Have We Advanced Too Far with Technology?
It’s safe to say that technology has impacted us all. From listening to the radio to cheer us up during the Great Depression to watching television to receive our news and entertainment to using the internet to connect with people from all around the world as well as those close to us, we wouldn’t be where we are today without technology. I know if it weren’t for the technological advances of the internet, I wouldn’t be typing this article out right now, and you wouldn’t be reading it. I also wouldn’t have a writing job had it not been for the internet and its result from technology rapidly and continuously advancing.
However, there does come a time where I wonder if we’re advancing our technology at the expense of something. A lot of people, mostly older people, say that we spend too much time on the internet instead of talking to people face-to-face. There’s also the threat of a technocracy controlling our lives bit by bit to the point of absolutely no privacy. These things worry me. The whole point of being a human being is human interaction; that’s how humans procreate and survive. Is this technological advance ridding us of our human instincts? Have we advanced too far with technology?
How many of you have had friends over recently? If you’ve had friends over, did you guys actually talk face-to-face, or did you guys mostly stare at your phones the whole time? My mother used to have a friend over a lot a few years ago, and every time that friend was over, she was pretty much on her phone throughout the whole time she was with my mom. My mom also had another friend who used his phone the whole time he was at her house. Let’s be real- you’ve probably been on your phone while at a friend’s house, too.
What about using your phone while visiting a family member? My sister uses her phone every time we visit our grandmother, especially during Christmas. When my grandmother comes over to my house, I occasionally use my phone, too. I think all humans do this. I know I’ve been seeing this phenomenon for years. And before phones, we would try to distract ourselves by other means like newspapers and books. I’ve used books several times during conversations. One advantage of phones is that you can look up the answers to a question someone has asked. My mom and sister have done that plenty of times before.
Is this just a way of saying that humans aren’t as social as we think they are? Maybe. Then again, when using phones, books, and newspapers, we generally use them when we’re not talking to strangers, like on a bus or at a doctor’s office. When having a personal conversation, those things might get in our way. Suppose you’re having a conversation with a friend, and your friend says something that might catch your ear. Well, you’re on your phone, and you say something back. Your friend’s tone of voice might say one thing, but their facial expression says a lot more, and you probably missed out on it. Facial expressions are an important part of socialization and communication.
Another essential part of socialization and communication, particularly face-to-face socialization and communication, is privacy. This is especially true during the age of the internet, where every bit of info about a person is shared- with and without consent. And in the age of the internet, we’re pretty much encouraged to share our personal information online just to use a couple of social media accounts. Let’s face it- the last time you signed up for a social media account like Facebook or Instagram, those sites probably asked for your full (and real) name, your date of birth, and even your phone number. I guess these sites ask for your phone number in case you forget your password, which can be handy. Another handy thing is when these websites pull up some acquaintances you might know in real life you might want to follow.
But what if you don’t want the people you know in real life following your social media accounts? That’s a real invasion of privacy. In fact, many social media sites, especially sites like Facebook and TikTok, have been accused of breaching their users’ privacies. Imagine that- these websites have so much information on you, and some of this information didn’t deliberately come from you. You didn’t give out some of that information. Those photos you’ve never uploaded? Your contacts? Yeah, those social media sites have all of that information.
And it’s not those social medias websites that have your information, either. The government also has your information. Yeah, the government has been collecting all of your information without your consent since at least the passing of the Patriot Act in the early 2000s, maybe even earlier. I know it’s been a big problem in the past few years. What’s even more concerning is that, in some cases, some online platforms, can freeze your source of income, i.e. sites like PayPal and the likes. Some people depend on the internet to earn their income- to work! And now, more than ever, we all use the internet to pay our bills and other banking activities!
Again, it’s so easy to see what others are doing on the internet; it’s so easy to see many different points of view. But do you ever feel like you’re only seeing one perspective across multiple websites and even television channels? I have. A lot of websites and TV channels are heavily left-leaning, Medium.com included. Even before I started questioning my own leftist ideology, I’ve known this was the case. So, what happens if you’re not a leftist or don’t share every leftist opinion? It can be highly alienating. It also doesn’t help that you might get dogpiled or banned if you express even one unpopular opinion. So, where do you go? There are some websites that might fit your viewpoints more, but those places are either tiny or get shut down early.
Left-leaning websites, right-leaning websites… whatever happened to just a website with all sorts of opinions? Where are the websites that don’t have the mods wearing their politics on their sleeves constantly? In the old days, some people would at least try to debate or see where the other guy was coming from. Nowadays, you can just block whoever you want for whatever reason, creating an echo chamber. It may be nice to follow only those you might agree with, but it’s not healthy in the long run. We need discussions, online and especially face-to-face to find a balance and see what works and what doesn’t work. Because of all the online discourse causing all this separation and anger among several groups, I’m honestly a little scared for the future. And I think the internet is a big contributing factor.
The advancement of technology has impacted us all in a big way. To deny this is to deny reality. We all rely on the radio, the television, and especially the internet for entertainment, information, and even connections. However, with all the concerns about losing our human interactions, privacy, the alienation due to different opinions, and the fear of restrictions from certain websites, I feel as if we may have traded our humanity for our rapid advancement of technology.
