Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on technological revolution
Short note on technology revolution
The technological revolution essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on technological revolution
Technology and the modern era have brought out a whole different side to all sorts of things. From the global economy to state boundaries, the world has undergone a widespread wave of change. And with the passage of time, human beings are evolving at a continuously transitioning motion. In his book ‘Stumbling on Happiness’, Daniel Gilbert has, under the title “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”, described this very circumstance that our societies face today. The premise for his article is the ‘now’ that all of us are experiencing each day. In the article, “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of our Era”, Restak uses the same premise as a setting for his work.
Restak’s focus is on how the brain is changed by today's standards. He states, “This technology driven change in the brain is the biggest modification in the last 200,000 years… One consequence of this change is that we face constant challenges to our ability to focus our attention.” We are constantly dealing with two or more things at once, which constantly results in a change of our attention. We have been rendered unable to focus on any one thing in a complete and comprehensive manner . If we sit still and focus on one task , we have difficulty paying attention. Part of the reason why we moved to a society of short attention span is the use and development of technology. We have become used to and quite adept at getting all the information in a short period of time, which is an example of how technology causes a change of mentality in society. Gilbert too talks about technology and the many ‘blessings’ that have been bestowed on societies due to the onslaught of modern times. While Restak focuses on the hyperactivity and impossibly fast pace of modern societies, Gilbert’s ...
... middle of paper ...
...accustomed to rapid-fire motormouth commercials spoken at truly incomprehensible speeds." He says that man finds it difficult to concentrate because the advent of the technological time sphere has aided in the development of short attention spans. He also mentioned the fact that how we are able to be always present in different places at one time due to technology.
It would be interesting to note how Gilbert would respond to the picture that Restak paints of these technological times. Both writers speak in the context of the modern era, and Restak depicts it as an era of isolated socialization, where humans are isolated due to their inability to stay (mentally or physically) at any one place at one point in time. Gilbert’s discussion of happiness and the skewness of modern definitions regarding happiness might be extended to allow for comment on such a topic.
While reading through the article, I noticed that the loss of focus she spoke of was happening in my life. I agree that we as a society are trying to become more productive, but multitasking is not the way to go. Tugend mentions that the human brain cannot efficiently handle doing multiple things at once (716). I see this in my daily life when trying to carry two or more items while trying to talk on the phone, it usually ends in disaster. However, multitasking is productive in some ways such as listening to classical music while studying. Tugend does a great job at getting personal with the reader; she uses situations that everyone has been through. Throughout the article, Tugend kept me entertained by switching between a casual and informational
In the chapter “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era,” from The New Brain, written by Richard Restak, Restak makes some very good points on his view of multitasking and modern technology. He argues that multitasking is very inefficient and that our modern technology is making our minds weaker. Multitasking and modern technology is causing people to care too much what other people think of them, to not be able to focus on one topic, and to not be able to think for themselves.
The growing presence of technology is going to become more and more prevalent in the future as technology continues to evolve. If Carr is right, then we are going to see the continuous deterioration of critical thinking skills in future generations. However, we may also see a rise in more technological advances that will help society function better. Overall, this book was mainly concerned with the effects that new information and communication technologies will have on the brain.
In the course of reading “Attention Deficit”, it can feel at times as if Dr. Restak had come to the conclusion that technology is damaging to our brains and our personal lives long before putting pen to paper, then proceeded to search for evidence to back up his viewpoint. The ways in which he frames his findings and tries to give them meaning can be persuasive at times,
Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.
From communicating with one another to researching for an essay, these high-tech gadgets are constantly being used. Unfortunately this is slowly becoming a danger to the human mind and an individual's ability to carry out simple tasks. This can be shown through the examples in Carr’s novel. He states multiple times that technology is damaging the brain and is struggling to do the simple tasks it should be able to do. Through his multiple examples, it is clear that technology is hurting us because we can no longer contemplate, concentrate, remember certain details, and more. Although, we cannot avoid using technology, we should be mindful of how often we use
Carr explains how the internet can distract us making it harder to focus on tasks. He explains how processing information has become harder. Notifications, ads, popups can make it difficult if you are trying to read an article or book (Carr 57). The internet has become the center of our attention (Carr 57). Carr is explaining how this is the reason why we are struggling to comprehend a certain piece of information. He adds in his article that scientists, researchers and educators have also noticed the difference in concentration. And in further detail, he explains that we fail to see the important information, thus affecting cognition. He says that the information we gather is not valuable unless we know the meaning behind it. Carr concludes with explaining that the more the internet evolves the less valuable information is to
Atlantic journalist Nicholas Carr confesses that he feels something has been “tinkering with his brain.” The internet, he fears, may be messing with our minds. We have lost the ability to focus on a simple task, and memory retention is steadily declining. He is worried about the effect the internet has on the human brain, and where it may take us in the future. In response to this article, Jamais Cascio, also a journalist for the Atlantic, provides his stance on the issue. He argues that this different way of thinking is an adaptation derived from our environment. Ultimately, he thinks that this staccato way of thinking is simply a natural evolution, one that will help to advance the human race.
