The Importance Of Technology Enhances The Human Experience

Technology Enhances the Human Experience

“There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase, to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy.” – Stephen Covey

What does it mean to be human? It seems like such a simple question to answer, yet I find myself at a loss for words. After hours pondering the question; the desire to live a fulfilling life resonates when answering the question. Steven Covey hit the nail on the head when he said, “to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy” when discussing human fulfillment. Humans are able to meet these needs through economic well-being, social experiences, cognition and intelligence, free-will and expression as a means

Through the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, people are able make connections that might otherwise not be possible. Social media and smart phones have been a godsend for me, previously I rarely found time to pen a letter or talk on a landline, I did a terrible job of maintaining friendships, technology has changed that for me improving my relationships and generating new ones. It would appear that I’m not alone, “half a billion people are now on Facebook suggests that people believe the benefits of connecting with others, sharing information, networking, self-promoting, flirting, and bragging” (Singer 464). Restak echo’s this when he said “laptop computers, cell phones, e-mail, and fax machines keep us in constant touch with the world” (415). “Philosophers interested in friendship, romance, and intimacy more generally have, in recent times, endeavored to distinguish between the types of people we like and the specific people we feel connections with in our lives” (Christian 106) reiterating that relationships with others are important to us. Video chat applications are another example of technology that affords easier connectivity, especially for those people who are unable to leave their

Humans are inquisitive by nature and exhibit a strong desire to learn. My son has ADHD with a strong desire not to be medicated, as a result we sought alternative treatment options which led us the biofeedback, a technology based cognitive therapy that allowed him to learn to control his brain function in order to cope with his disability. It was a great alternative to pills and assisted him in coping with sensory overload discussed by Restak “our brain is being forced to manage increasing amounts of information within shorter and shorter time intervals” (416). Technology is also an anti-boredom tool, sparking creativity, Wasik used technology to communicate with people in order to elicit support of his successful flash mob experiment