Technology Taking Over

            Many people use different types of technology in their every day life. I personally believe that technology might be taking over some teenager’s lives. A lot of teens can’t go an hour without being on their cellphone or at least checking it. People are becoming dependent on our phones and other electronics. The younger generation has lost its curious nature to explore to world. Instead, children are hiding behind a TV screen or Xbox game (Too Dependent on Technology). Many people are unhappy when they don’t have their phone or any type of technology to use 24/7.

            On one episode of the show “Chrisley Knows Best” the family went on a family trip to their cabin to celebrate their grandma’s birthday. The dad (Todd Chrisley) takes his kids electronics away for the whole weekend. The seventeen-year-old son hated the idea that he couldn’t have his phone for two days! That’s not long at all. He snooped around to find his phone and took it on the boat with him. His dad found out that he brought his phone, and took it and threw it in the water. The son was devastated. That just goes to show that some teens cant even go a day without their phone. It also shows that people aren’t happy without electronics. Twenty-five years ago, there weren’t any phones or iPods, and people were perfectly happy. If only that was the case in this generation. 

"America Has Become Too Dependent on Technology." UAB Kaleidoscope. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 April 

          2014.

          The very first line of this article reads “New forms of media have always caused moral panics” then goes on to state that new technology had been “once denounced as threats to their consumers' brainpower and moral fiber” (Pinker 640). Which made me wonder, are smartphones making us dumb? On average a person will spend 22.8 days a year on their phone. Almost 23 full days spent staring at a 5 inch screen. Now, I guess it's not fair to jump to my first reaction of 'Is twitter really that important that you have to be on your phone 22 hours a day? No one cares that you just had a double flusher' (no, really companies make phone holders just for that room, because I guess sometimes it takes two hands..?) Anyway, the point is technology is advancing, and while sometimes there's no need for it, there are instances where it amazes me that one little piece of plastic can do so much.

          Family and friends are able to stay connected, even see one another no matter their distance via skype, and other similar programs that use your computer, or even phone's video camera to instantly connect you through a live stream. Even if you opt to go with out the face to face encounters, you still have the options of texting, e-mailing, instant messaging (if you're still into that. I'm not here to judge, I thought it was cool too...in 2006), and calling your loved one at the touch of a button, basically anywhere and everywhere (yes, even the bathroom!)

          With great power, comes great responsibility. It can be easy to get sucked into the apple universe and forget you have real friends too. But the concept of distractions are not as new as the iPad mini. Although what's distracting us these days is as new as the iPad mini, mainly because it is the iPad mini. Anyway, the article hits the nail on the head when it states “the solution is not to bemoan technology but to develop strategies of self-control, as we do every other temptation in life” (Pinker 641).

          It's all about balance. If you can have self-control over not eating an entire pizza at once, or not putting off all your work until the last minute (notice the word if at the beginning of the sentence, I mean, we're only human right?) you can certainly have the self-control to put down the phone and step away from the computer. Maybe set a no phones at the dinner table rule, that way you can just sit and really listen to what the people around you have to say. Maybe try reading an actual book, instead of an e-book. Or maybe just sit around and catch up with your friends, face to face every once in a while. (and no, facetime does not count)

Works Cited

Pinker, Steven. "Mind Over Mass Media." New York Times (2010): n. pag. Web.

"You Spend 23 Days a Year on Your Phone, Say New Figures - CNET." CNET. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

What We Eat

A McDonald's hamburger. A simple concept and one that most Americans know well. However, this simple concept of grabbing a burger from the McDonald's drive-thru has expanded immensely along with the growing technology world that has been developing throughout the years. And it's not only the McDonald's chains that are changing due to technology. The majority of fast-food restaurants in America, and throughout the world, are developing new ways to keep their customers attracted to their product. That doesn't seem to be an issue, however, as fast-food has become a way of life for the majority of Americans. One could even relate it to some sort of religion, as most people recognize the golden arches of the McDonald's logo, than they do of the Christian cross nowadays (Schlosser). The new technologies, such as the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine (seen below), self-serve kiosks, and phone apps, allow customers to keep connected and keep coming back to these fast-food chains that they know and love.




