As technology is evolving, human interaction with technology is becoming more complex and interactive. Technology is often designed to make the human life easier and evolve the capacity and capability of human interaction with the world around them and one another. Technology has begun to act as the human mind does, as it has the ability to store and generate information. However, this cognizance is much beyond that of any organic awareness and knowledge, creating a fear of technological dominance replacing many aspects of humanity while furthering knowledge and consciousness (Biles). As these fears are common with practical uses of technology, social use of technology is often used without consideration of the dominating or monstrous qualities …show more content…
Jeremy Biles has theorized that “technophilia and technophobia” is the dual feeling society has of technology’s ability to further human conscious to omniscient connected networks, while it seems to lead to the “demise of the human species in its present form” (149). Biles is speaking of technology replacing humanity in a formal way, such as robots that mimic human form, the idea of the human conscious totally uploading itself into technological systems. Biles’s point can be transferred to the use of technologized social media networks in order to analyze a way in which humans currently upload themselves into technology, and the outcomes of this interaction. Instagram is a prime example of this; a synthetic version of oneself that is an intimate image of the human, fostered by the ability to be flawless and connected, enthralled with the attractive possibilities that technology …show more content…
In comparison to Facebook, another popular social networking site, Instagram requires one to post a picture or video in order to share on the network. The tangibility of an image rather than a written status offers different aspects to the site’s impact on its users compared to other social media sites such as Facebook. Also, Instagram allows people to follow another without the person having to follow them back, as opposed to people having to mutually friend one another like Facebook. This aspect of Instagram allows celebrity pages to gain mass amounts of followers. These, and other, aspects of Instagram allow the social media site to have different impacts and influences on the user and society (Lup, 248). The qualities that Instagram offers to its users are important to identify and discuss in order to qualify the impacts they have on
The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
The evolution of technology has had a great impact on our lives, both positive and negative. While it is great to be able to be able to travel faster and research anything with the smartphones that now contain almost every aspect of our daily lives, there are also many advances within the realm of technology. Nicholas Carr presents information on the dependency aircraft pilots have on automated technology used to control airplanes in the article “The Great Forgetting”. Likewise, in “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” written by Stephen Marche, the result of isolation and pseudo relationships created by social media is shown throughout the article. We live in such a fast paced society with so much information at our fingertips that we don’t make
Technology has played a vital role in human progression over the past century, with new advancements like computers, smart phones, and orbiting satellites paving the way for a world more connected than ever before. The ease of accessing knowledge via these devices ensures that individuals can have the world at their fingertips, as any and all questions they may have can be answered in only a matter of seconds. Such a free flow of information requires little mental aptitude to understand and access, and some observers of this relatively new phenomenon are starting to ponder if technology is actually hurting us rather than aiding us. One such
We live within an era of great technological achievement. As new devices and forms of communication are developed, our society evolves along side. Technological determinists argue that technology is bringing us into a dystopia. Social constructionists, however, argue that we are entering a utopia of communication; a world full of connections regardless of distance and self. In addition, there are those that argue we will remain within our syntopian world, one with a virtual equilibrium between man and machine. Despite the perception of the world we are moving into, there are evident symbiotic relationships that we have with our devices and their applications: both good and bad. For the purposes of this paper however, we will dissect how our relationships with our devices affects sociology. Specifically, we will be identifying and explaining a term that has become known as absent presence.
People all around agree that technology is changing how we think, but is it changing us for the better? Clive Thompson definitely thinks so and this book is his collection of why that is. As an avid fiction reader I wasn’t sure this book would captivate me, but the 352 pages seemingly flew past me. The book is a whirlwind of interesting ideas, captivating people, and fascinating thoughts on how technology is changing how we work and think.
"Use of Modern Technology, an Inevitable Addiction." Africa News Service 22 July 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
When talking about the future of technology, one can only imagine what it will be down the road. The future of technology evokes many questions about the preservation of human existence, human advancement and intelligence. Some writers even discuss their positions on the future of technology and human kind. Writers such as James J. Bell, who explains the theory of the ‘Singularity’. In summary, he states that the rate of technological advancement, compared to human intelligence, will one day reach the ‘singularity’ were it will surpass the human mind (pg. 52). We may never know if technology will ever have the power to surpass the human intellect or what the consequences will be if it does attain these capabilities. Will humans still maintain control over them, or will they control us? Theses eight articles illustrate the implicit and explicit control that technology holds over humans in the future.
Cellphones, television, and computers are just three of the most popular ways that we communicate in today. They have made a substantial impact on the United States simply by being readily available and easy to use. People are often discussing how technology has impacted us. Many believe that technology is actually hindering society rather than helping it. Then there are those who doubt technology has made our social interactions better. Certainly, this is true; without the advances in technology, our level of social interaction in education, businesses, and relationships would diminish.
