There are about 1 billion instant messenger accounts that are active around the world and there are currently 17 billion devices that are connected or related to the internet and the use of the internet (Computer Freaks, 2014). We are living in the era of technology, the period noted by abundant publication, consumption, and manipulation of information especially by computers and computer network. The relationship between society and technology is analogous to the relationship between our eyes and the brain. But is the technological era helping or harming our society? In this essay I will be discussing the pros and cons of the technological era, as well to what extent Belize is coping with it.
With ever evolving technology at our finger
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Therefore, to what extent is Belize coping with the technological era? On December 2014, the Prime Minister Honorable Dean Barrow said that the year 2015 would be the year of technology (Channel 5 Belize, 2014). As a result, on the month of February 2015, the Government issued 9,000 tablets to tertiary level students and as well provided free access to Wi-Fi in each park of the country’s municipalities. In addition, the Prime Minister also said that with the help of Koreans they are making plans towards building a Technology University in Belmopan. It all sounds great, but there are still plenty of drawbacks. Belize is second to lowest in Broadband Internet speed in the Caribbean (Channel 5 Belize, 2015). As reported by a survey made by the International issues from a Caribbean Perspective (ICT PLUS), Belize heads the list with the highest prices but lowest download speed. Moreover, as reported in Forbes website when it comes to technology, Belize is “currently dicey”. The article goes on stating that “Belize has DSL but it isn’t always easy to get, service isn’t that reliable and data speeds are relatively slow particularly against European standards” (Enderle, 2012). Even though the Government gave tablets to students, there is a great need of improvement in our Education system with better access of internet, printing services and educational tools. Our Health sector also needs to adapt the new equipments that are available. Therefore, there is still a lot of room of improvement for Belize while coping in this technological
There have been many studies done on the negative psychological and sociological effects of technology while some may be true technology has its share of positive effects on society. The advances of technology have aided in the access to information from relatively anywhere. According to Hepburn (2013) “By the end of 2014, the number of Internet users was expected to be almost 3 billion, two-thirds of whom live in the developing world, and the number of mobile broadband subscriptions was expected to reach 2.3 billion globally” (as cited in Yáñez, Okada, & Palau2015, p.89). It has become easier to stay connected to family, friends, access personal information, and has improved educational opportunities. Technology is always evolving and changing for the better. “Mobile technologies and networks are increasingly expanding in their sophistication and capacity, and new applications (software programs) are enhancing the ways in which individuals interact” (Giota, 2014).
The reason Nicholas Carr wrote this article is to inform people of the danger of Internet overuse through his use of ethos, logos, and pathos, along with other rhetorical devices. He starts with a scene from a classic movie that dealt with the prevalence of technology, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He shows that with the technological advances of today, the line between human and computer has starts to grey.
The author compares the difference from the past and the present and how the internet has changed not only himself, but others and the way that they are able to understand and focus due to the long-term use of the web. While comparing the past and the present the author gathers information from well know writers that feel the same way about the effects of the web. The author's choice of personal experiences, vivid imagery and analysis backed by research hook the reader and persuades them to believe that today's technology is causing mainly problems.
Since the rise of technology and smart devices, the public has seen controversy over the benefits and drawbacks of internet usage. Nicholas Carr shared his opinions in the article “From The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.” In the text, he claims that it seems to be “chipping away” his “capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 5). In addition to that, he does not hesitate to state how “some worry they’re becoming chronic scatterbrains” from using the web (Carr 6). His views are painted purple in this piece of writing, as any reader could infer that Carr possesses a slightly bitter tone when it comes to the interwebs. He displays his dislike for the way it is reshaping our brains and mental function, even going
Attention to Nicholas Carr and his argument about technology it’s destroying our brains and affecting the world, the new generation and everyone. In recent discussions of the shallows, a controversial issue has been whether the internet is truly affecting us or not. On the other hand, however, others argue that the internet is making them more creative and some say it’s making them smarter. The best point in view on this issue, is reflected by Nicholas Carr in his book The Shallows when he writes, “ The price we pay to assume technology’s power is alienation.” ( Carr,211). This insightful perspective demonstrates the truth of the matter; the price we pay to spend our day on the internet or using any other technology is alienation. That means
In today's era, we depend a lot on technology and the internet. For daily things such as school, work, communication, and so much more. There is controversy between eras due to if the internet is a positive or negative contribution. In the book, The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains, by Nicholas Carr, it speaks about how the internet is changing a huge aspect of our lives. From our thought process to our attention span.
