Are Computers Making People Dependent On Technology?

Are Computers Making People Dependent On Technology? Technology comes in many forms and no aspect of our lives is untouched by some form of technology or another. Technology is defined as the practical application of science to commerce or industry. Technological development into present day has been meteoric to say the least. With the advancements of nearly every aspect of human life having some tie with technology, one might start to see a synergistic relationship between humans and technology. However, while some would believe this relationship has been beneficial for us, we believe there have been detrimental effects from our growing dependence on technology. Technology is changing our culture in such a way that we may be expected to be available and online at anytime of the day or night. The technologies that started out to provide assistance in completing our daily tasks have now become a vital part of survival. This paper argues that humans have formed a detrimental symbiotic relationship with technology in its many forms. This paper will investigate the changes that technology has affected, and show that we are becoming less dependent on ourselves and more detrimentally dependent on our technological accomplishments. The way society does business and commerce is very dependent on the reliability on technology and thus, technology failures will cause markets to stop and bring the whole economy to a halt. Vital banking transactions and services may stop and cause wastage in human resources and time. For example, even though the exact reason is still disputed, London Stock Exchange (LSE) had to stop trading on the 8th September 2008. The two main reasons were due to the network software issues that link data from many programs as explained by LSE while the other was due to buggy software upgrade as speculated by external professionals. This had left traders unable to conduct any business which intriguingly could have been one of the best days for markets around the world after a bail out of two large United States mortgage lenders. Reliability of technology cannot be guaranteed at all times. Technology crashes can also cause big companies to lose billions of dollars. An example event known as the Flash Crash (Nanex) on 6th May 2010 illustrates this point. Just hours before the market closed, the market plunged drastically by an average of 5.7% causing major markets around the world to go into a state of panic anticipating an imminent European financial crisis and caused great loses to companies. An investigation was done by Nanex (Nanex) stating that the crash may be due to a software design flaw in time-stamping procedures that accumulated to become a problem. Backlogged requests caused a long queue in the computer server and produced non consistent results to the requester. This further evidenced that such a dependency on technology is detrimental to the society as sudden reliability issues can create chaos all around the world or even cripple an economy. Research shows that people consume 12 hours of media a day, on average, and compared to just five hours in 1960. Rising income in the developed world has led to an increase number of peoples ability to afford personal computers, and connecting them to the World Wide Web (WWW). Rising incidences of internet addiction in one of the worlds largest growing economies, China, illustrates our point. Of the greater than 300 million internet users in China, there are over 40 million who play online games (Sheridan). That makes over 40 million young, impressionable youngsters in China online daily, playing games, mingling in chat rooms, replacing their reality with an online substitute. Communication and socializing becomes something which can be replaced by actions online. One can imagine how suggestible adolescents can find a life online to be appealing. Common adolescent angst from the real world can be replaced by a life online. Addiction is a term describing a physical or physiological de pendence on something habit forming. One may argue that this addiction, to computers in this case, may simply be a phase. However, it can be seen as a serious condition when one considers the fact that centres for dealing with this type of addiction are springing up, some of which are a sub-facility under centres that treat addictions which have long been accepted as severe, such as drugs and alcohol. If the treatment for this is similar to other addictions which are widely accepted as bad, why is this phenomenon not receiving as much attention? Multitasking is a skill often prized in todays fast paced society. However, studies have shown that our brain on computers operate differently from a natural brain. The attention of the present generation is often split between multiple information sources, and it seems vital to be able to be able to manage them all, be they instant messaging (IM), checking e-mails, reading the news, taking phone calls, and so forth. However, some scientists say that these short bursts of information, leading our attentions in many directions, are changing the way we think and operate. Research shows that people who are heavy multitaskers have problems focusing and selecting relevant information. Researchers claim that after prolonged exposure to this kind of operation, the brain is re-wired and the problems associated with multitasking, such as lack of focus are then carried into the natural state of the brain. