for a single day our society would crash with the absence of technology.

Technology is an essential part of the American life and it's constantly changing with the newer generations. A few people view technology as a positive addition to life while others believe it is a negative thing and will take over their lives. Nicholas G. Carr a well known American, the author of The Shallows a novel about the various distractions that come with internet and how people are losing key skills. In the start of the book the negative effects of modern technology on the masses. Carr’s argument is effective and flawed for various reasons such as don't include the helpful advances have improved education, medical field and business.

Technology has become a daily part in one's lives where it helps people do the simplest of tasks and allows time consuming tasks be completed in seconds. People don't have to go to a bookstore to buy books anymore since e-books made the process easier or have to wait in long lines at the DMV when people can make an appointment through their phones. The amount of time technology saves people isn't beneficial though, according to Paul Goldberger and Christina Kline technology has belittled experiences that they believe are part of the experiences of life on a daily basis.

As technology is advancing, it is ruining our reputations and everyday lives because we use it too much. “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury is a story of parents who use too much technology to spoil their two kids which rely on technology and use it to kill their own parents. The Atlantic is an article on how technology has changed the concept of the community and how it affects people’s daily lives in mostly negative ways. In both sources, humans rely on technology too much, having a negative effect.

Technology has brought its own benefits and drawbacks to today's society. In 'The End of Solitude", William Deresiewicz addresses the negative impact that the instant gratification of technology has on people. Deresiewicz argues that televisions, cell phones, and the internet have taken people into their own worlds where you're never alone and at the same time never have to interact with another person. I believe while technology has its downsides, it has also brought everyone together in different, quicker, and more convenient ways then ever before.

Over this past decade or so, people all around the globe have been granted with greater advancements in technology. From cellphones we can talk to, to 3-Dimensional televisions, we are able to pretty much do anything thanks to these high-tech products. But, should we really be grateful for these easy-to-use devices, or are they taking over the lives of millions? In the articles written by Michael Malone and Daniel Burrus, we receive an inside look on whether todays modern, wired, Web world is, or is not, benefitting society. Although both authors held pretty neutral views on the subject itself, Malone’s support towards the negative effect of technology definitely lures readers into

It’s hard not to see or use a technology tool in our daily life, if we live in a modern world. The bombardment starts early in the morning and it will be manifested through our day in several ways, the regular person will wake up and check the apps on the cellphone while drinking a coffee, it can be for example to read news on the web, daily market numbers or for social interaction with others. The expansion to advanced options of communications like smartphones and tablets are great examples of the accelerated transition to a mass online communication. The social use of technology is influencing adult population in our present. According to Pew Research Center (n.d) data collected up to September 2014 in the online environment:

Technology, can’t live without it anymore, or can we? Almost everyone uses technology. It is estimated that 100 million people use Facebook, 300 million uses Instagram, and 974 million use Twitter. In 2012, a program called “Shut Down Your Screen Week” was started to get people off of mediatic devices for a week. Over the past few years, this movement, to temporarily get off technology, has racked up a substantial amount of followers, including Mrs. Menge’s English and Literature Class. It is an idea I personally agree with and am in favor of trying. Shut Down Your Screen Week has also inspired many articles. Some of which are: Social Media as Communities, written by Nytimes, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by Nicholas Carr, and Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, by Matt Richtel.

The film “ Digital Nation” is an exploration of diverse people's views on digital media, in today's world. Some of the most important topics were on the virtual world, and the pros and cons of technology within different groups like gamers, students, families, teachers, administrators, children, military and businesses, as well as the experience of general people. In the movie, Prof. Sherry Turkle said, “Technology challenges us to assert our human values. Technology is not good or bad, is powerful, and it is complicated which means first we have to figure out what they are”. Currently, technology has taken over, wherever one, goes one will find it. Over the past years, social media in particular have spread worldwide; from Facebook to Instagram. There is constantly something new, extra advanced and creative. Overall, the technology has evolved the way humans interact with each other. In particular, technology influences by motivating students towards learning, saving time, building literacy and communication skills.

In the last twenty years the computer has changed the way we work, live, and communicate. This incredible form of technology is a major part in our society today. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have made communicating with our peers more convenient than ever before. Websites like YouTube have made people overnight celebrities and the Internet as a whole has made our society run more efficiently. Overall I believe that the digital revolution brought upon by computers have made our society a better place.

Is technology changing our lives for the better? That question is debatable depeding on how you look at it. Technology has definitely changed the way we think, how we remember things and how we react to things and certain situations. Clive Thompson, author of “Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better” thinks that we are “becoming less like Rodin’s Thinker (which is a statue of a man thinking) and more like Kasparov’s centaurs (a computer)”(pg.347). This means that we are relying more on the information we can get easily and quickly rather than the reading for the information. I believe that into today’s society we have become so used to how easy technology makes our lives that we don’t realize how much we rely on it. Thompson also states that technology “at their best can help us see more, retain more and communicate more. At their worst, they leave us prey to the manipulation of the tool makers” (pg.347). I think that quote relates most with the internet; because we are capable of so much, yet not all of what can be

Technology is continuously developing and has begun creating shortcuts for the American society. As a society we need to find a balance between our technological use and our everyday life. In my opinion, society has become too dependent on technology. The more advanced technology becomes, the more it seems to be gaining control over our lives. Even though technology is offering society many beneficial qualities; it also is causing many negative effects to occur. Technology is affecting society socially, mentally, and physically.

As far back as I can remember my family and I have taken advantage of technology. The types of technology have changed over the years, along with our usage and dependence on it. Technology is a fundamental part of our lifestyle, including both work and play. What is interesting is that we also have many friends who use very little technology in their day-to-day living. This drastic difference makes one wonder how necessary the technology really is, and whether or not our dependence on it is healthy in the long run. It is really easy to just get caught up in using technology without thinking about the pros and cons.

Certain media theorists such as Sherry Turkle do an incredible job on studying these properties of technology and their bearing on us, but sometimes seem to dwell on the negative side of the analysis. In short some of these media theorists do astonishing work studying the impact socially that using and communicating through modern technology has, but then takes a negative stance due to their archaic understanding of what is capable with these technologies. We have come so far in the past years in advancing humanity and its natural predicaments while being heavily reliant on technology to communicate. Not noting that advancement is pessimistic and