TAYLOR SNELL
WORK EXPERIENCE
Technology.
Even though I'm a teenager and part of a generation that has grown so dependent on technology, I find it to be something that is extremely abused and misused. In only a decade I've noticed a substantial change in the way the world does things and how fast it is now evolving. In this column I will express my feelings toward the subject and also what I believe might be in store for us in the future.
When I was younger I enjoyed playing outside and getting messy. Ripping things up and rebuilding them. I was never one to be inside much. We had a television and a big white box for a computer that my mother used for work. That was it for electronics in my house as a kid. I remember not being allowed video games or cell phones until I was much older, and even then they didn't excite me much.
No matter what, my sisters and I had to ask permission to play a computer game or watch a show on T.V. That’s the way it should be, or at least I think so. Those things were treats, not an everyday thing.
Now, it seems to me, that all children do is watch cartoons or play the latest video games. It seems as though a lot of parents have forgotten to let their children get dirty and fall down and learn things on their own and not be glued to a television set for hours on end.
Is technology a good thing? Yes, but only if it’s respected and used properly. To me, I see it the same as alcohol, for an alcoholic. Nice too kick back and have a drink amongst friends or family, but after you have one taste you’re going to want more. Then you overindulge. Then it consumes you. You’re stuck. You end up drinking every day. It is a scary thing. It can become an addiction. If you start using technology, like the Internet, you will see how easy it is to find things or connect to people. It is a very good to be connected and have something to help you find a certain thing or learn something with just a couple clicks. At the same time it’s holding people back from using their own common sense.
My opinion is that it is holding people back in many ways. They no longer need to pick up a book if they don't want to. People communicate by phone, texts, e-mails, websites such as Facebook or Twitter more than they do face to face.
Youth, your future is bright and generations to come will have many amazing opportunities, but the reality of this has its downfalls. Future generations will be faced with a lot more problems than even generations from only a decade or two ago. They will be forced into a life that has a shorter childhood because technology will expose them to mature content at a young age. If we continue to let youth spend so much time with technology they will become worried about the latest tech talk and want all the cool but unnecessary gadgets. They will aim less of their attention on main matters such as the environment or health or, maybe even, the overall well-being of the world.
While this is good for numerous jobs and schools, I think people should consider putting down their phone, laptop or any kind of technology for that matter. Just use a good old pencil and paper. Try and do mental math. Believe that you can think of something that will keep you entertained. Try and live a day without any technology. It’s harder than it seems. We were meant to advance; with ourselves, with people, even technologically, but not like this and most definitely not at this rate.
We need to keep a healthy balance and use technology as a tool, not a way of life.