Some ten to fifteen years ago, people were already experiencing the feeling that the internet may be influencing us in an unhealthy manner. As we have continued on with our progression of technology, it seems that we have become more and more dependent on our newly developed electronics. This is exactly the argument made by Nicholas Carr in his article—which became the cover story of the Atlantic Monthly’s Ideas issue back in 2008—entitled “Is Google Making Us Stupid.” In this article, Carr explains what he has observed of our modern evolution of technology. His main point being that the internet has simply become too easily accessible. What may have taken days to research can now be accomplished in a couple hours at the most. This is dangerous as it develops
In recent years, advances in technology have exploded. Almost every child has a tablet, middle schools are giving students laptops, and nearly every adult on the planet can be seen walking around with a smartphone. The internet is a huge part of today’s society. Information from all over the globe is just a few clicks away, but could that be a bad thing? Nicholas Carr thinks that the internet is making society stupid in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Steven Johnson says that the internet is a great thing in his essay “Everything Bad is Good for Us,” and Christine Rosen seems to think that everything digital is evil in her work “People on the Screen.” When used correctly, the internet has an overwhelmingly positive effect on the growth of the human brain. Technology provides people with more opportunities to read, a way for children to be stimulated, and simpler communication.
Nicholas Carr is the author of the relatable book The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains, a book that discusses the unassailable subject that many countries face today. This problem does not only present itself in teenagers, but everyone been using technology more often than ever before. Almost everyone in America is carrying a so-called smart phone in his or her pocket, but Carr questions the devices that people use. The Shallows give valid reasons to be concerned with whether new technology is smart, or the peoples’ lack of ability to live without internet access just makes it seem this way.
Nicholas Carr’s “How technology created a global village -- and put us all at each other’s throats”, conveys the message that technology was contrived to join people together, but all it is doing is disjointing them. Conversely, a dark place was shaped online, over the years, and there is no sign of the situation resolving.
There has been a ton of turmoil about the internet. A controversial issue on whether the internet is more helpful or hurtful to the human brain. On one hand, Nicholas Carr argues that technology may be weakening human abilities for deeper reading, an old fashion type of learning. Carr believes that relying on computers will cause humans intelligent to decline. On the other end, there’s Clive Thompson. Thompson presents computers as a digital tool that assists people in their everyday life. Providing phenomenal external memory, social connections, and endless availability of resources. Both, Carr and Thompson, believe that the internet can act as a tool that shapes the way humans think. Which brings us to the dilemma, is the internet a technological apocalypse or a promising utopia?
Nowadays, with the non-stop developments of socioeconomics, it is an undeniable truth that technologies and social networks are playing a vital role in our daily life. We have come to the new era of communication when people can contact each other everywhere, at every moment. Thus, technologies are now the dominant factor in our communication today, since we have such an exceptional access to information and people. Truly, geographic limitation is now destroyed in terms of communication. However, we are becoming more ignorant about how these technologies are affecting our life every day. We are abusing these communicating methods without
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:
In the Articles “I Tweet, Therefore I Am” and “How Computers Change the Way We Think”, Andrew Lam and Sherry Turkle talks about how technology and digital tools has tremendously changed the way we think and the way we live our lives. They elaborated on the good and bad things that technology has done for us and also the disservice it has done to our society. Digital tools are beneficial for individuals and our society because of how digital tools allow ordinary people to be journalist, because of how it allows people to be Avatars online, and because of how it can give people an opportunity be famous and make really good money.
Belize is a very unique and different country. There is a wide verity of year round activities that the people of Belize, as well as the tourists enjoy. Pop culture is celebrated in a wide variety of ways.