Its funny to talk about technology with my parents because over the course of their lifespan they’ve seen so much. When my dad was in college he didn’t have Google to go to when he had a question. Instead, he had to find the encyclopedia, dictionary or other form of document to find out the answer. Contrasting that with my current college experience is simply unfathomable. I simply can’t understand how I would have been able to complete any of my projects let alone simply function without the technology that we have today. Jones has a good quote that explains this, “Now daily life is affected by computing…practical and professional communities of advertising, entertainment, publishing…have joined the academic, scientific and artistic communities in using this medium” (56). Technology has simply taken over within the past decade and everyone is getting in on it. We now have multiple social media sites, smartphones, 3-d tvs everything that couldn’t even be dreamed of when my parents were children. In addition to this, I believe that technology has helped everyone increase their quality of life. However, I also believe that this much technology is taking away from the human interaction aspect of life. Over the years I’ve started to notice that some of my friends simply can’t communicate unless its through text or social media. This is one of the biggest problems that I see facing this country when looking at this issue in the opposite light.
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It’s actually frustrating sometimes trying to explain ‘The Internet’, apps, and all the other new technologies to the older generations. For example, my neighbor Judy (72 year old) came over one night and wanted to watch The Amazing Race – however we don’t have TV, we use an HDMI cable to play shows off of our computers (but it isn’t live TV). I tried to explain this to her but she couldn’t comprehend – first, that we didn’t have TV (everyone has TV! She said) and second – that is was possible to look up shows online and project them on to our big tv screen. Jones discusses how computer graphics, along with other technologies, no longer have just one function; they can have “artistic, technical, scientific, commercial and practical” uses (56, Jones). I agree that technology has helped our generation advance and has increased our quality of life; however, I fear for the tweenies that they won’t have developed social skills. I see families at dinner, each on their respective phone/tablet device in their own worlds. So along with what you are saying, I believe it’s important to look at the age group technology effects.
I have a similar funny story that shows how far things have come in a short time. My Mom was working for Bank of America in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and she was at a speaking engagement where the CEO was talking. The CEO said he had recently met with a friend by the name Steve Jobs (yeah, that one), and he had been given an Apple computer. The CEO went onto say it looked cool, but it was more useful as a paper weight than in any kind of banking. He was obviously wrong, and that illustrates how far things have come in a short time.
Now, your question certainly holds merit. Though we are more connected virtually as a society than ever before, we are also less connected in other ways. Humans can avoid contact in-person with others, and certain social skills may erode over time. Jones noted, “Does it take me into things I fear most and wish to avoid, or does it make it easy for me to hide, to run away from them? Does it enable me to shut out my environment, ignore politics, remain unaware of my dream life, my sexuality, and my relationships.” (Jones, 56) Though the internet and technology have done so many great things, there are certainly some down sides. In an article about how technology is eroding family values, Jamshid Ghazi Askar briefly touched on the erosion of social skills due to this influx of technology. Askar noted, “From shortened attention spans to eroding social skills, raising children amidst a sea of ubiquitous iPads and smartphones can invoke all sorts of unintended consequences and potential pitfalls.” (Askar) It’s going to be an even tougher challenge moving forward, and it will be interesting to see the consequences down the road.
Sources
1. Askar, Jamshid G. “How Technology Can Erode a Family’s Foundation.” DeseretNews.com. Deseret News, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. .
2. Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.