Elise Pevoar

Amy Rybak

GSW 1120

22 February 2017

The Influence of Technology

            Take a moment to think about when you received your first smartphone.  How excited were you to advance in the world of technology?  Technology has changed our lives in ways that we could never have imagined.  From smartphones, to tablets, computers, and smart televisions.  It has changed the way we shop, communicate, and complete school assignments.  We call, or text people, instead of meeting up face to face.  However, not everything about technology is helpful.  In many situations, it could be harmful.  People know there are some consequences that come with using technology, but we have forgotten those consequences.  Young adults have a lack of understanding about the negative effects technology has on our day to day lives.

            This paper will take different analysis from multiple sources.  The first source that will be covered is “The Limits of Friendship” by Maria Konnikova.  She received her doctoral degree from Columbia University in psychology. Her work has been featured in multiple magazines and other publications and she frequently writes a column for the New Yorker (Barrios 235).  The next article that is going to be covered is Nick Paumgarten’s “We Are a Camera”.  He also currently writes for the New Yorker, which he has been doing for the past decade (Barrios 330).  One more article that will be explored is “Why Kids Sext” written by Hanna Rosin.  She has written books and magazine articles for different publications.  Now, Hanna Rosin writes and edits for the Atlantic (Barrios 387).  The final short reading that will be discussed is Richard Restak’s “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of our Era”.  He received a master’s degree from Georgetown University and teaches neurology at George Washington Hospital University.  Richard Restak has also written twenty books, all of which are on the human brain (Barrios 372).             

             The first negative effect we have seen from technology is that it causes a decrease in friendships.  We now keep track of people by looking at their Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts.  Due to these social media sites, we are able to find out where these people are and who they are with.  Everyone believed the fact that being on social media could increase the number of friendships, but this is not the case.  In the article “The Limits of Friendship” by Maria Konnikova, the effects of technology and social media are explored.  Nicole Ellison, a researcher at Michigan State University, explored these trends by conducting a study using Facebook.  The results showed that the average number of friends on Facebook was around three hundred; however, people only considered seventy-five of them to be true friends (Konnikova 237).  Her conclusion was then supported by Robin Dunbar, a psychologist and anthropologist at The University of Oxford.  We cannot retain friendships just through social media, we have to have face to face interactions with them.  By having these interactions, the friendship is more genuine and will last longer, according to Robin Dunbar (Konnikova 238).  By just interacting with close friends for a few minutes every day will allow us to have lasting and stronger relationships.  Another thing that will cause a decrease in friendships is posting pictures or videos from vacations on social media sites.  People tend to get jealous and will eventually end all contact with that friend.  Just because a person can travel all over the world does not mean they have to post every picture on social media (Paumgarten 334).  Due to these reasons, it is safe to say that technology has become detrimental to our relationships with friends and family.

            Yet another problem while using technology is the lack of concern for our own safety.  People post their location on social media on a regular basis without knowing if they are being followed or watched.  Not many people think about being stalked before they post something that includes a location.  Other times, people put themselves in actual danger by going to the extreme just to capture the perfect shot.  A perfect example of this can be found in “We Are a Camera” by Nick Paumgarten.  People that own GoPro cameras will sometimes perform stunts that put themselves, and sometimes even others, in danger.  These people do this just because they want more attention and likes on social media.  Select stunts can even land you in prison (Paumgarten 335).  For example, Andrew Rossig jumped off the World Trade Center and recorded the entire jump using a GoPro.  He later turned himself in for the stunt (Paumgarten 341).  However, the problems don’t end there.  Once again, young adults put themselves in danger by sending provocative pictures to boyfriends or girlfriends.  They have no concern where the pictures will end up, whether it be on a website or social media, where thousands of other people can view them (Rosin 388).  Our number one priority when using technology and social media should be our safety and sadly that is no longer the case.           

            The final reason why technology has changed our everyday lives is because it distracts people from the activities going on around them.  We get so caught up surfing social media sites or trying to capture pictures and videos on our devices that we neglect things we should be doing instead.  For example, technology distracts students from completing homework assignments.  We get home from class, eat a snack, and sit down in front of the television, leaving our full backpacks unopened and our homework untouched.  Even if a student attempts to complete a homework assignment while watching the tv or scrolling through social media, their attention is still divided.  Their eyes switch back and forth from the screen to the books and they are never truly focused on one (Restak 374).  I did my best to multitask in high school.  I remember turning on the tv and attempting to complete school assignments.  This never worked because my attention was lost in whatever I was watching.  In college, I have found that is very difficult to multitask.  My attention has to be focused on one activity, or else no work will get done.  Technology can also distract us during special events.  Thousands of people attend concerts regularly.  Often times, you will see the occasional cell phone or camera in the air by someone trying to record their favorite song.  The real life version of the concert is always better than the low-quality pictures and videos captured by our mobile devices.  According to Nick Paumgarten, we rarely watch those videos after the concert is over (337).  So why not enjoy the concert while you have the opportunity to?  I mean what are the chances that you will get to see the same exact concert again?            

            Not everyone believes there are negative effects of technology.  Many people actually depend on it every single day.  Many schools and universities depend on technology for completing school assignments.  The majority of homework and class assignments are now completed online. There are two upsides to using technology in the school system.  The first, and more common, is it helps detect plagiarism, which seems to become a growing problem.  Certain programs are connected with the school program and will search multiple websites and other student-written papers when the assignment is submitted.  A report is then presented to show the percentage of similarity between the student work and other sources.  Homework that is turned in on paper is much harder to detect plagiarism and the student is left unpunished most of the time.  Cases of copying are bound to decrease just because of technology. The second positive reason technology is useful in schools is because it drastically cuts down the need for paper.  Many textbooks are available online which saves a drastic amount of paper.  Electric copies of assignments are now being turned in instead of paper copies.  However, there are still problems with using technology in schools.  Technology is not always reliable, computers stop working on a regular basis and systems fail.  Overall, the improvements take time and are expensive, costing on average over a hundred dollars.  The online system that schools utilize goes down for maintenance on a weekly basis, which is a huge inconvenience for both students and teachers.                  

            Humans seem to have developed a lack of awareness when it comes to the negative effects technology has on our lives.  There is no way to avoid these effects and they will never go away for as long as technology exists.  People have to become more aware when using mobile devices and social media.  Once these consequences of technology are explored more, we will then be able to learn how to use our devices in a safe and more effective way.  I use my electronic devices every day for different reasons and I am conscious of every site I visit.  My number one main concern when using technology is my safety and that is the way it needs to be for every single person.   

Works Cited

Konnikova, Maria. “The Limits of Friendship.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for

Writers. Barrios, Barclay. Boston, Bedford St. Martin’s. 236-239. Print.

Paumgarten, Nick. “We Are a Camera.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for

Writers. Barrios, Barclay. Boston, Bedford St. Martin’s. 331-341. Print.

Restak, Richard. “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. Barrios, Barclay. Boston, Bedford St. Martin’s. 373-385. Print.

Rosin, Hanna. “Why Kids Sext.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. Barrios, Barclay. Boston, Bedford St. Martin’s. 388-402. Print.