Are these new technologies a blessing or a curse in the modern age? It turns out to be both. While these new technologies allow for more ease and efficiency in ordering and receiving food, many would argue that they are making our world a little too fast-paced. People become so enamored in the new thing, that they don't see how it negatively affects them. According to the article, "What We Eat" by Eric Schlosser, people spend more money on fast-food than they do higher education nowadays.
All in all, it is important to realize the effect that technology has on our eating habits, and while not all are negative, we must realize that they do effect us in some way.

Schlosser, Eric. "What We Eat." 2001. Back to the Lake. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2012. 667-74. Print.

Winzelberg, David. "Everything You Need to Know About Coca-Cola Freestyle." The Coca-Cola Company. N.p., 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

The New American Divide

            Many years ago, in some families, your parents chose your husband or wife. Most people would meet their significant other either at work, church, or any other public place. Recently, people have been meeting the love of their life on the Internet. Statistics show that 66% of people that have used an online dating website have been on a date with the person they met online. When these websites such as eHarmony and Match.com first came out, many people disliked the idea, but over time people have become more considering of it.

            In the past decade, online dating has become a very popular way to meet someone. One in ten people in the United States have used an online dating website. That’s ten percent of the people in the United States. In the article, “The New American Divide” it talks about different topics and how they have changed over time, such as marriage and single parenthood. Online dating obviously wouldn’t have been available thirty years ago, so this is a big change to our century.

            There have been many disadvantages to online dating. Many offenders make profiles to harass people, and many people have gotten into trouble. That’s why some people are really against the dating websites.

            Many things have changed and so much technology has been created in the past twenty years. In many cases, some people do find “the one” on a dating website. Maybe more people should consider trying one out.

"Online Dating & Relationships." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project

 RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

What Does Friend Mean Now?

As a young child, if I wanted to communicate with my friends, I would walk over to their house, knock on the door, and speak to them face to face. A concept which now seems unheard of, and maybe even rude to some people. In today's world websites like Facebook have virtually (no pun intended) taken the intimacy and face time out of friendships. (Although there's an app for that) Today, if someone asks me, "Are you friends with them?" my mind immediately goes to thinking if I've added them on Facebook or not. Now, I know I'm not alone in this, because Kahn even states in the reading that the term 'friend' has been Facebooked. Today, the word friend does not carry the same weight, and meaning it did in our grandparents day. Due to online technology, you can be "friends" with someone you've never even met in real life. Does that really constitute true friendship? Can virtual friends give us the same emotional satisfaction and enough human interaction as real, true, flesh and blood friends? That I believe is up to each individual to decide.

Kahn also mentions the NBC hit sitcom "Friends", which he describes as a "cast of young urbanites bound together by proximity and camaraderie" (379). I myself happen to be an avid fan of the show, okay I've seen every episode, twice, so I know that most of the episodes have the six best friends just sitting and talking with one another. This lead me to question what would the show be like had it been on the air today? Would it be sponsored by Verizon, or T-Mobil, how many Iphones would make minutely appearances, and just how many friends would there be? According to the article, we can have about 150 stable relationships, but it breaks down to smaller numbers and closer friendships  "On average we each possess about 50 friends, 15 'good' friends, and a mere 5 that can be categorized as 'intimate'" (380). However recent studies have shown that on average, a typical Facebook user has around 303 friends.

This lead me to take a look at my own profile, and like most anything I do, I try to be a little above average and while most of the time it backfires in this case I am excelling with my 889 friends on Facebook. I've never felt so loved, exposed, intruded on, and a little afraid at the same time. Now even though someone is my Facebook friend, I don't truly consider most of them my friends. Most of the time they probably fall under a title like acquaintance, or co-worker, but being "friends" with them on Facebook is convenient when we need to communicate because in some cases I don't even live in the same state as they do. Which returns us to the main question at hand, what does friend mean now? Like the article states "Real friends require time and effort to get to know" (381). So while the word friend does not mean the same as it did before it was 'Facebook-ed', the concept behind remands still. I think everyone could use a little reminder of what the word friend truly means, or rather, meant, myself included. In today's world it can be so easy to get tied up in the convince of "friendship on demand" (380), with all the changing technology to support it. But if we step away from the keyboards, and power down for just a little while, maybe we could bring back the meaning, and depth behind the word 'friend'. (But there's probably an app for that.)

