Jul 22, 2011 / Topic Ideas

People are too dependent on technology: agree or disagree?

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  1. I have loved reading the replies to this post! I have especially appreciated how a different set of responders is showing up and how, largely, some thought has gone into the responses! I would like to point out one thing, though:
    The question was, “are we TOO dependent”. If tecnology is doing us good, and not harm, we are right to depend upon it. However, I maintain that in many, if not most, cases, we are, indeed, too dependent, because we are becoming weak and in jeopardy of an easy assault. I will add that I think that is the plan.
    Take the lowly wheel, for instance, which some have mentioned as a no-brainer bit of techno-trappings that we love and that is so innocent, no one could object to it. I mean, it separates us from the cave man, right?
    That, and more, I am afraid. If we were too dependent on the wheel, we would be mostly unable to function without it, right? Like, we might live an hour from work and NEED it to obtain our livelihood; or we might be so into the wheel, that obtaining the fuel to move the wheel down the road would become like an addiction, causing us to throw caution to the wind and enrich our enemies, just to get some more. Or we might drive for ten minutes to save two minutes of walking. Or we might do our family planning, of all things, according to how many seats are available in a cute set of wheels. Or we might need a set of wheels for each member of the family. Etc.
    The sad part is we see this example everywhere, not just in the area of transportation. The electronic maze around us, alone, should be enough to make everyone realize just a few strategically-placed attacks would completely paralyze us. Completely.
    America is a house of cards just waiting for the slightest breeze to knock us down, and we need to realize and deal with this truth.
    In other words, open your eyes: We are too dependent.

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  3. I think our society is probably too dependent on technology. We use it constantly and can’t do anything if it breaks or we don’t know how to work it.

    I think the real issue isn’t that we’re too dependent on the technology… It’s that we’re too dependent on the people that make and maintain it. For instance, lots of people are dependent on sites like Facebook for social interaction. At the same time, they are completely clueless of the programming that was used to build the site and the research and marketing that went into it to make it popular. If they understood these things, they’d no longer be dependent. They’d be able to make much better suggestions, be more aware of how difficult it is to maintain, and apply what they’ve learned to developing more social relationships in the real world.

    Basically, no matter how dependent you are on technology for everything, if you understand how it works, then you can basically step back and admire it at any time- from a distance. If our society was like that, dependency would not be a problem, it would be a good thing, since everyone would be able to better collaborate. At the same time, I doubt such a society is anywhere near possible today.

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  6. Agree. You just gave me a nice idea for a post.

    As for an explanation, we earlier memorized phone numbers, now many of us don’t even know all of our own contact numbers. Books are awesome, unlike ebooks they don’t throw light at your face and don’t give you seizures(see: Wikipedia). People don’t seem to acknowledge the power of real conversations and real meetings. We depend on it so much that we have become sad because of it.

    When a computer does something, we are not too happy because of it, because that is what it is supposed to it. On the other hand, if a friend made a graph for me, or made a drawing for me, I would be very happy, because a friend is not bound to do it, that is a favour.

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  8. I think there are 2 sides to the technology coin. Technology has helped in many ways- for example success of using social media for good causes. It is definitely achieving more success in helping garner funds and spread awareness/news. I feel technology helps us get access to information within seconds and be more aware of what is happening anywhere.

    But I also strongly feel that technology is replacing the need of people in our lives. Any free time we get, we prefer to get online. With umpteen games and contests and quizzes online, kids are so occupied on their technology device, and so are their parents. Everyone has a digital avatar today and are becoming increasing satisfied to remain behind that avatar, and we don’t feel the need to talk or meet anymore. People game online instead of going out, use blogs to talk about their feelings rather than talking about it with their near and loved ones.

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  10. I agree and disagree
    We HAVE become extremely dependent on technology. Myself being a good example. Updating has become a way of people’s lives now. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Gaming Websites, all of these websites have been huge contributors to the addiction of technology. It’s even frowned upon if you don’t have an account on either of these websites. Also the fact people text senseless messages to one another and prefer that over actually calling them or meeting them in person is another sign of the growing problem of individuals rather wanting to use technology.

    But there is also the kind of people who have found proper ways to use their technology.
    They can use technology as a way of convenience. Checking it for important information such as news, job opportunities, discussion boards on certain topics, research, weather updates, spreading the word about new health, and so on. It provides people with information they couldn’t access as easily on their own. It also keeps people who are on the other side of the world in contact with one another (ex. Soldier keeping in contact with his family via video chat or voice chat)

    I believe that technology should stop being used as a necessity and instead used to convenience ourselves and help make our lives better through connection and information. Otherwise, if it is used too much for senseless reasons, the traditional way of socializing could diminish and change into something completely digital.

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  12. i agree.
    infact one time i met this one kid that was super addicted to his technology. one day one of our friends asked him “what would you do if you didn’t have your video games, or your phone for 1 week” and he said “i would kill my self” and he wasn’t joking around.

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