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Ophira, Nass , and Wagner), a group of over 250 students were surveyed to study the effects of multitasking. The results clearly illustrated our point; that the lightest multitaskers were able to perform better than the heavy multitaskers in simple psychological tests. The tests highlighted the fact that multitaskers were less able to filter out unrelated information. Furthermore, other tests conducted showed that the heavy multitaskers continuously sought new information, instead of using older, more valuable information. Our reliance on technology has dramatically improved communication, making it more robust, efficient and informative. In the current times, the ease of communication has allowed vast amount of data and information to be transmitted all over world instantly. For example, soldiers fighting the war in the Middle East are able to call using Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol and webcam technology to communicate with family members. This has allowed families to be assured that their loved ones are safe especially when news of casualty can be broadcasted within minutes, 24 hours a day. However, with the current efficiency of instant messaging and social networking, more and more people are becoming overly dependent up to the point of addiction. Issues have been raised over employees spending up to 40 minutes per week on social networking sites during working hours, costing employers an estimated US$2.25 billion. The loss in productivity arises not only from the direct loss in the hours working but also from the reduced productivity of employees from social networking sites becoming an additional distraction. On the other hand, social networking sites are also becoming excellent resources for human resource manager as it offers revealing information of potential and current employees social activity. Furthermore, it has been linked to another issue of society becoming dependent on social networking and posting potentially sensitive personal information such as where one is at or what one is doing. The dependence on technology for communication in the society has also meant that humans are increasingly communicating through a device; which reduced human to human first hand interaction. The decrease of interpersonal interaction in turn reduces ones interpersonal skill which is one of the most basic and fundamental way of communication (Wheeler). Interpersonal communication cannot replace communication through emails, text messages and calls as 55% of the communication is conveyed through body language. Eye contact, gestures and facial expressions and the use of tone and inflections in voice communication are often lost through modern communication technology resulting in less expressive communication or miscommunication. In conclusion, we believe that we have presented facts which support our argument that we have grown detrimentally dependent on technology. We have explored the many facets of technological development which are firmly embedded in most aspects of modern life, and we have strived to analyze how the effects of these developments are detrimental on society. We maintain that the ramifications of our reliance on new medicine, social media, and technology in education, commerce and communication are a disservice to society. While we think that these bindings are detrimental, we do not support a complete disconnection from them. We conclude with the fact that while there are indeed benefits to be had from these advancements, but we, as a society should learn to harness the useful ones, instead of allowing them all to run our lives.

Emersons Transcedentalist Beliefs Essay -- essays research papers fc

Every so often throughout history, great doers and thinkers come along that break the mold and set new standards. People like Caesar, Shakespeare, Napoleon and Jesus have been studied and immortalized in volumes of texts. Then there are others who are not as well known. People like Ralph Waldo Emerson. From his life, writings, associates, beliefs and philosophy, this Concord, Massachusetts man has set his place as a hero in American literature and philosophy (Bloom 13).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first, most important thing to mention about Ralph Waldo Emerson is that he was not a Transcendentalist philosopher (Bloom 1). Ralph Emerson was a poet, critic, essayist, and a believer of morals (Bloom 2). Many people look at what he wrote in his books and essays, and they took his ideas from his speeches and turned them into a way of life. His ideas and beliefs earned him the role as the chief spokesman for American Transcendentalism (Siepmann 300).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emerson was a graduate from Harvard University. After his graduation, he became a minister. It was while he was a preacher that he began to think new ideas about life. The breakthrough for his new way of thinking came when he resigned from pasturing at the Second Church of Boston because e could not administer the Lord’s Supper (Hart 256).