Hi-Lights

Cons of Technology

Thursday, March 10, 2011 By Haley Henning

Technology can be used in many helpful ways, or in many useless, time-wasting ways. In the 21st century, many teenagers across the nation have been completely dependent on technology in a bad way. In school, technology is used to help students learn in alternative ways. There’s a world of knowledge on the internet, but there are also plenty of games, videos and other distractions that prevent students from learning. Phones are used to call when you aren’t able to get ahold of someone face to face. Teenagers use them to tell their friends exactly what they are doing at every second of the day. Outside of school, it is rare to find students without cell phones in their hands our headphones in their ears. If teenagers are always focused on these technology devices, how can they be aware of what is actually around them in the real world? Websites like Facebook and Myspace are a way to contact your friends, but many people have “facebook friends” they do not actually know in real life. What happened to actually hanging out with people rather than contacting them via the internet? Technology is making the country go forward as well as backward in knowledge. False information is all over the internet. People will believe almost anything. On zapatopi.net, there is a page about the rare “tree octopus.” The creators made the website to prove that children will believe anything they see on the internet. When the students were told the tree octopus was not real, they refused to believe it. People are starting to lack social skills due to the internet. It is easy to talk to someone over a computer, but it is a little harder for some people when it comes to face to face conversation. They prefer to stay on the computer instead of get out of their house once in a while and talk to people. The internet also makes it easier to bully. Cyber bullying is a huge problem. Many teenagers think if you are not going to see the person, why does it matter if you make fun of them? Bullying just puts people into depression. Many people would not bully people face to face like they do over the internet. There are many useful resources with technology, but how it is used needs to be worked on. Spending hours on end on computers, televisions, phones etc. locks you in your house and prevents you from seeing the real world. Put the technology down and go to the library, hang out with your friends or just go for a walk. Turn off all the technology you use for a day and see how a world without technology can be more interesting than you thought. Our ancestors did it; so can we.