Introduction
Do we ever ask ourselves how has digital obsession affected our society?
We wake up in the morning get our daily coffee and catch the next train which will drop us by our destination. After getting there we realize that we left our most prized possession at home; our cell phone/laptop/I pod or any other electronic device. This is why the whole day becomes a “bad day” simply because this one item is missing from our life. But have we ever given any time to think about how these digital/electronic devices affect us and the way we live. They are creating us into robots; we rely on technology more than we rely on our family. Has this world gone mad? These materials have made us into completely different creatures; they have impacted our society in a negative manner. Technology is used without any limits, it harms our mental and physical health and it leaves us in a state of disembodiment. The permeation of digital devices has massively affected the way we live in a negative way.
Limitless access to technology
In our society, technology is used without any limits which affects us negatively. M.T. Anderson wrote a book based on the digital/electronic craze and how it has affected our society. The book is titled Feed. We are all living this life that is controlled by technology; we cannot live without our electronic equipment. Majority of the characters in Feed have a “feed” hooked up to their brain. This is the most important part of their body; when something goes wrong with their “feed” then they are in danger.
One character named Violet gets to be the victim of this problem. She has a hacker that keeps messing with her “feed”. This malfunctions with everything in her body, and causes her relationship with her boyfriend to end. When Violet is completely malfunctioned her ex-boyfriend gives her a visit. He feels bad because the reason they broke up was because of Violet’s “feed”: “And for the first time, I started crying. I cried, sitting by her bed, and I told her the story of us. “It’s about the feed.” I said (Anderson 297). Since Violet had a hacker hack into her “feed” her life was ruined. She had nothing left; she had someone else controlling her life, her boyfriend couldn’t help her so he broke up with her; there was no other option. Everything was up to the hacker because he had all the control over Violet. This is exactly how we are living in this world; we are controlled by the digital devices that surround us. Without them we cannot seem to live; we seem to massively depend on these devices and cannot leave them behind. This is because we are used to them and rely on them too much.
Even if we try to detach ourselves from the usage of such materials we are forced to use them by our society. Without the use of technology, it seems like our futures will be in jeopardy. This is true, because of this whole craze with digital/electronic media; everything seems to rely on technology.
Computers are the most common things out there. Everyone has to own a computer; in fact if you do not own a computer then you would be considered an outcast. Suddenly, applications are being filled out online, homework is being typed and students are goggling certain things for their research papers. For example many students that are applying to colleges fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). When filling out this form students are given the choice of filling it out online or doing it by hand: “You have two choices when you fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid: online with FAFSA on the Web, or the old-fashioned way— on paper. FAFSA recommends that you save a tree and fill out the FAFSA online” (University Language). FAFSA recommends that their students fill out the application online; later on they state that applying online has the benefits of access to help, automatically checking errors, faster student aid report, more spaces to fit in college choices and much more. They make it seem as if filling out the application by hand is an “old fashion” way of doing so. If a student were to fill out a FAFSA application they will be encouraged to do it online using their computer.
This is never ending; even if we try to keep our distance from these devices our society doesn’t let us do so. We spend more time using technology rather than getting a full night of sleep. M.T. Anderson has predicted our future and so far it seems like he is right with how the way things will end up later. Technology is taking over our generation and molding us into different creatures. Not only do we use digital devices without limits which cause negative impact, they can cause much harm to our health, both mentally and physically.
Harm to health caused by technology
Technology can cause one much harm without them knowing about it. Digital/electronic media usage has really boosted up within a decade. When thinking about it, our society was very different a decade ago when being compared to the way it is right now. These devices are just bought without having any research done. We see an ad and if it catches our eye then it’s ours no matter what happens. After bought, these devices are showed off to others to make them know that we are “up to date” with this digital/electronic craze. This makes the people you showed it off to go out and purchase these devices; this chain keeps going on and on and on until the product gets “old” and a “new” one comes out. Nobody really knows how these devices have harmed us, mentally and physically. Spending some time doing research on these devices and how they harm us can really change ones decision when they are about to purchase their product.