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sources of Emerson’s writings were from the early colonists, and he acknowledged them in his writings (Bloom 34). His writings were secular, and the readers of the era were sometimes scared by the lack of religious references and biblical texts in his writings. His writings were considered daring for his time, but they were moral (Unger 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tone of his work was focused on self-reliance and the problem of how to live. His writings provoked people to ask how instead of what and not we but I (Unger 1). Emerson’s essays spoke to people of the 19th century that were ready for individuality and a new optimism that liked God, nature, and man (Masterpieces 258).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His essays tell the importance of a man that goes on through life like he represents not only himself, but also every other person he sees and meets (Masterpieces 258). He used his writings to challenge traditional thought (Siepmann 300).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most consider his writings to... ...atest thinkers in American history (Masterpieces 258).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Bloom, Harold. Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Hart, James D. The Oxford Companion to American Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965, pp 255-257.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Masterpieces of World Literature. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989, p 250. Meyerson, Joel. A Historical Guide To Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000 Siepmann, Katherine Baker. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1987, pp 300-301. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of Utopian Literature. Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO, 1995, p 515. Spiller, Robert E., et. al. Literary History of the United States. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1962, pp 351-387.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unger, Leonard. American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974, pp 1-24.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wood, James Playsted. Trust Thyself: A Life of Ralph Waldo Emerson for the Young Reader. New York: Pantheon Books, 1964.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Inequalities in Titanic Essay

Titanic was a British passenger liner separated by a class system that would end up colliding with an iceberg resulting in it to sink. There were limited lifeboats that’s seating would be greatly outnumbered by the passengers. If one was to survive the sinking of Titanic they were likely a woman, child, or upper class male. In the film there were two main sociological concepts that were overwhelming when compared to the rest, gender roles and class inequality. Gender roles are continually reinforced in Titanic. Women would work towards impressing men because there was no other way women could take care of themselves without a man. Rose’s mother pressures Rose to marry rich because their family is out of money and insists because they’re women they don’t have choices, and within the film this appears to be true. Women would sacrifice their comfort for beauty in order to impress the men. Men would discuss business and politics amongst themselves because it was believed women weren’t capable of understanding such issues. Rose’s fiancà © commands her on how to behave similar to an animal, when she speaks up for herself her fiancà © becomes aggressive until Rose becomes submissive and complies with his orders. Rose’s fiancà © doesn’t see his treatment towards Rose as inappropriate because he grew up with social privilege and was treated like a hero because of the set power structure, this is s imilar to the treatment of athletes and their violence acts towards women (Preventing Violence Against Women & Girls: Steubenville & Sport, Mayeda, 2013). The athletes grew up receiving social privilege without it being earned and their negative actions were overlooked because of their athletic performance. If you were to ask â€Å"If her fiancà © had been spending time with another woman would rose have yelled at him and flipped a table?† the answer would likely be no, because the female gender isn’t to be viewed as masculine and aggressive. Class separated the passengers aboard Titanic and would dictate the treatment of individuals. The class system in the film and can be directly  referenced to the class system in â€Å"From Gap to Gucci† (From Gap to Gucci, Witt, 2007), when Rose’s fiancà © identifies Jack dressed as a rich man, he says â€Å"Amazing, you could almost for a gentleman†, indicating Jack cannot and will not be considered gentleman without money. Aboard Titanic the rich were displayed as sophisticated and intelligent, while the poor were displayed as a dirty group who drinks beer, gets overly obnoxious during gatherings, and have a lack of intelligence. Upon boarding the ship lower class went through health inspections, while the higher class had their bags carried and would board the ship immediately without being inspected because of their socioeconomic status. While Titanic was sinking it became Jack and Rose’s fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s mission to save Rose, but if the genders were to switch between those three it would be likely that Rose would be the hero and at would be Rose’s duty to save the other two. This reinforces gender roles and the idea of heroism attributed to men. After Titanic sunk Molly, who was labeled as â€Å"New Money† proposed the lifeboat go back for the disadvantaged because of the extra