I think that in attempting to evaluate technology in everyday life, we will realize that technology plays far greater a role than we could ever imagine. It has become such an inherent given in every person’s life that trying to identify all of technology’s possibly benefits, hazards, and uses can be nearly impossible. It would almost be the same as saying, “Name how oxygen affects your life and everyone else’s.” I’m not implying that technology is as essential to being alive as oxygen is, but really, in order to effectively exist in today’s world, one must at least be familiar and competent with the basic technologies in order to function.
Technology is now something that people depend on to keep track of their lives. People now use their cell phone calendars, their computer planners, or even their iPods to stay on track and complete things that need to be completed. Technology has replaced many former paper-driven things, like bills, homework, letters, books, newspapers, etc.
I think that the benefits of technology are obvious. If they weren’t so, I don’t believe that so many engineers and scientists would have devoted so much of their time to developing it and making it better. Technology has become something of a competition, with the global powers continuously working to prove how much better they are than other countries. I believe it has moved from being an added convenience and something that could make work more efficient to something that proves how worthy nations are and how important they ought to be in the world of international relations.
I do see many threats of technology. Any system that can ultimately be so fragile is slightly unnerving. Considering that we invest so much of our lives into machines and networks of wires and cords that could so quickly be eradicated is disconcerting. Any person who has experienced a computer crash can attest to this (although I have a Mac, so I don’t worry about that as much). I think that the biggest issue with technology, at least as I have encountered it, is how it replaces human communication. Handwritten letters are considered antiquated and emails are much quicker. Face-to-face contact has been replaced with telephone calls which have been replaced with text messages. I’ve even found myself feeling awkward during phone conversations, having gotten so used to texting. It seems a shame that we have disregarded the importance of actual human contact so that we could be able to talk with several people all at once about nothing too deep.
The role on literacy is pretty obvious. Peoples’ attention spans have decreased so much that even long magazine articles are a pain to read. Most articles do not exceed two pages and book sales have sadly gone down, especially in actual bookstores. When people write, they often don’t experience the feel of the pen on the piece of paper, instead preferring to shoot out many more words in a shorter period of time. I don’t think I even need to foray into the field of spelling. No one can anymore.