Cell phone radiation is a big concern and there are many health concerns associated with it. “As of August 2005 there have been 2 billion cell phone users worldwide” (Wikipedia), yet they seem to ignore this fact. This concern has raised the number of researches being done about the possibility of having health problems connected with cell phone usage. Some researches show that there are no risk factors present, but other researches show that they are the cause of some health problems. One research claims when using a cell phone, radio waves are absorbed by the human head. These lead to harmful effects with memory, sleep, the brain, and many more parts of the body. After reading such an article one may be very surprised because none of these risks are shown in ads or as warnings in packages when purchased. If cell phone usage stays the same way it is right now, in a couple of decades many users will have to suffer with affects on their health caused by cell phone usage. Looking at the way things are now, the usage of cell phones seem to be expanding more then ever.
Another big health concern regards the usage of video games and how they affect gamers. There are many video gamers out there that are completely addicted to their favorite games. They want to reach the hardest level of the game and tell everyone else how they are the best at this certain game. What they don’t realize is how all this gaming has been affecting them in a negative way. One study finds that male video gamers are affected physically while females are affected mentally: “Female video-game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female nonplayers. Male video-game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male nonplayers” (Science Daily). Obesity is very common for video gamers, they become lazy and get used to sitting around and playing their favorite game for hours. It is not very common to hear that video games can cause depression. There are many reasons for why these females playing video games are depressed. For example female characters in games may seem to be “attractive” and females playing the game may want to look more like them. Another example is all the violence and nudity in games, these may not be appropriate for all players yet they do not care. These graphics may not be suitable for a player that has had bad experiences in the past associated with violence or nudity. All these digital devices affect the society in a negative way, from the “outside” they may look very appealing, but digging deeper we find that they are not very good for us. Another negative affect associated with technology is digital devices cause us to be in a state of disembodiment.
Technology causes disembodiment
When using digital/electronic devices, we are in a state of disembodiment. Wall-E is an animated movie which is about a robot named Wall-E that is abandoned in our world full of trash and litter. This movie attracts many young viewers because it looks “cute” and kid friendly, but there is much more behind it. When looking at every aspect of this movie, it shows the viewer how our world will look like in the near future if things stay the same way as they are right now. Our planet will be a useless pile of dump, and every living human will be aboard a spaceship containing all the latest technology. We will all be obese and sit in a power chair that will take us every where automatically. We will have no sense of where we stand; instead we will be chatting away with others on the screens provided in front of us.
At one point of the movie, Wall-E disturbs a lady named Mary who is chatting to a monitor while sitting on her power chair. At first she doesn’t seem to nudge at all; she is too busy talking to her screen. Some how Wall-E makes the screen in front of her disappear. This is when the lady realizes that he is trying to talk to her. Which leads her into realizing where she is at and all the amenities that surround her. “I didn’t know we had a pool” Mary states (Imdb). Even though this scene is ten seconds long, it really shows how disembodied she is; she has no sense of where she is. The digital/electronic materials surrounding her are enough to keep her alive. This connects to how we are living in our world today. We are always watching television, texting away on our cell phones and type away on our computers. We are always in a state of disembodiment and never realize it.
Another example from this movie is when Wall-E enters the space ship and seems to be amazed when he sees all the digital and electronic media surrounding him. He is very confused at first, but later on it excites him. Since he doesn’t have a power chair like all the others do, he is on his own feet. Wall-E is very different compared to the others since everyone there is being transported by their power chairs, and they are used to it. While he is walking around he bumps into a guy that is being transported on his power chair. He falls off the chair and cant get up; when Wall-E helps him he states his name and the man is very confused and does not know how to respond. He has a very confused face on and mutters his name: “Uh hmmm, my name is John” (Wall-E). This is exactly what happens day to day in our society. We will be walking by and when we bump into someone that is typing away on their black berry or “crackberry” as they call it nowadays, they are very confused and do not know how to respond. They are completely in a state of disembodiment. They do not know what’s going on around them. They just know what is going on in the screen in front of them.
We ignore each other because we are too busy with these devices which we depend on way too much. We have no control over ourselves: we are controlled by the technology we are handling at the time. This is affecting us negatively since we are becoming too dependent on them and we cannot detach ourselves from these materials. We cannot sense our surroundings, yet we seem to only look at what is in front of us. Our minds are lingering somewhere else while we appear to be here by others. This is caused by our limitless access to digital/electronic devices.
