I found the article "Attached to Technology and Paying a Price" very interested especially as the use of technology in our world increases by the day. From smart phones to iPads and laptops, kindles and blue tooth's, GPS systems and 3D TV's, the list of modern technology could go on for quite some time. The argument presented in this article is that all this use of technology is having a negative effect on people and follows one particular San Francisco, Kord Campbell man. There has been research showing heavy multitaskers are having more trouble focusing as they do not shut out irrelevant information and therefore experience more stress. I can see how this is true as I am someone who has trouble setting out other information to simply focus on one thing. For example, as I sit here to type my response, I have the TV on in the background watching "The Office," (great show), and I have my phone next to me on the couch and about three tabs open on my computer. This is a lot going on for me as I am not really a technological person by any means, but even so, I still have a lot of distractions. Some of the numbers presented in the article relating to how much TV people watch a day and how many websites they look at stuck me as outrageous thinking of how much time is spent with technology. This overload has definitely lead to increased focusing issues among all ages whether it be focusing on a school assignment, report for work, or one's loved ones as in the Kord CAmpbell case.
Until reading this article, I only thought of the negative effects of technology simply effecting focus on work related things, but I now see how it can effect family life too. As much as Mrs. Campbell seems to be fine with her husband's constant use of technology, I can sense she is not. It was almost sad to me when the Campbell's little daughter spoke of how her Dad spends more time with his phone and computer rather than with her. To think that a father's time is spent paying more attention to his technology than to the real-life experiences he could have with his daughter. I know this is a different read into the article but I have a feeling this is not the only family that experiences an parent who is obsessed with technology and work and I do think this article shows many different angles into the price that is paid with the increased prevalence of technology in society today.
I think that there are both pros and cons when it comes to technology but Richtel's article describes more of the negatives and he makes very good points to go along with his view. Overall, technology can be beneficial but should not be the only thing people focus on. I think it is important for people to work on unplugging their technology or turning it off in order to focus on the simpler things in life and to work on focusing on one thing at a time so as not to get "system overload" in our own heads.
No comments:
Post a Comment