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In Dalton Conley “Cell Phone Weigh down Backpack of Self-Discovery” he writes about the usage of telephones and the social media make us less self-aware of who we are as a person because he thinks “…social wilderness has been eroded by omnipresent connectivity…” I have mixed feelings about this. While we should put down our phone every once in awhile, and just enjoy some peace, I don’t believe the cell phone itself drag us down. It’s an inanimate object; it doesn’t get up every morning slap itself on our hands as we make our way to work. Nor does it turn on by itself every time we have the urge to know what’s trending this coming fall. We make those decisions ourselves, we get up every morning not forgetting our cell phones, and we’re the ones that pick the settings of our phone, whether we want it on silent or vibrate. …show more content…
We are progressing in human communications, and slowly we become more globally aware. While I do agree with Dalton having a bit of private time with ourselves, “Time spent alone allows us to see ourselves as others see us.” I don’t believe that is the sole answer of self-discovery. We are social beings, being alone would make some people go mad. I think being in a wide range of social groups could also help us on finding ourselves. We have access to a great variety of things, and discover things that may spark an idea. For example, just this past week Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for making a clock because it looked like a bomb. This created a movement of people supporting Ahmed, and criticized how to school handled the situation. This led to him having numerous offers from schools, and even an invitation from the White
Nevertheless, Goldberger states, “It is the fact that even when the phone does not ring at all, and is being used quietly and discreetly, it renders a public place less public” (558). With this, the youth of American society, when placed in a party with strangers, may express sentiments of shyness or awkwardness. Likewise, instead of socializing, several individuals may use their phone as a way to escape. It is this escape route that makes these “socially awkward” events or places less public; the younger generations are in their own world when they use their cell phone instead of socializing or becoming familiar with the scenery. Thus, progress has mainly caused the youth of American society to become less sociable and tend towards awkwardness; multitudes of individuals today have trouble associating with strangers at a party or how to properly communicate with an employer for a job. Although technology may seem beneficial and heading towards an era full of advancements, looks can be deceiving, and several individuals have been fooled by its false
Today’s world has become so dependent on technology that people can hardly be away from their cell phone. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred portrays one of those people. In the article, “Have we become too dependent on smart phone technology?” a woman and her friends test just how long they can be away from their cell phones. “‘The first 30 minutes to an hour all we talked about was how we missed our phones,’ Erebia said” (Ortega 1). The quote goes to show that people can hardly have conversation with out their security blanket, better known as their smart phone. “Smart phone technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to communication. Some people may be so engrossed in their phones that they would rather focus on that than on the person right in front of them – this is the bad – he said” (Ortega 2). At the end of this article everyone can agree that technology has a power over our lives.
Herbert Otto, an esteemed author, once wrote, “Change and growth take place when a person has risked themselves and dares to become involved in experimenting with their own life” (Wilderdom: A Project in Natural Living & Transformation). Essentially, Otto is saying that in order to grow as a person and become educated, one must break free from what bring him or her comfort, which allows him or her to be daring and adventurous. Christopher McCandless holds a similar view point on education and experimentation or adventure, which can be seen in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. McCandless believes that once people find a way to break free from the default and comfortable setting that so many of us function on, are we able to discover our adventurous
Amy Gahran, a media consultant exploring communication in the technology era, writes about how cell phones are significant. She feels that cell phones have changed our lives by providing “…vital services and human connections…offer new hope, even through simple broadcast text messages” (Gahran). Gahran is insisting that cell phones allow us to learn news quickly, connect with safety, and can even fight crime through video recordings (Gahran). In addition, she feels that the overall benefits of owning a cell phone outweigh any negatives. This somewhat challenges the ideas presented by Rosen because it points out more benefits of cell phones. In “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” Rosen mentions that although cell phones indeed connect us with safety, they can often lead to a sense of paranoia. To expand, she writes that parents who give children a cell phone for security purposes, develop a paranoid sense of their community and lose trust in “social institutions” (Rosen). In making this comment, Rosen argues that although cell phones may be beneficial, they can change the way we view our world. Without a cell phone, many individuals feel vulnerable, as if their phone protects them from all possible dangers that they may encounter. In fact, a Rutgers University professor challenged his students to power off their phones for 48 hours and report back with their experience (Rosen). Many felt almost lost without it and one young women described the feeling “…like I was going to get raped if I didn’t have my cell phone in my hand” (Rosen). In reality, having a cell phone will not save a person’s life in all situations. Although many, including Gahran, feel a phone is a vital tool, it has changed how we feel about the world around us and how vulnerable we feel without a phone in
Each and every one of us learns throughout our daily lives. We learn from others and through our experiences. As we grow older and become more mature, we develop a deeper understanding of ourselves as we slowly move away from following others to constructing our own perspectives on the world around us. Self-discovery is what gives us a self-realization of what we value, care and love, and thus allowing us to affirm our values in society.
