Technology, Is It Good or Bad?
I get asked this question a lot, especially from people a generation before me. My generation(Baby Boomers) struggle with being comfortable and literate with our electronic devices. We see the relevance of importance and learn accordingly, usually from our kids.
Some of my highly respected family members are adamantly opposed to electronic devices. They think that people won’t talk to each other any more and that our culture will fall apart. My argument to that thinking is, “What happened when owning a television was the rage?” Back in the 60’s most families made the transition of telling stories or playing cards after dinner to watching television. I happily remember going to my grandmas house on Sunday nights to enjoy watching Bonanza followed by Walt Disney after the family dinner. Those were good times.
As we gathered for Bonanza we had our dessert ready to enjoy during the show. You could say that technology brought us together at the end of the day. Let’s fast forward to current time. Our kids and grandkids are on the smart phone a lot for the reason of connecting to people. Do they still talk in person? Of course. Should there be smartphone etiquette such as when to be on the phone and how long? Absolutely. Some friends of mine with teenage kids have a basket at the front door for smartphones.
I know some very smart people who have built empires shun technology, but watch television a good portion of the day. Perhaps learning new tech is too overwhelming for the older generation. It’s easier to shun the new technology than it is to learn it.
There are pros and cons with any substance. As human beings, some of us lack the control to regulate our indulgences. I’m in favor of controlling my smart devices. I stick to checking my email twice per day and don’t have social media hits activated with various sounds.
Here are some of the pro’s of new technology:
*Friends help each other learn how to use the devices (interaction)
*You can now connect with people several continents away.
*Save time and gas by ordering online.
*Be more informed about the world.
Here are some of the con’s of new technology:
*Overuse can lead to alienation and depression
*Mentally imbalanced people can cause great harm to people’s accounts
*Is can be difficult to learn and keep up with the latest knowledge
You can probably think of more pro’s and con’s with the latest technology. This is a fast growing, ever changing industry. Our brains are always developing new things, it’s part of our evolutionary tale. We can’t go backward or stop growing.
We’re experiencing the tip of the iceberg with technology. My suggestion is to stay current by taking online courses. It is exciting to find out about any subject by Googling it or going to Youtube. People are extremely social creatures. It’s no wonder social media is so popular. Technology is a substance that you should control. Don’t let it control you.