Technology: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
I have been exposed to technology since the day I gained consciousness, and in turn I feel I have had a grasp on it for as long as I can remember. Technology has continually evolved society, in fact it has advanced more in the past 100 years than it has in the last million. It has improved science and medicine drastically, furthering our understandings and increasing life expectancy, I'm sure soon it will jump another 50 years (I'm good at 80).
My relationship with technology has definitely had its ups and downs, as with technology there is always good and bad. Currently, absolutely. My relationship with technology is stellar, my phone screen time is roughly three and a half hours a day, and I use it to help my studies and own personal endeavors. I honestly find myself sometimes wishing smart phones did not exist, so people would communicate more and be with each other more. For example, I was watching "Stand By Me" the other day, and a lot of the movie I felt myself jealous of the boys just outside exploring and adventuring, their parents having no clue where they truly are, they were utterly free.
However, back in the day, absolutely not. I spent hours and hours and hours playing video games, and/or sitting at a desk on a computer and it had some effects on my body, such as eye strain and overall poor posture. I spent more time mindlessly scrolling and thrashing my attention span then I did putting my time towards something that could better me or that I actually care about. Sometimes today, when I'm reading on my phone, my head is down and my phone is by my lap, further worsening my posture, something I am currently working on, but overall my habits are much better.
Technology is very powerful and allows us instant access to information, resources, and expertise. However, being able to access that information at any time does not mean that we understand the information. We are not really learning it, we are just seeing it and potentially reciprocating it. A huge drawback with this is misinformation, whether it be intentional or not. The beauty, and downside, of the internet is that anyone can upload their opinion or information about a topic. This can lead to people making stuff up, fake news, or slander against a person or topic. Which leads to a misinformed public and the spread of that false information to the masses. Honestly, when I perceive information, and this is something I have been trying to work on, I tend to immediately believe what is said without considering the idea that it could be false or spun. I feel that a lot of people consume information today, and especially at such a fast rate, that people do not tend to stop and take the time to analyze what they are consuming. Creating a nation of false information spread that people will believe in no questions asked and cause the masses to potentially panic.
I think for most people, technology has improved their lives in the aspect of saving time and information access. It has also exponentially imrpoved things such as science and medicine. There is also the dark side to technology such as cyberbullying which has increased the suicide rates, especially in the youth. It allows anyone to see your posts (if you let them) and comment whatever they want to or about you. Technology also connects people in ways that weren't so easily accessible back then, for example: instant messaging, social media, etc. These allow friends and families to stay connected even if they are thousands of miles apart. It allows you to keep up with what they are doing and could even allow you to become friends with total strangers. However, with every good there is bad, like the ability to prey on children through social medias or traffic people for example.
The online footprint is something that stays with everyone, and I could not even fully tell you what would be on mine. There would be both good and bad things, with the bad things being something I definitely do not want a potential employer to see. The posts I interact with are both good and somewhat bad, but anyone could take anything the wrong way, especially today, and blow you out of the water. Luckily, and maybe also not, my online presence is very little, with only my linked in being available when you google me. However, there is also nothing that stands out about me, something employers may also look at with displeasure.
All in all, I think the good that technology brought the world far outweighs the bad. However, as humans do, people tend to forget about the good and solely focus on the bad. While the bad can be very bad, I still believe the good is greater. Technology will only continue to evolve, soon we may even enter a trans-humanism era in which part of us is machine. Something that I think could either utterly profit the human race or plummet it into darkness and control.
