Effects of Technology in Human Society

There is a simple way to tell how old somebody is—simply ask him or her the time. If they respond by pulling out their cell phone to look at the time instead of glancing at their wrist, it is likely that they belong to the younger generation. Technology has begun to take over our lives. Not only does nearly everybody have a cellphone—it is uncommon to find somebody who does not own some sort of smartphone. Any data can be accessed from nearly anywhere, any time, in the span of only a few seconds. What was once a trip to the local library has turned into typing a phrase into Google. Exchanging pictures of family and friends has changed from taking a photo, getting it developed, and giving others physical prints into three clicks on an iPhone. Convenience is what our society strives for, but is it always the best thing?

Ten years ago, social media was only used by those who knew how to operate a computer. In order to get in contact electronically with someone, you could send an email—assuming they had one. Young people used AOL instant messenger to communicate quickly, but not many people embraced the program. In order to connect to the Internet, one would have to wait several minutes and assure nobody was on the phone. Pages would take a minute or more to load, but this still seemed extremely quick at the time. In order to research something, a visit to the library would still be necessary to ensure quick and accurate information. Most people did not seem to find an issue with any of this. At the time, this technology was revolutionary.

Ten years ago, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Gmail did not yet exist. Yet, today, most people cannot imagine what their life would be like without their social media. Someone witho...

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...n responsible hands.

Overall, technology has made enormous strides within not only the past ten years, but within the last century. Some of these strides are good, some bad. Some bring up controversy because of the unknown future that they have. The only way to avoid the dystopias that are portrayed in countless works of fiction is to monitor the technology that society brings to life. Our culture is obsessed with the next new thing, but humanity must be wary—technology will grow faster than people can keep up with it. Sometimes, one simply has to take a step back, look at the aspects that make up contemporary life and ask: are these the prophets of doom and gloom?

Works Cited

Boyse, Kyla, RN. "Television and Children." Television (TV) and Children: Your Child:. Ed. Brad Bushman, PHD. YourChild Development & Behavior Resources, Aug. 2010. Web. Fall 2013.