English essay

RUNNING HEAD: THE TECHNOLOGY WORLD !1

!!!!!!!! ! The Technology World

Lauren L. Korpacz

Brigham Young University-Idaho

Foundations English 101

Professor Shaffer

May 30, 2014

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Abstract

Technology has changed the world’s lives in several ways. Computers, gadgets, and new

inventions have improved magnificently over the years. Technology makes certain situations

useful, but it is causing people to avoid important details of their life. Technology alters rapidly.

In that case, people dislike change and resist it. It has limited the time for other things in life.

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The Technology World

Technology today has shuffled drastically in the last several years. There have been many

adjustments in society now and most of them are due to tweaks and advances in the creation of

many significant inventions. The times of writing letters are quickly disappearing based on

texting, email, and cell phones. The cartoon below, from Baloo Cartoons by Rex F. May (2013),

proves that social settings are very different than they were several years ago. This cartoon

! (May, 2013)

teaches individuals that they are losing the ability to filter the important information that was

coming directly to them. There are fewer situations where someone can look around in a public

area and see a person without a cell phone in hand. In today’s society, people of all backgrounds

and ages have cell phones. Because of advances in technology, today’s world relies on

information from the Internet. Some people think technology creates isolated communication

due to social media, and others think it enables people to connect with one another.

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Evolution

Briefly stated above, adjustments have been made due to advances in technology. The

Internet was designed originally as an interactive world for people to transmit information with

each other through machines. Today, millions of people spend time on the internet, rather than

watching the news on television. Studies show people are more likely to share stories that are

happy without the need to click on the article. In the 2000s, there were several social networking

sites. Starting off with Facebook, it was meant to be the best way for college students to socialize

and connect. There are “189 million of Facebook’s users are ‘mobile only’” (Cooper, 2013, para.

2). This proves people use their phones everyday, and part of the reason is for Facebook. This

social network site expanded and became full of people from different ages groups. As of today,

Facebook is one of the most used social networking websites. Facebook has become a way of

life. People can instantly communicate with cousins or look at neighbors vacation photos. This

social network is so general that it is rare if someone says they do not have a Facebook account.

There is so much information what users can upload to a Facebook account. Also, they can

upload personal videos too. Facebook keeps people in touch with friends in different ways. It has

been said that “25% of Facebook users don’t bother with privacy settings” (Cooper, 2013, para.

8). Then Twitter entered the social media scene in 2006, and became the most popular. Twitter

gives the most recent celebrity gossip, updates about friends and important news stories. There is

no age group for anyone to join. This social media website serves mostly to a teenage group

providing information about friends, favorite artists and upcoming events. Users think Twitter is

one of the easiest social networks to use. Twitter is meant to be used on the go. The average

Twitter user tweets from a smartphone rather than a personal computer. That is because people

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think the mobile app for this social media site is easier to use than the website. The benefits of

using Twitter on a smartphone is that anyone can update their Twitter account within seconds.

Google+ is now the most recent social media website that launched in 2011 and has more than

500 million users. Web surfers use Google frequently, and so it advertises itself and people feel

connected to the network. This social media website is made to be a communication social

network. Google+ focuses on making circles to separate connections. There are four standard

circles which are: friends, family acquaintances and those the users follow. Another social

network is Myspace, which has died out today. This site is one of the top to use for people that

want to stay with their favorite bands and connect with their fans. Myspace needs some work,

some may say, while others feel that it works for them. Next, LinkedIn is a site people do not

visit it everyday, but believe it is a lifesaver for some who are out of work and some who are

looking for employment. “Every second two new members join LinkedIn.” (Cooper, 2013, para.

4) For employers, LinkedIn supplies quick ways to search for employees who are the right match

for their businesses. “LinkedIn has a lower percentage of active users than Pinterest, Google+,

Twitter and Facebook” (Cooper, 2013, para. 6). Even though LinkedIn gathers new users daily,

people are not as active. The internet gives out a lot of information and most of that information

can be found on social media websites.

Analysis

The development of technology has a powerful force on the way society communicates,

within the 21st century. From the invention of a cell phone, to the advancement of the Internet,

technology has given people the gadgets to keep in touch, express their feelings, and say their

opinions to a much wider audience. Nowadays, advances of technology have brought the world

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closer and making communication faster. People do not want to use letters, or make calls to have

conversations to every person they talk to. Online communication is the most common as well as

texting. (Storm, 2011, para. 2) Personal communication has the same outcome as doing business

online. Society thinks it is easier to communicate around the world by performing meetings

online through video chat. Also, social media makes doing business more convenient, such as

LinkedIn. By being online, people can reach a greater audience (Storm, 2011, para. 3). People

with disabilities have found technology and communication to be both helpful. For example,

hearing aids improve the deaf people to hear.

Prediction

As technology is more advanced than ever, most products are designed to make the lives

of others more convenient and make the world connect. The next big trend on the Internet will

change people’s lives. Has technology made the lives of others more complicated or simpler?

That is the question worth thousands. Today, more than 9 billion devices are connected to the

Internet. Half of Americans think that in 50 years, computers will be able to create art that is

indistinguishable from that made by humans (Kieinman, 2014, para 1).

There is good and bad in the many ways online technology is changing life around the

world. According to Eric Schmidt, (2013), who is the co-founder of Google,

By 2025, the majority of the world’s population… [will access] all the world’s

information through a device that fits in the palm of the hand. If the current pace of

technological innovation is maintained, most of the projected eight billion people on

Earth will be online with access to an entire world of ideas. (pp.4-5).

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The story is that everyone will soon be connected to the Internet through small electronic devices

such as smartphones. Hence, the problem is people will not ever be absolutely intelligent about

the Internet use. In order for technology to have power, people in the world must have the

education along with technology. Schmidt found:

Fully automated human-like robots with superb Al abilities will probably be out of most

people’s price range for some time, but the average American consumer will find it

affordable to own a handful of different multipurpose robots fairly soon, as well as

microscopic robots in your circulatory system that keep track of your blood pressure,

detect nascent heart disease and identify early-stage cancer (p. 175).

This is going to be technology in its full effect. Plenty of Americans are already told they are

lazy. By having a robot in the home, it will make more sense to improve people’s lives for the

better. The good news is the authors are optimistic about what lies ahead. The bad news is after

reading “The New Digital Age,” people are left with a confused conclusion. Schmidt states the

biggest surprise, “In the future our identities in everyday life will come to be defined more and

more by our virtual activities and associations…Identity…will exist primarily online” (p.32).

Humans may start to identify themselves as two different people living two different lives. One

is online and the other is reality.

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Conclusion

Only recently, technology has begun to show how communication is not helping people

live the important events in life. Many of these gadgets portray people to be brainless. As more

and more new technology develops and refines, the world will turn to be interconnected to their

smartphones. As mentioned in a video, “How could you be so disengaged? While precious

memories are being made?” (Rhett & Link, 2013). In just a few years, technology will change

people’s lives immensely. Crystal Reed was asked: What’s an unnecessary thing you keep in

your purse? She answered, “My phone, we should just be present in life.”

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References

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Kieinman, A. (2014, April 4). Here’s what Americans think will look like in 2064. The

Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com

May, F. R. (2013). Baloo Cartoons. Retrieved from http://www.baloocartoons.com

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