room available, her proposal was immediately dismissed and she was threatened by the captain of the lifeboat if she continued to rebel, this depicted the women in the film as weak. This compliance to the captain immediately reflects Milgram’s study on obedience. Molly is similar to the participants electrocuting the stranger and the captain is like the doctor in the lab coat, and because the captain is in charge nobody considers questioning his authority (If Hitler asked you to electrocute a stranger, would you? Probably, Meyer, 1970). Jack was accused of theft, and because he’s not advantaged like the upper class it was easier for him to be punished, despite him being set up by Rose’s fiancà ©. Jacks lower class standing made his word invalid when put against someone of a higher class, which was similar to the Roughnecks, whose word generally meant nothing to the police because of their social class and viewing within society (The Saints and the Roughnecks, Chambliss, 1973). The poor were locked into their living quarters while the upper class was being loaded onto the lifeboats. It was apparent that the comfort of the upper class was more important than the lives of anyone beneath their  socioeconomic status. Throughout the film there are multiple patterns, men are heroic and to be pleased by women, women are helpless and can’t attain a comfortable lifestyle without a rich man, and the treatment of an individual will be entirely based on their standing within the social class system. The white men are in power because of socially constructed gender roles that were created by white men. Rose’s fiancà © says â€Å"I make my own luck† and doesn’t realize this â€Å"luck† he makes isn’t really made, but rather a system of advantages and disadvantages put in place by rich white males which perpetuates both gender and class inequality. Works Cited: Mayeda, David. â€Å"Preventing Violence Against Women & Girls: Steubenville & Sport.† Sociology In Focus. Sociology In Focus, 03 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. Witt, Jon. â€Å"From Gap to Gucci.† The Big Picture: A Sociology Primer. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. N. pag. Print. Meyer, Philip. â€Å"If Hitler Asked You To Electrocute A Stranger, Would You? Probably.† The Practical Skeptic: Readings In Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. 63-70. Print. Chambliss, William J. â€Å"The Saints And The Roughnecks.† The Practical Skeptic: Readings In Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. 265-276. Print. Titanic. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1997. DVD

Multimedia Capstone Free Essay Example, 1500 words

2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Changing Minds Gardner talks of an ‘Integrated viable identity. ’ How can the work of a site such as ours impact and attempt to create change in a way that supports the development and enhancement of any existing ‘integrated viable identity’ in any of our readers? (Hint – this is hard to find yet findable – look at references provided in the back of the book to help you find it if needed). As Gardner is interested in creating a science of mind change, he is concerned with the subject both before and after the adoption of the new view. When he discusses the â€Å"integrated viable identity, † it is in reference to the individual after they have converted from a fundamentalist view to the view of the reformer or innovator who is seeking change. The individual who has been changed must have an integrated viable identity for the conversion or reform to be considered a sustainable solution in the society or grou p. If the new idea is not integrated into the individual, it fails to take hold in the mind and thus will not be fully recognized, understood, or used as intended by the person. We will write a custom essay sample on Multimedia Capstone or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now If it is not viable, as in the idea is not consistent with the life experience of the individual or needs of the group in action, then the new idea will also not be maintained. Finally, the focus on identity means that the person who’s mind has changed from a fundamentalist view must make the new idea his or her own, and identify with it, or the conversion attempt will fail a third time to be sustainable. Creating sustainable, integrated solutions to problems caused by wrong ideas leads Gardner to develop a vision of success that is the â€Å"integrated viable identity† of the individual after mind change. 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Changing Minds Gardner speaks of ‘Representational Redescription. ’   Explain what this is, and whether we have it in our site. If we do, describe where it is and how it works in the site.   Also, explain how you might effectively use it in the future. â€Å"Representational Redescripti on† as intended by Gardner is a process where the reformer or activist must change the dominant way that an individual or group views a topic, by reversing the traditional associations that relate to a concept, symbol, or process in popular mental conception. An example of this might be Nicholas Taleb’s concept of the â€Å"Black Swan. † In traditional Greek philosophy, swans were viewed as a synonym for whiteness, the Greeks never considered or entertained the notion that swans could be black, it was against their fundamental concept of what a swan was, namely a white bird.