The advent of web 2.0 brought blessings and curses. While it made it more convenient to communicate with people far away from use and led to the development of the world as a global village, technology and especially internet-enabled technology had led to people being less interactive on an intimate basis. People spend a lot of time using the gadgets such as smartphones, mobile phones, tablets and personal computers and gamers among others. The excessive dependence on technology and incorporation of technology in our daily lives has led to psychologists and other researchers examining the impacts of the technologies in our lives. Sherry Turkle, a cultural analyst, and a former technology enthusiast argues that technology is putting people in the state of being connected but being alone (Turkle). According to the speaker, even though people use the technology to create connections and network, they also use it to avoid being too intimate. Therefore, technology is keeping us from creating any real relationships with people around us and is therefore unhealthy. I agree with the sentiments of Sherry Turkle since a lot of other research and experience has shown that technology is indeed addictive and pulls people away from real companions and environments in preference to the virtual friends.
Technology leads to people being detached from their environment around them. People who are fond of using their mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets, spend time looking at their screens and texting or playing games rather than paying attention to their environment. For example, people who like chatting, they may walk while chatting and while doing it, fail to notice any exciting things on their way like their colleagues who do not chat. Coleman Jonathan offers a good example of how technology detracts us from the environment around us and therefore prevents us from experiencing the nice realities that surround us. In the article, by the author, he says that when one walked through a city that is as beautiful as New York, they get to experience new things every day (Coleman). They enjoy simple things such as the view of the rays of light as they hit public libraries or details on the buildings in the city. However, when one is busy with their phones chatting or doing other things with it, they usually do not realize the simple pleasures. People see the things that used to matter in nature as unimportant because they are intangible and yet they are still important. People also prefer to play video games which are addictive and pull them from their real environments. Therefore, the use technology such as phones prevents people from realizing that the world around them is beautiful.
The technological advancements also pull people from their communities and people that they care about. When using technology, people become part of a virtual online community that pretends to care about them or even if they do, they do not know each other intimately. People have hundreds of friends on social media that they post and talk about issues rather than having actual conversations with real people that actually care about them. Hence, people find themselves giving the people they care about minimal time and spend most of their time with their devices communicating with their virtual friends. People become slaves to their devices and therefore lose the freedom to be part of their worlds. They hide in their online communities and avoid the burden that comes building actual relations with people. For some people, they talk to people via the phones and social media rather than have real conversations with them. Coleman gives the example of himself when he interrupts the precious moments with his daughter to read a text message on the phone. Even though it seems simple, the daughter feels the fathers distance despite them being together (Coleman). In another illustration of how the devices distract us from the people who matter to use, the Coleman give the example of a father who pays attention to his phone rather than to watch his daughter in her Lacrosse practice. The daughter craves for attention, and because of the phone, the father does not realize. A woman in the same even focuses on her laptop instead of her daughter. The daughter looks at the mother seeking to be given attention, but the mother does not realize her mistake (Coleman). In all the examples offered by Coleman, it is clear that unless one makes time for important people in their lives in this technology-driven world, they may end up missing out in the lives of the people they care about such as friends and family.
Technology also distances us from our own selves. People spend so much time making online connections with people that they do not even know and find themselves focusing very little on their needs such as exercise and play for children. People get addicted to the technology and spend so much time in technology that they deprive themselves important things in life such as rest, sleep and proper food. Therefore, they become obese and suffer other technology related problems such as poor health. Jasper Burley says that social media addition makes teenagers antisocial (Burley, Gardiner and Blake). Humans are social beings. Therefore, when one fails to make time to associate with other real people that they are familiar with, they deny themselves their right to wellbeing. The addition of the mobile phones makes people lose some of their essential abilities such as proper sightedness. According to Burley and Colleagues, in the study that was conducted at the University of Western Australia, when people spend more than three hours on the devices, the effects become apparent. The study found effects such as obesity, insomnia and eating unhealthy foods because of not making enough time and effort to access proper foods (Burley, Gardiner and Blake). Therefore, it is important that people care about themselves and understand that they have to save time for themselves while living in the technologically advanced world.
In conclusion, it is important that people understand the negative implications of their technology to their lives and the lives of others as they use them for their convenience. It will be unrealistic to recommend that people stop using their phones and other technological devices that allow them to communicate with others and the world around them. However, it is important to accept that as Turkle says, technology has led people to change and to expect more from the innovations than people. Technology gives people the illusion of companionship that does not bear the demands of friendship. Therefore, the excessive use of technology has distanced people from their environments, their loved ones and themselves. Consequently, it is important that people put in places measures that prevent the excessive use of technology in their lives.
Works Cited
Burley, Jusper, Sam Gardiner and Robinson Blake. "Social Media Making Teens Anti-Social." Newcastle Herald. 10 November 2015.
Coleman, Jonathan. Is Technology making us Intimate Srangers? 10 November 2015. Newsweek. .
Turkle, Sherry. Conected, but alone.
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