Gotta Love Technology

As I stared at the blinking icon on my blank word document on my computer, I felt lost for ideas in which to create a paper that is informative with facts yet personal with stories and thoughts about a certain topic. It felt like my mind was lacking imaginative ideas which would not only interest me but also the reader as well. As I sat wondering, I just stared blankly at the computer screen hoping that something would eventually come to me. Within moments my attention is quickly shifted to my iPod. I listened to it for a moment, in hopes of a topic to come to mind faster. While I listened to music, the bottom on my computer screen began to flash. It was an instant message from a friend who I had not spoken to for almost a year. I begin to chat with her for a few minutes. At the end of our conversation I sat there, in front of the once again blank word document and just wondered what to write about. But I could not quite concentrate for I kept listening to my iPod and thinking about my old friend and how she contacted me after all this time. Then something popped into my mind.

            I looked attentively around my room and noticed all these electronic devices that I put into use everyday. Usually I just make use of them without ever thinking about their truly amazing functions. In society today, it seems that many people are in the same frame of mind that I currently occupy. That is that we, as a whole, do not realize how much technology has affected our lives. Sometimes it is apparent that technological advances are taken for granted and that people are not really thankful for it until it’s suddenly gone. That is it; this is what I should write about, the technological advances in society and how it affects the way in which people live. 

            In choosing this topic, I hope to bring about the truths behind what technology really is and how it truly is something of a phenomenon. Shedding light on this truth may bring about other thoughts on how we, as a society, live our lives.  Personally, I have yet to really examine my life and see everything that affects it. I hope to use this as a means of discovery rather than just another assignment for another grade.

            The most important part of this subject matter is the reality that society is run by technological advances that may not have existed a couple decades ago. With this comes an idea that society is less active in day to day partaking that may have not been the case years before. This is obviously true in part because of the advances in technology. With technology, it is believed that advances are created to improve people’s lives; it makes things easier and more innovative so that a lot of effort does not have to be put into use. I believe that is an important issue to discuss because various other topics can arise from it. The issue of a less active nation is an example of such a branching topic. Another is the way information is transported into people’s homes. Also, with the internet, satellite and what not, society is more informed on what is going on in the world.

            By looking at this topic of technological advancement and its affect on societal ways of life, people would agree that the modernality of this world is indeed the cause of various things that make life different from what it was years ago. People would agree that technology changes the way lives are run and how people act in general. It is a means of instant gratification for every individual, in every home and in every lifestyle.

            The idea of instant gratification is quite an interesting topic. The truth behind it is that everyone wants things faster and more reliable. If people from the past looked at society today and saw everything and how things worked, they would probably see people of today’s society as magicians who have these magical powers who can make things happen at a blink of an eye. This is because society lives in such an advanced world that no one from the past would recognize it. It seems like everyday there is some kind of new product out that supposedly makes life easier and much more interesting. Sometimes even people today can not keep up with it all let alone people from the outside looking in. 

            Technology is something that people may not always understand yet they can not wait to try it out. If it seems interesting and high tech, more people would probably want to buy it; especially if he or she thinks that the product will be a hot item in the future. Usually to become a hot item, the product must be an amazing invention or someone big and famous; because we all know that if J.Lo or Brad Pitt has it, then it’s worth buying. This is an example of “jumping on the band wagon”. When people buy these new gadgets and things, sometimes what it does does not even matter as long as he or she is seen with it. After awhile, when the fad dies down another product enters the market and all of a sudden that product is way better than what that person has brought a month ago; and the cycle continues.

            This cycle is the cycle of continuous technological advances that people are just never satisfied with. Well maybe that person is satisfied for a while but decide that there is something better out there so he or she starts looking. An example of this can be seen daily, in everyone’s life. I know that it happens in my life.

            A couple of years ago, I got a laptop for Christmas. It was the newest one in the market and I was so excited when I got it. I could not turn it off all of Christmas break. It was exciting because I had never had something like this to call my own. That obsession with this laptop lasted for about a year. After that, I started seeing newer ones that offered much more and looked nicer than the one I had. I asked my parents for a new one but they said no because I had a perfectly good one. So I forgot about that and asked for something else, a new iPod. I already had the iPod Mini but it kept dying on me and it just got annoying. So I decide to look into the new things in the iPod world. I found out that there are much more advanced ones that I had never really heard about. Now, people could store pictures, watch music videos and do a lot more things then just play music. It’s amazing how people come up with these things so quickly. Anyways as of right now, I am waiting to see what else comes out before I go and buy these new iPods.

