Growing Up Tethered Analysis

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Aldous Huxley once said, “Technological Progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” Huxley, a philosopher and novelist, wrote this quote over forty years ago and yet it still resonates with the role technology plays today. The growth of technology has contributed to mankind's social demise making it ultimately harmful to all humankind. Begone are the days one would perform simple tasks without the aid of technology, our reliance on technology has grown so much that it is taking away jobs from real humans and ruining the way of life with simulations and indoor activities. The constant advancements in technology have weakened our society tremendously by making people co-dependent on technology through social …show more content…

As shown by Sherry Turkle, a professor of social studies, wrote an essay, “Growing Up Tethered,” in which she states, “teenagers report discomfort when they are without their cell phones. They need to be connected in order to feel like themselves.” The main point Turkle is attempting to make through her work is that social media and smartphones are ruining the kids of this generation. Such as children are at a higher risk of getting into car injuries due to texting and driving, are more prone to disconnect from the real world, and more likely to commit suicide due to perceived loneliness. For example, Turkle interviewed an eighteen-year-old male named Roman about this subject and he said he is at fault by texting and driving but does not plan on stopping. Technology is making us change who we are, we are now a society that is glued to their smartphone twenty-four seven. Which has consequently led to both physical and mental pains. Physical pain has been created with the more than 1.6 million car crash cases caused by texting and driving accidents. Mental pains have been created due to the amount of time that a person spends online in front of a screen. According to CNN, the average American spends more than ten hours a day staring at a screen. Our dependency on technology has disrupted the spirit of self-reliance that Americans have prided …show more content…

Cybersexism is when a person, mainly women, becomes a target of sexist comments and trolling from others online. In her essay, Cybersexism, Laurie Penny states that the internet is a horrid place and it needs to be improved to prevent such incidents from occurring. There are so many incidents today where women are getting treated poorly through a black mirror by a person that is hiding behind that screen. The call for the change of this deplorable form of online bullying is necessary since even though it is just words on a screen those words can still hurt people. It is not right for someone to be able to hide and say grotesque words to or about women and not face any consequence except online scrutiny. Therefore, people like Laurie Penny are taking a stance against cybersexism since this form of bullying has to be dealt with and stopped. The internet has been around for quite some time now and it is used worldwide but things need to change. It is no longer a safe place for anyone to chat to other people and see funny videos or picture, it has evolved to a place full of hatred and chaos that has people scared of getting online due to the harmful comments that one might

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