Technology, Helping or Hurting Us?

   At the Worlds Fair in New York, 1964 people were shown a ride called Futurama. It’s seemed to promise a perfect future, in which technology would solve the majority of our problems. It displayed people living on the moon, driving their cars under the water, and using machines to cut down trees in jungles to build road's. The message of the ride was pretty clear, technology will save us. 

    Then I watched the second video, the one containing the song Mad World. Which was the complete opposite. Thousands of tired, soulless, and numb people glued looking down at their phones. It started to make me think, if technology is supposed to make our lives better, why do so many people have a negative opinion about it? Which really stuck with me. 

     Honestly, I use technology every day. Whether its for school, communication, entertainment and among so many other things. The other half of this, is that I find myself stressed, distracted from my work, or even overwhelmed. Sometimes I find myself picking up my phone and checking the clock for no reason. I’ve definitely stayed up way too late on my phone or computer and felt anxious because im scrolling on social media too long. I’ll go to check a text and ill end up on TikTok for at least an hour, making precious time disappear. So is the relationship I have with technology healthy? I’d say its definitely a mix. It feels like it depends on the day, it’s helpful in so many ways, but im also aware of letting it take up too much of my time and even energy. I need to be more intentional whenever I’m using it, not just filling empty time slots when I’m bored.

    Watching these videos also made me think about our online privacy. Since I was a kid I’ve always thought it was interesting how much comes up when you google family members and friends. Pictures, awards, old posts from my moms facebook… things I never realized were still out floating on the internet. My family, friends, and I have all shared a lot online, and of course I’ve thought about what I’ve posted. I just never thought about who would be able to see it and when. 

 

    

    Reading articles like the one from The Atlantic about facebook users still not knowing how facebook works. Made me think about how much personal information I’ve given out online, without much thought. I also know my mom has, since I was a baby. It’s a little scary how simple losing control of your data can be. A study within the article shows that 74% of Facebooks users didn’t know they are actively compiling list of their interests which is based on who they’re friends with, their behaviors, and interactions. It’s mainly used to create targeted ads, and a lot of people are completely unaware of it. 

    My opinion on technology remains a mix, I still don’t believe its all bad. It’s truly amazing what the positive aspects of it can do. Like any relationship in our lives, we must set limits and make good decisions to keep it healthy. Meaning we should take breaks and think about what we’re posting.