            By looking at this example one can see that I do indeed live a life where I am always looking for the best and most advanced things. It is a bit crazy once one really thinks about how everyone is like this. I think it is because people get hooked in by all the hype that he or she does not realize that some of those things are not really necessary to purchase; that sometimes it is just a way of make society lazy as a whole.

            Yes, society is getting lazier than ever before. But how could people resist something that removes a little worry from his or her life? This is true but sometimes it can be taken a little too far and make people really lazy. An example of this laziness can be seen in my house hold. The living arrangements in my house are quite out of the ordinary. My sister and I live in the main house and my parents live in the garage-turned-pool house but without the pool. Anyways in both houses there are a total of three phones that can be used as intercom devices. Originally we bought these phones for the soul purpose of answering phone calls and transferring those calls between the three headsets. As time progressed, my family began to use this intercom system in other ways. We started using it to call each other when we were in different places in our house; especially when my parents are in the back house and my sister and I are in the main house. Before, my parents used to always come into the house before they went to bed to say goodnight. But since we got the phone/intercom system, they only come on occasion. Other times they just intercom us to say goodnight. And if the intercom is not working, they just decide to call my cell phone. Now this is what I call using technology as a means of lazy behavior.

            I’m sure that people do things life this everyday; probably in different respects though. My example may be a little out there for some but that is how it is. A more real example that people may relate to has to do with the internet. It seems that a majority of the households in
America have internet connection in their homes. When internet first came out, it was dial up, meaning that a phone line had to be used to connect to the cyber world. Now there is a better way of connecting to the net, DSL. Well, now that we have this faster more efficient internet connection, more and more people are just relying on his or her fast internet connection to get information about everyday things; information that someone may have gotten from a local library or bookstore years ago. Now instead of having to drive or walk to these places, people just have to get on the internet and virtually find everything that he or she needs. This is a great example of laziness that takes over the world. All of a sudden it is just a big hassle to walk, drive or call places to obtain certain information. What a world!

            Technology is amazing though! How could it not be? There are some many new and interesting things out there that sometimes we do not even know about. Just think, right now people are working on more inventions that have never been thought of ever before. With new technology coming out constantly, new discoveries about life also arise from it. For example, a machine could be invented to find the cure for diseases that are till this day incurable. With these technological advances, people could find even more efficient ways to travel or more effective ways of growing produce. These are just something that could arise from the birth of a new invention.

            Not all advances in technology are a good thing though. These advances could lead to dangerous consequences when put to use or put into the wrong hands. An example of this is the gas chambers that Aldolf Hitler used in the concentration camps to kill people he disliked. Obviously this is an extremely bad invention that killed thousands upon thousands of innocent individuals. Another example of inventions that are deadly are the various weapons that countries posses. Initially these weapons were used to protect one’s country through threat but now things are a little different. Now other countries are not only threatened but are seeing how these types of inventions actually work. Many times, the innocent people are the ones who are really hurt or killed by them. The worst technological advancement in our world today may be the nuclear bombs and what not. This invention is so powerful that it could wipe out whole countries, at one time, if someone wanted to. Not only is this proof of a dangerous invention, it is also proof of the laziness of society. I hate to say this but it is the true. People can not just go into a war anymore; they just want to kill everyone at once because it is quicker and less hassle. As on can see, even rulers are getting lazy and just want to go for the quicker way.

            Technology is the root of many people’s laziness. Society is always looking out for the best products meaning the most efficient, so that he or she does not have to deal with doing mundane tasks. When looking at technologic aspects of things, they look for tools that can improve their lives and make things much easier for them. This is what our society has come to. The idea that with technology, life can be improved and things can happen quicker so that individuals can move on to something else. Honestly this is how it is and it is a bit distressing how it can be taken for granted and sometimes forgotten that we, as a society today, are blessed with such amazing inventions.

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