Technology has a way of being able to tell you anything you want to know, or what you really didn't want to know. Its almost like a gypsy's Crystal Ball that can tell the future or find out something you need to know badly. However, people have begun to rely on it to the point where people can't hardly think for themselves. People need something to help them do a simple task like remembering to pick up their child at school. The smart phones, particularly the Iphone with Siri, has made it hard for people to think for themselves. When the Iphones came out, I really wanted one, but then again who wouldn't? With all that it could do it was like a small computer in the palm of your hand with which you can call and text. I began to realize, once I had gotten it, all I would do was play with it. I would download app after app after app. My parents would talk to me, but I would kind of ignore them while I played Temple Run. It scared me. All I did was depend on my smart phone for things and I really never thought for myself.
Kids in today's society, even adults, have experienced or are currently experiencing this same problem. We are relying on technology and software to solve our problems instead of us and our own computing devices. Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, stated:
"When you think about how we're coming to depend on software for all sorts of intellectual chores, for finding information, for socializing -- you need to start worrying that it's not giving us, as individuals, enough room to act for ourselves."
He then did a study on how people who use a software can't retain the knowledge they had just learnt. He found out that when they have a harder time figuring a problem out, or a puzzle in the case of the test, they remembered what they had just accomplished and how to do it again unlike the people who used a software to figure it out. Once we rely too much on the convenience of the technology, we are lost when it breaks.
We all love technology when it works, but when it breaks and doesn't want to work we, we don't like it anymore. If we are working on a huge project and rely on only the computer to do the work and all of a sudden the computer fails, all is lost!
There should be a perfect blend of human common sense and technology guidance.
On the other hand, when you are outside and it looks like it's going to rain, but you are unsure of the weather, than a simple look up of the forecast on your smart phone is really convenient and nice to have. Having the internet on your phone makes it easier to look things up if you are in a hurry or need help if you get into an accident or something of that nature. The problem is when people overuse the technology, and when they become too engulfed in what they are doing instead of whats around them.
As a Musician, I can attest to the fact that carrying around many sheets of music can be a real pain. Having the IPad to have PDF files of my music makes it easier to keep all my music in one place plus, it saves trees! Apple just came out with a pedal that plugs in to the IPad and when you press on it, it turns the page for you, making it easier to play the music without the hassle of turning a page during a performance.
In conclusion, although technology has made leaps and bounds in making life easier and more convenient, it's dummied down our modern society, causing many problems in everyday life, as we rely solely on something that doesn't even have a brain.
I agree that people rely on technology too much in society today. Your examples show how being dependent on technology can help your everyday life, it also shows that people cannot do some things without technology. A parent should not have to set a reminder on their phone so they remember to pick their child up from school. I am shocked to see that so many people start to dislike the iphone after they had the phone for a period of time. I have many friends that do not even want a iphone anymore because it pulls them away from reality and also has many problems. I thought that it would be easier for people to remember information they learn from software. the way I see things is if your learning from a tool that you like it would be easier to remember.
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