I appreciate the advances that technology has given us, and I'm aware that society does, as well. However, for all the advantages and benefits that technology provides, we must be aware of the drawbacks and consequences that come with it. Yes, technology does allow for quicker, easier communication (cell phones, chat rooms, AIM, e-mail), but it also alienates the individual from others. The individual becomes encompassed in his/her room, glued to the television screen, computer monitor, or addicted to the video game. No longer does the individual spend his time in thought and discussion, expanding ideas and pondering different subjects, but rather becomes a lethargic, apathetic being. The individual now uses the spare time that technology has provided for him to consume the noises and ever-changing rapid pace of the scenes and situations on the televisions. The individual fills his eyes with entertainment that keeps him glued for the moment, but it is a kind of pseudo entertainment. It only satisfies at a basic level, leaving the individual interested but not stimulated.
There is little to no thought process involved when watching these shows on television; the purpose of these shows are to fill in the stime slots that, oddly, technology has allowed for in the first place. In essence, technology has taken back what it has given. However, it not only eats at the spare time the individual gains, not only sprouts sloth, but it also desensitizes. It separates each individual from the rest. The video game involving shooting and murdering of another virtual human allows for the individual to grow accustomed to the pain and injury of others. The individual then begins to feel less, begins to feel empathy slipping away, begins to feel that humans in general have little feeling because the virtual humans have taught him/her this. The virtual human teaches the individual that it is acceptable for one human to intentionally induce pain onto another, because those in the video game express little emotion, have no backgrounds to relate them to true humans, are all mostly faceless duplicates of each other, and so their deaths spark little in the individual. But one must realize that a true human feels pain and sorrow, has a connection to his/her family/friends, and are each individuals in themselves, with different opinions and personalities.
That a true human can feel, which is what we have lost in the process of gaining technology. So can one safely and accurately say that the benefits outweigh the cost without thinking about it? Or have we lost the stimulation to think as well?
