Hello people!
I am new here. I just wrote an article regarding how tech is affecting us. Looking forward to constructive criticism and creating a discussion.
The Double Edged Sword
Ever asked yourself if technology is a blessing, a curse or maybe both? Ever thought that it’s a double edge sword and there is a price to be paid? I think so. I am convinced that everything in life has a price – even technology.
While technology has given us great experiences and has made our lives a lot easier and convenient, it has also robbed us of our private lives, attention span and our physical health. It is obvious that the world today was not prepared of the impact of technology and how rapidly it advances. This leads to depression, anxiety, lack of self-esteem or purpose. Studies done in the UK lead us to believe that there could be another health epidemic in the near future.
So let us review the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to being constantly connected to the world.
My Personal Experience
Before we compare, I want to take you on a journey. A journey back in time. Let me take you to 2010. I finished 7th grade and we had a final goodbye party since everyone is going their own way in life, from changing schools to pursuing their dreams. It was the last time to be together, so as you can imagine it was pretty emotional for everyone.
I remember very clearly when me and the boys left the party together and said our goodbyes – one of them said I should download this thing called Facebook. They told me it will help me keep in touch with everybody after we split. I heard the word Facebook a few times before but I was never really interested in getting it – until now. It was a very emotional moment.
The first thing I did when I got back home was to make an account and start adding my friends on Facebook. And that was my entry into Social Media – to keep in touch with my friends and share our experiences – who will turn into a doctor, or a business owner or just become lazy.
But ironically it had the opposite effect. It actually separated us, I only kept in touch with a very few friends. We kind of grew distant from each other more and more. We never really spoke, we just……watched and liked our photos and that was it. The connected world actually separated us apart.
The Good
Let’s discuss the good things about a hyper-connected world. Its not all doom and gloom when it comes to technology. Today’s world is more connected more than ever before. We can reach anyone, anywhere at any time. Your relatives across the planet are just a click or tab away.
Before the internet the only way to connect to friends and family from very far away was to send mail (no, not email – that didn’t exist yet!)
Usually it will take weeks or even months to reach its destination plus you had to be an exceptionally good writer (I am a terrible writer so I could not write a proper mail to anyone anyway). Now, traditional mail has been almost completely replaced by email. You can send an email to anyone in the world instantly! This is great for businesses because it has saved them so much time and money and has made communication between departments and offices around the world so much easier.
One of the other advantages is that everything is convenient. Technology like digital wallets and virtual cards has allowed us to do things that previous generations can only dream of like paying bills online, working from home, ordering products and food online. This allows us to focus our time into doing productive things (I’m looking at you Programmer – too busy to get off your chair to get food so you just order it online). Yes, I am poking fun at the programmers because I wanted to become one myself. I started a Programming course recently so wish me luck!
I think the biggest plus of all is this - information. Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge! For the first time ever, we have the world’s entire knowledge at our finger tips.
The Internet is arguably one of the greatest inventions we have created. It as impactful as the steam engine, the industrial revolution and the creation of the wheel. All of these inventions forever changed humanity and the internet is no different. It allows any person that is connected to access an uncalculatable amount of knowledge and information.
Now, you do not need to invest thousands into a degree, you can learn everything you need online (with a few exceptions – Doctor, lawyer ect.). You can research any topic, ask people all around the world and join communities to learn. We truly live in a connected world where the possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
The Bad
Now let’s talk about the negatives. One of the biggest complaints that we hear today is that people are too addicted to their devices. They cannot let go and are constantly hooked on their feeds. Ex-Facebook CEO has stated that our addiction to technology and being constantly connected is ripping societies apart.
Attention spans have plummeted ever since Social Media became mainstream and young people today are have serious trouble paying attention in class. A study shows that if a I page loads a second slower than normal can result in 11% fewer page views, 16% decreased customer satisfaction and 7% lost conversions. Another valid argument is that due to easy access to information, people do not try to learn things – rather they just ask Google whenever a question pops up. This discourages learning and acquiring new skills as it has been shown in numerous studies. Being connected to everyone and everything has just made people complacent and lazy. Why should I try to learn if I can just ask Alexa to do it for me, but Alexa can’t think on your behalf buddy.
The Ugly
I was really hesitant if I should go this far, but in the name of informing people, I decided to go all in. Thanks to our hyper connected world, it has made it easier than ever for criminal organizations to operate. The Internet has a dark underbelly, known as the Deep Web where you can find anything your illegal heard desires. Stolen Credit Cards, illegal substances, black market dealings and even assassins for hire! From the limited information we know about the dark web, some analysts suggest that some sites make around 500,000$ a day! Sounds scary right? These services and products wouldn’t be so easily available if our world was not hyper connected. Google estimates that it has only indexed around 0.004% of all pages on the web. We have no idea what is hiding in the other 99.996%, we can only imagine (to be honest a part of me doesn’t want to know). Maybe we will never find out what is really lurking out there.
A bright future or a Matrix scenario?
Technology has its good sides and bad sides. Our connected world could help us achieve things that have been considered science fiction like Virtual Reality, Drones, Artificial Intelligence and many more. On the other side we might become slaves to technology and be eventually replaced (it is more real than you think). Only time will tell, but I can assure this – it is not going to be a boring process. We will see some amazing advancements in our lifetime like Clean Energy, finding cures to deceases, increasing quality and life expectancy and many, many more. l consider myself lucky that I am living in this age to see it. I hope you are too.
Submitted August 19, 2020 at 12:16AM by 21SquatSavage https://ift.tt/328PqNa via TikTokTikk
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