The existence of technology within our society is evident everywhere. There isn't a day where we don't use technology. Most of us have developed a dependence on it. Even when Ted Kaczynski moved into the wilderness in an attempt to be in solitaire, he likely still used some aspect of electricity, and definitely benefited from some forms of technology like pens and materials that were produced using technology. This dependence is generational, us and those younger than us clearly being the most 'victimized'. The overuse of technology is everywhere you look with our generation. People keep their cell phones on the table in front of them during lecture; groups of people at social events all simultaneously maintain visibility of their devices to ensure constant communication; they talk on the phone while driving and text while they're on dates; they check their facebooks, twitters and emails numerous times a day. I could go on. It's not questionable the presence of technology in our every day lives. What does need to be discussed though, are the effects that this is having.
I mentioned earlier the effects on 'intimacy'. This, to me, is a huge issue. It is evolving the way relationships work and the way the sexes interact. People get to know each other via text messages, they fight with typed words and make plans in abbreviated form. This is taking away from the interaction and degrading our social skills. With decreasing face to face interaction every day, people will likely become awkward individuals in social situations. This could potentially lead to depression and even dependency issues. I make this argument because alcohol, for example, is already an easy fix for people entering social situations that are not comfortable, and this 'solution' may be one that becomes more popular with decreasing interactions.
The role of technology may also, in my opinion, influence divorce rates. People are getting married with previous interactions partially if not completely rooted from social media or electronic communication. People are meeting in different countries and meeting to marry. They are not getting to know each other as they did in the past, where you had no choice but to meet face to face if you wanted to get to know each other. This false sense of awareness of another individual's personality, values and tendencies is misrepresenting.
Speaking of misrepresentation, I would not be able to talk about my personal dislikes for technology if I did not mention the misrepresentation that is inherent in these varying modes of communication. How many times have you read a text and, due to lack of tone or punctuation, complete misinterpreted it? I may not be speaking for everyone when I say this, but I believe that this has facilitated the female act of over-thinking. There are so many ways in interpret a message and women become obsessed with exploring all options so that they can react accordingly. Sure, this happens in real life, but not nearly to the extent that it happens when written communication is involved. And this goes without mentioning the inherent 'typos' that further the tendency to be misrepresented. For humorous purposes, I recommend http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com. These are extreme examples, but they are quite funny.
Also on the topic of marriage, I must mention that I cannot deny the convenience that technology has added to our lives, and this can prove as an argument against my previous statement. Technology reduces our stress and does at times provide us with the ability to communicate when we otherwise would not have been able.
I came across an idea (http://www.quora.com/Jake-Selner/feed) that technology is now at a point where we are advancing it in the effort to minimize these implications. Face to face interaction is now being facilitated and encouraged with technological developments like facetime and skype. Though this does not solve all of the issues, it's good to know that society is still demonstrating a desire to interact with others, even if it is by way of technology.
Other societal effects: compromised work ethic. I'm not sure if this issue is because we are simply overexposed to distractions or if its because technology makes us lazy. Probably both. Either way, the compromised generational work ethic cannot be denied. Every generation becomes lazier and lazier as technology allows them to do so. I think that this comes from a number of things, one of them being the difference in recreational activities. Our parents would go play outside and learn things by trying them, whether it was setting things on fire, exploring new areas of the forest or playing sports, there was nothing to do inside so they went outside. Sure, this might have been more dangerous, but they definitely had more fun and had the ability to learn from their own mistakes and be adventurous and spontaneous.
Imagine if there was a '30 years ago' column. It would be even more different than the two eras currently shown.
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