Currently, social media plays a significant role in our everyday lives and the way people in society interacts with one another. A few years ago, before its influence reached the point where it is now, the large platforms such as Facebook or Twitter which function was merely to keep family and friends connected no matter where they were or what they were doing, and the requirements were an internet connection and a smart phone or a computer. People would share pictures or posts to keep others “updated” on their lives and what they were thinking. Now social media platforms are far more complicated. In various of them, such as Instagram or Snapchat, it is not enough to only share a picture or video of your day, but it is almost a requirement and people are pushed to take an extra mile further away and make yourself appear interesting in the eyes of others. The “feed” requires to be eye catching, the captions should be memorable, the places one goes to ought to look way better than they actually are, you have to include friends in such posts to prove one have a social life outside of the phone. The importance of the number of followers, likes or viewers
Technology allows culture to evolve by creating solutions to problems by removing constraints that exist. Every invention and concept is expanded on to create the utmost perfect solution. Although this process can take decades, or even centuries, to actually develop a proficient resolution, the end result is what advances society industrially. There are conflicting views, however, if these advances are beneficially or maliciously affecting society (Coget). There are three kinds of people in regards to the attitude toward technology: technophiles, technophobes, and those who aren't biased in either regard (Coget). Technophiles understand that the world adapts to the advances in technology and uses them to improve their lives (Tenner). Technophobes observe technology as damaging or are uncomfortable in using it (DeVany). It is undeniable that technology is ever-expanding, thus peaking curiosity to uncover what fuels the fear behind the technophobes. Our focus is concentrated on the technophiles and the technophobes . I will begin with the latter as they contribute greatly to the ov...
“Social media, a web-based and mobile technology, has turned communication into a social dialogue, and dominates the younger generation and their culture. As of 2010, Generation Y now outnumbers Baby Boomers, and 96% of Gen Y has joined a social network” (Qualman 1). Social media now accounts for the number one use of the Internet, and this percentage is rising bigger every day (Qualman). As a consequence, people are becoming more reliant on social media, which has a led to a number of advantageous as well as unfavorable effects. The world is more connected today than it has ever been in the past, and this is all because of growth in technology. What has yet to be determined though
Technology has been and will continue to be an essential part of human life. Information technology is a revolution that has taken the whole world captive. Everyone around the globe is trying either to conform or catch up with the ever changing and improving technologies without having a second thought of its impact on their lives. The internet is the ground-breaking invention of the twenty first century, leading to the mushrooming of the social media and other communication platforms. The best invention that has captured my interest is the instagram. Its effect and how it has positively impacted on the lives of people, especially the youth cannot be underestimated. Instagram is improving the quality life. It has unlocked our creativity, enhanced connection and led to faster access to information. Comparing the past with the present, we can argue that information technology has done more good than harm and even as we progress into the future, we ought to adopt better technology because what we currently have may not be good enough.
Several decades ago, communications philosopher Marshall McLuhan spoke about the development of the Global Village and how the evolution of new technologies would help connect people on opposite sides of the world, creating online communities that would break boundaries and borders. While this change has been recognized, so too has the idea explored by his successors in which while individuals were expected to look at others in the world through a telescope, they have alternatively developed the tendency to look at themselves through a microscope. As the era of worldwide connectivity began, so did the era of ‘me, me, me’. Both the hardware and the software of the new millennium, inclusive of the iPhone’s forward-facing camera, and apps that allow one to fix blemishes and whiten teeth, have adapted to allow this change to an inward focus. While this has certainly caught on, it has also begun to cause a lot of problems. The act of posting about the self began to be seen as a negatively self-centered one when Facebook NewsFeeds were filled with egotistic stories and ‘Selfies,’ photos of the self. Shortly after, the application Instagram was created, where the occurrence of the Selfie was magnified to a greater degree. This intensive focus inward, and the way these pieces of media are shared, have made some individuals reliant on the positive expressions of others for self-confidence and social approval. When self-esteem is intertwined with how many ‘likes’ a photo gets on a mobile application, we start to see a shift in how self-awareness is formed, what people will do for this approval, and how some will react to a lack of attention.
In the 21st century, we live in the era of technology-driven world. Humans never stopped the development of technology, because we always have a natural tendency to pursue a higher level of human being. Technology is the best evidence of human intelligence, which has shown that we are different from other animals. We have lived with technology since we were born. Although it has intervened heavily in our daily lives that we can’t no longer live without, nobody can deny the achievements it has brought to us.
Consider a situation where a family is sitting at the dining table, the son pull out his iPhone, connects to Wi-Fi, and starts chatting with his friends on “Facebook”. The father has a Samsung Galaxy S4 in his hands and he is reading the newspaper online and using “Whatsapp” messenger while having his meal. The mother is busy texting her friends. They are all “socializing” but none of them has spoken as much as a single word to each other. This situation can be commonly seen nowadays. Technology has brought us closer and squeezed the distances but in reality, it has taken us away from each other. The rapid growth of technology has brought about significant changes in human lives, especially in their relationships. The latest technologies have turned this world into a “global village” but the way humans interact with each other, the types of relations and their importance has changed a lot. The advancement in technology has brought us close but has also taken us apart.