Works Cited

"18-24-Year-Olds on Facebook Boast an Average of 510 Friends." MarketingCharts. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.

Kahn, Joseph P. "What Does Friend Mean Now." Boston Globe 5 May 2011: n. pag. Print. 

"Toy Story - You've Got a Friend in Me Music." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Aug. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.

 

Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code

Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code

           If someone were to ask you to name a famous person in the technology industry, who would come to mind? Marissa Mayer? Sheryl Sandberg? Ginni Rometty? My guess is that those names most likely would not be your first answer. It was probably someone along the lines of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, or Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. “In our society, boys and men are expected to learn about machines, tools and how things work. In addition, they absorb, ideally, a "technological world view" that grew up along with industrial society. Such a world view emphasizes objectiv­ity, rationality, control over nature and distance from human emotions. Con­versely, girls and women are not expected to know much about technical matters. Instead, they are to be good at interper­sonal relationships and to focus on people and emotion”(Brenston). In our technology-based world today, most of the more well-known people are men. This is largely based on this ideal that men are supposed to be well-versed in the technology language, while women are not.

           However, women are gaining more experience nowadays and in turn are gaining higher positions and recognition in the field of technology. “While it's unclear exactly why we're seeing this shift, a possible factor is the new wave of female tech stars — Yahoo CEO and ex-Googler Marissa Mayer, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, to name a few” (Griswold). As a female living in this technology-based world, I personally feel that this is a refreshing change of pace. The advancement of equality for women has greatly improved, yet it is still a struggle that many deal with on a daily basis. As more and more women enter this technology field, I believe that this separation of traditional male and female roles will continue to disappear.

Works Cited

Brenston, Margaret. “ Worlds apart: Women, men and technology.” Center for Media Literacy. Center for Media Literacy. n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Griswold, Alison. “Tech is hiring more women than men for the first time in 10 years.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc. 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous Consumption

What ever happened to writing letters as a way of communication? Does anyone in this day and age do this anymore? These days, there is always a newer model of technology coming out. When that new model does come out, there is always some sort of competition, whether it’s between other companies, or you and your peers. Adults, teenagers, and now even some children are heavily involved in the newest technology.It’s also not about the newest model of what they already own, but more types of technology that seems to do the same thing, but with slight modifications (aka- ipads, iphones). “He saw that people tended to place enormous value on useless objects and skills, often because they were evidence of one’s capacity of ‘wasteful expenditure’” (Conspicuous Consumption 164).

As a lot of people know, the company Apple is very popular. Kevin Lane Keller, branding expert and professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Busines states, “Apple remains a vital part of people’s everyday lives, and the brand continues to capture consumer’s imaginations (and wallets) in a range of products across different industries” (Badenhausen). I personally think it’s sad that people depend so much on technology. Technology was originally made to stay connected to one another, but sometimes, it disconnects us from what is going on in our lives.

To many people are dependent on different types of technology. I personally don’t think I have ever used an actual dictionary to look a word up because I could look it up on my Iphone. Anyone could retrieve any type of information on their cellular device or other types of technology. I doubt these companies making these new kinds of technology will stop or slow down. These big companies like Apple make a lot of money each year. I wonder what the next new piece of technology will be?

Works Cited

Badenhausen, K. (2013, November 6). Apple dominates list of world’s most valuable brands.

Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/11/06/apple-dominates-list-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-brands/.

In-text Citation: (Badenhausen)

“Conspicuous Consumption”. America Now Short Readings from Recent Periodicals.

10th ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's. 2013. 162-165. Print.