The stories Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa and Self-Discovery and the Danish Way of Life are easily comparable. The narrators of both stories write about a time in which they are experiencing a different culture. They also write about their yearnings for self-discovery through exotic experiences. The viewpoints, however, of each writer are at opposite ends of the spectrum. In Self-Discovery and the Danish Way of Life, the narrator writes about his international experiences while studying abroad in Denmark. On the other hand, in Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa, the narrator never actually visits Africa. Instead, he figuratively visits the continent through the experiences of another person. These stories may appear to be similar because of the comparable aspirations of the narrators. However, they are also different with respect the narrators’ unique viewpoints on life.
These two articles are similar in the sense that they agree that the internet and computational objects are reshaping our brain’s structure by changing our neural circuit. By using examples from their personal experiences to identify a trend in technology use, the authors illustrate that the more we bury ourselves in technology the more we are unable to understand material which leads to loss of concentration and the ability to think for ourselves. As an author, Carr finds the internet a beneficial tool, but it’s having a bad effect on his concentration span. Carr points this out by stating “Immersing myself in a book or lengthy article used to be easy, now I get fidgety, lose the thread and begin looking for something else to do” (39). He is no
He claimed that before internet journals were so widespread that he immerse himself lengthy articles and book with no issues of his attention span shortening and drifting away. “My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and i’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose.” It is a little daring to say that the internet is essentially rewiring the human brain cognitive function. It’s fair to say that it is prohibiting the mind to think as complexly as it needs to because the information is so readily available now, but attaining information is not as lengthy as it used to be like having to go to the library for
Short stories are a form of literature works that authors use to communicate various themes and issues to the reader. As such, it is common for different short stories authored by different people to have a central meaning or theme that differs from each other. In addition, the way the author portrays his/her central theme or meaning would differ from the way other authors would craft their short stories to best portray their central meaning. While some would use characterization as a means of portraying the theme of their story, other authors employ the use of symbols to better communicate their theme. However, some slight similarities can always be drawn between short stories. ‘Hills like White
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was no Facebook or Twitter, no emailing or texting. Personal computers had yet to invade our homes, and most of us had access to maybe four or five TV channels, max. That far away galaxy was the 1970s — and it was also a time when ADHD was virtually unheard of.” In Michael Obershneider’s article, “Did Star Wars Cause ADHD (Okay maybe not directly, but consider this…),” He proposes that Star Wars and the rapid development of technology is responsible for the dramatic increase of ADHD in today’s era. Obershneiders use of ethos, logos, and pathos is skillful, however, it is his ability to craft emotion-invoking words and phrases which really sells his argument.
Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story. Because many high class parents in 18th century London would not be able to spend time with their children, nannies would read “Beauty and the Beast” to them since they were intended for children and considered appropriate. In “The Summer and Winter Garden,” the Grimm’s’ story was mostly based to entertain misbehaved children and teach them the valuable lesson that everyone should be treated with kindness. The Grimm brothers’ goal in rewriting this short story is to better children’s behavior which worked quite well. Since these stories have been re-written for children, it would be safe to say the reason why parents expose the two stories to their children is because they both portray the same moral: good things happen to good people. The two interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast,” although written in separate countries, share important similarities and differences even though the authors have different interpretations and came from different cultures.
A normal human being contains five senses; touch, smell, sound, taste, and sight. But in today’s era a sixth sense can be added, the sense of technological ability. Though the original five senses come naturally to humans, the sixth one is acquired. But it is being acquired at a young age. From birth babies are learning from their baby apps on their iPad and now fathers seek computer aid from their adolescent son who knows what wrong with the computer just by clicking the mouse once. The twenty first century is a time where operating complex technologies at young age are a norm. Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” suggests how the technology, especially the Internet, is detrimental to society and to the human mind. Oliver Sack’s “The Mind Eye’s” is about how the brain adapts and changes when it loses one of its senses, in particular the sense of sight. In Sack’s writing, he concludes that the powers of other senses are increased when one sense is lost. The consequence of having an acquired sixth sense is that it takes away from our other senses. Therefore when the argument that Sack’s writing is providing an antidote to Carr’s claim is made, it is important to know that the statement is not accurate. In fact, it is the complete opposite because on problem causes many more.