“Has Technology Made us Lazy and Dependent?”
To
some extent I would agree with the writer and state that technology has made us
lazy and dependent. In my opinion, it is
without doubt that we are completely dependent on technology in so many facets
of our daily lives. One can’t argue with
the fact that we, as a society, cannot function without the use of technology,
thereby making technology one of the most, if not the most, important part of our lives.
However,
inasmuch as we are dependent on technology, it is up to each and every
individual to apply themselves in order to be a functioning member of
society. Opportunities for those that
can capture the market as a consumers’ needs evolve present an ideal
circumstance.
As
the writer of this article pointed out, there are now many options available
for someone to run your own personal errands for you. Technological Apps (short for software
application) available to download on your mobile device can offer an array of
services that weren’t readily available several years ago. Daily tasks; such as grocery shopping,
household purchases, or shopping for clothes are now available online or on
your mobile device. Likewise, to put
these new services into perspective, as we see a drastic rise in income
inequality in our economy[1], so has our individual need for
these services. On average the number of
children living in single-parent homes has doubled per the Census data in 2010[2].
If the average home only has one working parent residing in the home,
then it is quite possible that they alone cannot take on average routine tasks
without any assistance, making the demand for these services increase to meet
the individual’s needs. It is also
important to note, that in meeting these needs, job growth in these specific
fields that offer these services also increase thereby employing more
individuals that can meet those needs.
I agree as a society we are dependent on technology. The article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid" by Nicholas Carr, gives us an explanation on how the internet is changing the way we think. The article points out that the more we use the internet, the more our brain changes.
ReplyDeleteThe author compares older generation that did not have the internet with younger generation that grew up with the internet. According to the author, the younger generation thinks differently compare to their parents or grandparents.
You can read the article to get a more in-depth look on how the internet is changing the way we think.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/
So, I think it's agreed upon most millennials that the Internet has totally granted us the privilege of laziness. The same could be said for smart phones, gadgets, iPads, etc. I personally feel like it is absolutely our responsibility to maintain our humanity--meaning, we need to keep monitoring & improving our communication, language, emotional, and problem-solving skills. Those are all things smart phones cannot significantly help us with. Like Prof said, laziness breeds stupidity. So if we become reliant on these technologies (and we are, at an alarming rate), and we lose our ability to deal with problems and emotions up front, we are going to breed children who cannot live without technology. We are going to breed children whose lives will be dependent on the presence of robots that fit in the palms of their hands. That's scary. We are sentient beings! Our general intelligence is completely based upon the skills we need to acquire to survive! If we give that responsibility to technology instead of our brains, we will face serious consequences that will very much surpass the detrimental aspects of laziness.
ReplyDelete- Julie
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