When you ask people about their computers, their televisions, their smartphones, or their tablets, you always hear the common phrase, “I don’t know what I would do without them.” The use of technology has become the definition of our society. It has become the crutch that people depend on and our lifeline for survival. Our society has become so dependent on the advantages of technology that we fail to realize the disadvantages that it creates as well. With all good comes some form of evil. Technological changes are no different. With every gain comes a loss.
Think about your smartphone and everything you can accomplish with it. It allows you to contact people anywhere, anytime. You can search the internet, play games, share photos, and organize information. The advantages are obvious and are for the most part, ingrained into our everyday lifestyle. The smartphone, however, creates disadvantages that we may not even realize are present. For example, the smartphone has replaced the importance of interpersonal communication, it has diminished socialization skills in people, and it has created the never-ending need in our society for information on-the-go. These may not seem like detrimental effects for each individual personally, but as a whole, it has created a weaker society in terms of interaction, collaboration, and socialization.
I do not mean to imply that technological change is always negative. Many of the changes have led to new discoveries in medicine, politics, education, etc. The advancements in technology have been life changing and beneficial to all aspects of our society. It should be viewed as a time of great innovation and success. As told by Henry David Thoreau, “All our inventions are but improved means to an unimproved end.” We just need to always remember the consequences and make sure that they do not escalate into something more damaging.