Technology is, inevitably, a part of our everyday lives. There are infinite privileges to living in a technologically advanced time, like the ease of communication across the globe. Technology is undoubtedly going to keep improving long after our generation passes. But, considering just how absorbed we can be in technology, it can guide us into a world made completely of glowing screens. These never ending privileges of technology seem insignificant, but collectively, they can lead to the elimination of interactions with real people.
Technology is replacing jobs, which cuts back on human interaction. Ordering food is easy as it is, and that isn’t something to complain about, but fast food chains, such as McDonalds, are diving into new forms of serving customers. Touch screen computers help customers customize their orders, then they stand by conveyor belts waiting for their meal to arrive. It doesn’t seem like much, but ordering food with a person provides at least two minutes of getting off your phone or other devices. Not much time is given to contemplate how our actions today can transform vivid and emotional conversation into computer screens full of boring sentences and emojis meant to convey the energy of socializing in person. With a digital world, the possibility that kids might not know how to talk to someone seems possible.
Technology is definitely making things way too easy. We’re on the verge of developing robots that can take care of all manual labor, which can allow us to “relax” most, if not all, of the time. But what are we really doing when relaxing? Binge watching eight-plus hours of The Office or the entire first season of Empire (good choice)? Today, watching Netflix is a typical time-waster, and I am guilty of watching endless movies on any given weekend. However, reflecting on my time wasted, I can’t help but think what can stem from other programs.
Another area of technology to keep in mind is social media. Update after update we get new ways to watch other peoples lives, but perhaps our demands are pushing it too far. Facebook, for example, is transforming from a toy into a tool, could there be a take on Google, where they develop glasses to show your feed anywhere and anytime? How much eye contact would you make with people then? You wouldn’t have to pull out your phone because you’d have the Facebook glasses on.
Technology, social media, and video streaming services all work together and could evolve to where the existence of humanity would collapse if all technology were taken away. A lot of important things would collapse, but your whole life collapsing because you can’t log on to Twitter is what we should try to avoid.
Take time to understand and feel conversations and establish the differences between what text messaging will never be able to recreate. Take advantage of being able to make eye contact and the ability to comprehend someones words and emotions. Life wasn’t made to live in the company of robots and screens.