The Impact of Technology
Technology, mainly computers and video games, have made a vast difference in our society. Many years ago there were not very many forms of technology that existed. People often used type writers, went, dancing, did puzzle, and played board games for entertainment. Nowadays, the use of computers has become extremely popular. If an individual is not using a computer for some form on entertainment, they are most likely using it for something along the lines of school or work.
Technology has gone from being a convenient tool to being a bad impact on society.Not only is it insulting the intelligence of many young adults, but it is also taking away from one’s social behavior. Some people, however, disagree and think technology has made a positive impact and helps our society. Although many believe technology enhances knowledge, it essentially has a negative impact on society because it causes diminution in social behavior. In most ways, technology is destructive. It can sometimes cause obsession or even come in the way of everyday life. In Frankenstein, Victor became obsessed with using technology to create a monster.
“For this I had deprived myself of rest and health.I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelly 67). This quote is evidence that Victor was more concerned with creating the monster than his own health. After being obsessed with this creation for quite some time, he began to shun the outside world. He discontinued communication with his family, stopped going outside, and spent all of his time working on the monster. New technologies such as laptops, video game, and portable computer devices have continued to come out over the last 20 years.These devices include game boys, PSPs, MP3 players, Ipods, etc.
As these forms of entertainment continue to become more popular, more and more kids buy them. They become a little too involved and tend to become more addicted as time goes on. In a recent online article, Tyrone M. Reyes shares that in his research; he found that elementary school kids play video games between 9 and 11 hours a week. He also shares that reports of have been surfacing more and more since 1980. Reyes said, “Video game play has been implicated as the cause of other physical and emotional health complaints.Habitual players have developed “PlayStation thumb” and “Nintendonitis” — repetitive strain injuries in their arms and hands from manipulating controllers.
Other documented hazards of excessive play include fatigue and headaches. ” This article shows that kids are becoming addicted to these video games. It is indicated that these video games are hazardous and are causing a negative impact on the children in our society. Computers are restricting people every day. When computers first came out, they were not used for much other than games and the internet every now and then. Today, however, they are used for much more.Not only are they used for games, but now there are jobs and even classes available online.
There are people who work from their homes and hardly ever leave because of it. Online classes are also causing individuals to stay cooped up in their homes. They say inside all day rather than getting out and attending going to school. This is disabling kids to physically learn the proper school material. In an article, Abhishek Agarwal says, “A problem that you may be faced with during the course of your degree is the level of discipline that is required in order to complete all of the assignments and tasks that are a part of the course. Agarwal tells of many problems that interfere with online classes and jobs. His biggest concern though, is that online courses do not discipline well enough for proper learning.
This goes back to the fact that online jobs and classes are taking away from the physical abilities of individuals in our society. Although there are many negative outcomes of forms of technology such as computers, there are a lot of people who will argue against this. For example, some will say that technology is very convenient and enhances knowledge.In his article, Steven Lohr says, “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. ” Although this may be true for some individuals, there are a majority of others who will argue that this statement is wrong. He also states, “The real promise of online education, experts say, is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms. That enables more “learning by doing,” which many students find more engaging and useful.
This article is leaning more towards the idea that online education is a better choice than classroom education. This idea could go both ways. It mostly depends on the preferred learning style of the student. If the student learns better by reading the required learning material, then he or she would probably agree that online courses are easier for them. However, if the student is a more visual learner, then he or she may learn better by being in a classroom and being physically taught. They may also agree that taking online courses make knowledge valueless.There are also many individuals out there who will argue that video games have positive effects on children in our society today.
In an online article, James Robers shares that, “The online video games that children play require abstract thinking skills in order to succeed at the games. Some of the most positive effects that video games have on children are development of essential skills including resource management, multitasking, and on-the-spot thinking. They require a child to develop and use hand-eye coordination, spatial sense, and math skills.The quests and battles in the online videos games also have positive effects on children. Many of these require the ability to control the movements of a character. To do this, children have to have good coordination and be able to make quick decisions. Development of memory skills and logistics are also some of the positive effects that video games have on children while completing quests and task.
In addition to logic benefits, children also benefit from the positive effects of video games through development of better math and reading skills, and encouragement to persevere towards achieving a goal. This is a good argument and could convince many parents to continue to let their children interact with video games. However, in an article mentioned above, Tyrone M. Reyes shares that 72% of Americans feel that there should be a law against children playing video games. These statistics make it easy to see that there are more individuals against this form of entertainment than for it. This issue goes back and forth for many people. It has been a split issue for many years and will probably continue to remain that way.
There are a vast amount of people who believe that computers, internet, and video games make a positive difference in today’s culture. Despite of those who believe this theory, there are numerous sources that oppose this. These methods of technology slowly deteriorate the minds of the individuals in our society. If it is not causing physical and emotional stress, fatigue, and headaches then it is most likely making the significance of knowledge meaningless. Whether kids or adults continue to use these sources will set the standards for the way we look at them in the future.Hopefully it will one day come to the conclusion that online classes are taken less and classroom teaching occurs more. As well as the use of video games decreasing for the sake and wellbeing of the individuals in our society.
Works CitedAgarwal, Abhishek. “Overcoming The Negative Aspects of an Online Education-Get an Advantage. ” 06 Nov. 2008: 11 Oct 2010. http://ezinearticles. com/? Overcoming-The-Negative-Aspects-Of-An-Online-Education—Get-An-Advantage&id=1662389Lohr, Steve.
“Bits. ” Study Finds That Oline Education Beats The Classroom 19 Aug. 2009: 11 Oct 2010. http://bits.
blogs. nytimes. com/2009/08/19/study-finds-that-online-education-beats-the-classroom/.Reyes, Tyrone M. “Watch out for the health hazard of video games. ” Apple a Day 13 April 2010: 11 Oct 2010. http://www. philstar. com/Article. aspx? articleid=565843.