Connections
The forms of technology developed a lot throughout the years of its inventions. One piece of technology that is commonly used around the world is the computer. Computers can be found in any part of the world. There were many types of computers that were invented in the 1900’s. “The first IBM PC came out in the 1953” (Computer Hope). After the inventions of the computer, it started to spread all around the world for many uses, usually for business and research. This situation will likely lead to the events that happen in Feed by M.T. Anderson. “Feeds” may not be implanted in the brains of future generations but many other things occur already, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear “feeds” being implanted in brains of future generations. The limitless usage of technology which causes us to act like different creatures. It will lead to many health problems for current users and many may permanently stay in a state of disembodiment since they will be used to the limitless amount of technology they are used to using for years.
Opposing view points
Everything Bad is Good for You is a text written by Steven Johnson. He talks about our generation and all the technology that surrounds us. He wants his readers to realize that all these devices are doing us good. In his writing he talks about what is said in the society and what he thinks about it. In one part of the text he states: “television and video games corrupt young children’s and teenager’s minds.” (Anderson, M.T.) He argues this statement by talking about how video games stimulate the gamers mind. He backs this opinion up by saying we make challenges for ourselves without knowing it. A gamer may be setting up a challenge to complete a game with certain difficulty or reach a certain level, but researches show many health concerns regarding video games. Even though we are making “challenges”, we are harming our selves at the same time as well. How will playing video games help us in the future? Will we require these skills for something important? Will a player that is great at playing video games related to basketball join the NBA? Video games will never help us; players just want to use an excuse so they can play these games. The fact is no excuses are true at all, and everyone knows this but no one wants to admit it.
As an assignment, students from Andy’s class went outside to the “real world” and asked victims of this digital craze questions about the digital/electronic craze. Walking around the city we see many different age groups; when asking the question: “If I were to say you look like a person who is captured in the digital world, would you be insulted or complimented? Why? When asking young individuals many were neutral or usually said that they would be insulted because it would be as if someone were saying that they were from an unreal world. When asking an aged woman the same question she stated: “I would be complimented because you think that I am younger than my actual age…I own a cell phone” (Random aged lady on corner of 22nd St Lexington Ave). What she does not know is that in her generation technology was not surrounded in every corner of the planet. This caused a small amount of people having limitless access to technology, less people had health concerns regarding technology, and there were less people in a state of disembodiment caused by technology. She should be happy that she lived in such an environment where everyone was not involved in technology; instead they were concerned about other things that actually mattered. We should all learn to survive without all this technology surrounding us which causes much negative impact. We should learn to behave more like our previous generations; they were able to survive without this digital/electronic craze, why can’t we do the same?
Significance
The permeation of digital devices has massively affected the way we live in a negative way. Why does this matter so much? Why is this important? That’s because we have no more control over ourselves. Instead we are relying on technology and even though it may seem like it is helping us out, instead it is controlling us. We live off of technology; society wants us to think that without it we would end up nowhere in the future. You ask for the evidence proving this point? Well the evidence is right here before your eyes. Where are you reading this paper? Online, how was this paper put in writing? By typing it on a computer. Technology has seeped within us and we are living off of it, what’s surprising is the fact that we do not even realize this. This topic matters because we are lost in a world surrounded by limitless use of technology which may lead us into health problems cause us to be in a state of disembodiment.
Conclusion
The permeation of digital devices has massively affected the way we live in a negative way. We rely on technology without any limits, technology causes us mental and physical harm, it also causes us to be in a state of disembodiment. We do not know who we are and what is going on with us, yet we never blame technology. When asking others how has digital obsession affected our society? What will their response be? Many say that it has been affecting us in a negative way. Others say that it has done us a lot of good. Then there are those that have no idea where they stand. All sides have good arguments, but what is the right answer to this question? The only way to find out is if we stick around long enough to see for our selves.
Works Cited
1) Anderson, M.T. Feed. 1st. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2002. 297. Print.
2) University Language , . "FAFSA Online vs. FAFSA on Paper." n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2009.
3) Wikipedia, . "Mobile phone radiation and health." (2009): n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2009.
4) Science Daily, . "Links Between Video-game Playing And Health Risks In Adults Found." n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2009.
5) Imdb, . "Memorable quotes for Wall-E." n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2009.
6) Wall-E directed by Andrew Stanton
7) Computer Hope, . "When was the first computer invented?." n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2009.
8) Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad Is Good for You . Print.
9) Lady at corner of 22nd on Lexington Ave
No comments:
Post a Comment