...helle Hackman, a sophomore in high school, realized that her friends, rather than engaging in a conversation, were “more inclined to text each other” (Huffington Post). Michelle also became aware that over forty percent of people were suffering from anxiety when they were separated from the phones. This clearly shows that we are connected to the technology that we use, but we are also suffering from the use of technology. We spend more than half of our entire day using some sort of technology, whether that is a computer, phone, television, or radio. Technology is becoming a prevalent part of our lives, and we cannot live without it. Technology has become our family, and part of us.
Many of us can really be self-absorbed and self-centered, and I also believe that our cell phones as well as how we were raised have an impact on how people are acting now. Overall, technology has changed how many communicate. In many ways, technology has enabled us to act and connect with a multitude of people around the globe. I think people can do something about the usage of cellphones. For example, people can leave their phone behind at home when they go to work. They will see that they don’t really need their phone to survive. And as for the way we act, I think parents need to show their children how to act at a young age, so it doesn’t hurt them in the future. By implementing those small changes, people can grow to be more civilized and less
In the essay “Our Cell Phones, Our Selves” written by Christine Rosen, the author presents a brief history on how cell phones were introduced into society and how this artifact changed people’s interactions in the physical space. Rosen describes the first cell phone that appeared in 1983 as “hardly elegant,” big and expensive (458). Cell phones at that time were mainly used by important and affluent people. However, seven years later, cell phones became smaller and affordable provoking a big change in society. This big technological advance did not only affect the United States, but the entire world.
Today’s society accepted phones so fast and easily, that most of the things that can harm us, are actually some of our social norms that we don’t even realize we are doing. Cell phones can have effects on the way people think and act, their interactions with people in society, and the amount information people retain from the direct result of multi-tasking. Cell phones are a very important asset to people, and good resources of information, but they can have negative effects on people such as depression, anxiety, and addiction to the use of the cell phone. Distractions from cell phone use have also been linked to many motor vehicle accidents as well. Cell phones were created to make our lives better, and more efficient, but do they harm us more than help
A. “Mobile Phones and Society- How Being Constantly Connected Impacts Our Lives.” South University. June, 2013. Web.
... are virtually mini telephones, digital cameras, laptops, and ipods in one. That amount of technology in such a compact space is truly astounding. It’s unfortunate to think cell phones are just becoming, if they have not already, another “status symbol” indicating where you rank on the ladder of what our culture deems “in”.
Lots of people thinks that they know themselves very well; they have a right way of communication, they know how to listen and respond to others, even emotional intelligence. Is this what you thought? I did. However after I have done my observe behavior interview to my friends, I believe that self-reflection is important to everyone to understand and improve our own communication styles.
A few of the top natural human instincts include survive, emotional, happiness, and socialization. If one of those human natural instinct were to be taking away, it would cause something that would be quite egregious. In an essay by Lynda Smith called “Disconnected”, Smith talks about how technological devices, such as the cell phone, is disconnecting people, not connecting them, it is only mentally filling a person’s natural need to socialize. Also Smith uses many examples in her essay to lure in her readers and keep them engaged while reading. She does not over exaggerate any of her examples, which shows that she is honest, and her sources are very credible. I barely use my cell phone, in fact, more of the time I have my cell phone in an ensconced place, the only time it comes out that ensconced place is when I am going driving or to work. Smith essay has given me a different viewpoint on technology, such as the cell phone.
The notion that the cell phone may one day become obsolete may never become reality. The concept of personal computing and communication (which is essentially what the smartphone is today) can never be defunct. Humans are built to connect with one another and we see instances of this throughout our lifetime. We are born into families, biological or not. We go to church to gather with our congregation. We’re sent to school to learn with other children our age. To eventually work with like-minded people, meet our spouses and have a family of our own. Our phones revolutionized even more with the bang of social media. The proliferation of social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram just to name a few, forever changed the dynamic of our social interactions. Through Instagram I can lie on the beaches of Cap Ferrat in the French Riviera with my cousin who visits there every year or I can open my Vine app and swim with tropical fishes in the Bahamas with my best friend Chelsi who loves the beach. In addition, cell phones enable us to interact with people we wouldn’t normally encounter. This not only permits us to learn from one other and the world around us, but we can help in times of need. In fact, during Hurricane Sandy our cell phones played an important role. In 2012 someone had the idea to create a Facebook page that bridged the gap between victims and good Samaritans
Like the rest of the world, I cannot go a day without my phone. Try leaving your phone at home for a day and let me know how you feel. With the growing technology my phone is like my arms and legs. It is my must- have- can’t live without phone. It is my connection to the outside world. It is my connection to other people’s lives and theirs to connect with mine. The “cell phone” started out as a form of communication via calling and then it exploded with text messaging. Now it seems that most people would prefer texting then calling someone.