Final Blog Post

 

Technology is an integral and ever-changing part of society, evolving in function and growing in popularity daily. For those of us born into a world with these technologies at our fingertips, living in a world without them is entirely unfathomable. Almost none of us would give up our technologies, as we feel like we need them to get by.

Technology and its rise does have a lot of good, practical uses. For example, the increase in working online from home opens the door for many disabled people to pick up careers that otherwise would have been impossible. As long as there's a computer in the house, a person could easily do writing work, editing, technical support, and several other professions that otherwise would have been impossible for these individuals to do. 

The technology of today also allows people to stay connected over long distances. Once, when you came home from university for the summer, you would rarely see your friends or even speak to them if you lived far apart, or if your romantic partner had to travel for school or work, you'd seldom hear from them. These days, phones and computers facilitate those relationships, as you can always message or speak to those you care about. 

However, that's not to say that technology has its downsides and dangers. Social media and many video games work on instant gratification: causing you to receive immediate pleasant feelings and satisfaction upon playing a level or posting an image. Instant gratification can reduce a person's capacity for paying attention for long periods of time and even lead to addiction.

Social media addiction is a real thing, and it can ruin lives and create just as many issues as more well-known addictions like drugs or alcohol. It can consume people's lives, taking up all of their time to the point that they neglect their health and relationships to keep their social media profiles pristine. These people also lose their attention spans and end up restless and anxious without access to the internet, thinking of nothing but being able to post to browse again.

Social media can also have a horrible effect on young people's body image. Photos can be easily edited and set the standard for attractiveness to an impossible height. They can cause young women to starve themselves in an attempt to look like the girls they see online and push young men into destructive gym cycles, trying to build muscle to look like the guys they see in photos. 

The popularization of the 24-hour news cycle with immediate reports available online has had its effect on the world as well, both positive and negative. On the one hand, we can see what's happening at any point without delay, keeping us up to date and informed about the state of the world. On the other hand, the 24-hour news cycle prioritizes speed over accuracy, so the immediate information may be incomplete, biased, or unintentionally false.

That quick turnaround on the news can also create a doomsday mentality in the viewers, leading to a perception that the world is collapsing and negatively impacting one's mental health, leading to issues with depression and anxiety. Tragic or otherwise negative or polarizing stories get priority on the news, so looking at the front page of a news website can be overwhelming. All you'll see is death, crime, war, and pain, making it seem like good things never happen. If you want to see good news, you have to specifically seek it out, as it will rarely hit mainstream reporting.

However, as stated before, technology isn't all bad. While bad news and negative effects have a substantial impact on our society, the connections we can make with others due to technology are fantastic. We can keep in touch with the people we love over long distances and can get information on anything we can think of with a simple Google search. 

Technology has had its effects on the world and our society, both good and bad. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to engage with it, but that can apply to just about anything. As long as you remain aware of the effects technology can and will have on you and your life, social media, reading the news, and interacting with the internet can be done safely. Used right, it can enhance your life, being more of a positive influence than a negative one.