TIGIST FICKEN

The Mirror

In the twenty-first century, it is an understatement to say technology has become the center of our lives. This new innovation has changed the way we communicate, travel, and navigate through life.   

As technology advances, our everyday life begins to alter and what is real, physical and present can seem less insignificant than what the virtual world of technology brings.

Technology, such as phones have created positive changes to our society by making information and news accessible in any environment an improving medicine through science.

Technology and science have had an immense impact on human lives from finding cures for cancer to giving another chance for the wounded to walk again. It is amazing and life-changing.

Conversely, technology such as phones and social media platforms have resulted in grown concerns about cyberbullying, hacking, sleep disorders, and reduced time with family and friends.

Each year, the mobile world entices us to spend more and more time in it.  The physical appearance of phones have changed from flip phones to touch screens, and the likeliness of finding any teenager under 13 without some sort of communication device is slim.  According to new research conducted by Pew Research Center Survey on teens, social media, and technology proves about 95 percent of American teenagers have some access to a smartphone, and 45 percent of them are online constantly.

Unfortunately for students phones are the center of their world. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are few of the several platforms young teens and adults will find themselves glued to.

According to emarkerter.com, in 2018 an average U.S adult has spent three hours and 35 minutes per day on their mobile device, which is an eleven- minute annual increase from the past year.

I have heard the phrase “ I am glad I’m not born in your time”  from adults such as my own parents, teachers, and grandparents. I have never understood what they meant by this but now I do.

I have observed numerous teens, including myself at school and at other public facilities glued to our phones,  and looking up only if something spectacular happens.

Stevens Point Area Senior High School student Gigi Diekelman refers to phones as a distraction which takes proper skills of conversation away.

Diekelman said, “ People don’t know how to have a face-to-face conversation with people.” This statement is as close as it could get to the truth. As technology and the social media platform continues to grow, will human beings lives be replaced with robot performing the simplest tasks because people are lazy and reliant on technology?

I recall seeing the movie WALL-E as a young girl. In the movie, all the characters were lazy and were pushed around by robotic wheelchairs because they were unable to walk. The only type of entertainment was delivered through the big screen that was attached to their wheelchair.  We are not in that exact position yet but young children are becoming obese too early, have or are cyberbullied, and young teens committing suicide because of phones is horrific.

As problems like these continue to develop, will technology ever have limitation, or will it be the cause of destruction when humans do not respond to these types of issue?