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Is technology irreparably damaging the lives of youths?

Technology Is Innovation and the application of scientific knowledge for Industrial purposes and so what must be focused on when analyzing such a broad Issue Is two- old; non-internet technology and indeed internet-related technology. The statement that the lives of young people are being ‘irreparably damaged’ (never able to be repaired) is a bold one as it implies a sense of perpetuity and that once sucked into technology, one can never escape its realm. We can see that this is generally not the case and people fluidly use what they need and leave the rest.

The term ‘irreparable’ is a particularly forgiving term in my thesis. With the introduction of social networking websites like Backbone and Twitter, the initial negative Impacts may be found staggering. One can clearly observe potential downfalls as children Incorporate this new technology Into their lives: a direct correlation between an Increase In teenage obesity rates In America and the introduction of these sites can be made as well as a fall In average GAP across us public schools as pupils page through their endless Newsfeed living vicariously through their friends’.

But these by no means are irreparable issues. When change is introduced to a society, adoption is often slow. In 2007 for example, Microsoft introduced a radical change to their Microsoft Office software, causing anxiety and anger to many of their core clients. To offer support to their clients, they gave users the choice of staying with 2003 and transitioning to 2007 at their leisure, while also offering support classes and tutorials.

Today, 6 years later, Word and the Microsoft Office Suite remains the leading software for basic office computations, and features the same user Interface that Microsoft riskily Introduced many years ago. While some users Initially felt alienated, this change was by no means Irreparable. Humans often need a learning curve when they are Introduced to new digital and tech habits. This worth-term disruption is arguably necessary for long-term human development. Communication that the world never dreamed of hosting.

The domain of education has been forever revolutionized and this is epitomized by a Connecticut-based organization known as LEAP – Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership. If you were to walk through the organization’s brightly decorated Computer Learning Centre in New Haven, you might witness a scene like this one: A third-grader gleefully composing a letter on a Mac, later to be published on the LEAP website for any member of the public to view. Over the course of the ensuing weeks, she received emails from users elsewhere in the US but more impressively the world.

The image of pride and self-esteem flowing into this underprivileged youth depicts the way in which communication through the Internet has allowed her to break through the isolation of her small neighborhood and be introduced to people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Surely this would be the most exposing and beneficial experience of this girl’s life? In other schools, like Dalton in New York, Internet communication through mediums eke Keep and Vivo (video-calling services) has enhanced learning in its own right.

Barry Vain, a former geography teacher at Dalton relates his experience from a decade and a half ago: With the Internet, my kids saw history in the making. They were learning about the end of apartheid as it was happening from the kids in South Africa via blobs. Just a few weeks ago, I witnessed a fellow colleague and his class talking over the Internet to students in China about their reactions to the death of Eden Gapping. ‘ This was fifteen years ago and technology in this field has advanced by leaps and bounds.

Just think of the implications of experiencing the news directly, from those living the news as opposed to interpreting it for others. My family itself has seen the profound difference that technologies like Keep and other forms of Internet communication have made in staying close to one another. While my father lives between India and America, my mother and sisters stay rooted in the States and with such a vast difference in time zones and indeed the costly nature of simply calling one another, video-calls have proven a stalwart alternative.

Now of course some may find loopholes in my argument and I would like to address Hess by discrediting each individually. One argument is that technology makes young people too sedentary. To that I would argue that while the television may have contributed to childhood obesity in some parts of the United States some years ago, much of communication technology today is mobile (cell phones, pads). Furthermore, technology applies far beyond Just communications and entertainment.

Innovations in the field of sports and health, for example, encourage active lifestyles. Concepts like the Nikkei Fleabane inspire youths and adults alike to run and beat one another’s alls while the Jawbone tracks calories and movements in a way that allows the user competition and catalysts a pattern of sustainable physical exercise routines. Improvements in the field of blenders such as the ever-so-trendy Vitamin have allowed us to chop a vast array of fruits and vegetables into a ‘smoothie’ in a fun and unbelievably simple way.

The consumer is able to enjoy the benefits of the seeds and rinds, making it enjoyable and innovative for her or him to try different creative solutions to eating healthy in a convenient way. Others may argue that people release ridiculous videos of atrocities like beheading r illegal porn to the Internet because they know people will see it hence creating a forum for immoral activity. To respond to this a simple quote from Stan Lee’s fictional character, Spenserian, should suffice: With great power, comes great responsibility.

History has taught us that as we get more intelligent and more powerful, we will always have the choice to do something productive and healthy or unproductive and detrimental to society. Today’s growth in technology is no different. Just as we have experience in setting up gun laws to combat the proliferation of gun technology, society will evolve to combat the most damaging uses of the Internet and other technology to society. Youth, for example, in the true fashion of its democratic foundations, uses a user-generated rating system to remove content that some might find aggressive.

They have a constantly evolving set of norms as to what is allowed on their site and what is not allowed. This encourages the giant video distribution platform and its users to leverage their moral compasses together to establish new norms and as a society fight what we deem unethical. Those who argue in favor of this essays title may indeed say that the Internet has reared a haven for ethically fraudulent ideas and has destroyed youth’s sense of a moral compass. But this is a very simplistic response.

The Internet has created an enhanced transparency that allows people to discern and identify truthfulness more than ever. Just as fraudulent ideas are available, a plethora of other, potentially honest ideas are available, and the user is left with his or her good Judgment to decide for themselves what to believe. When there was a hegemony of channels of distribution (a couple of nationwide newspapers, TV channels and record labels), people only had access to whatever it was that these giants chose to put out.

Now, the massive amount of uncensored information allows users to search for truth on their own, without having to necessarily believe fraudulent, random, or unproven facts that are disseminated on the world wide web. In short, my answer to this question, is simply no. Quite to the contrary, developments in technology have democratic the consumption of information and expedited the timeline along which individuals have the opportunity to pursue truth. The Internet has reduced the barrier of entry to information consumption in such a ay that facilitates information sharing, idea flow and diversity of participation.

In the past, individuals who had access to top level institutions tended to come from wealthy families, and in turn had access to the most lucrative Jobs in society. These were the individuals making decisions at the most top levels of powerful companies, availability of information has prompted a response to this self-fulfilling prophecy by providing those without these elite backgrounds to also share their thoughts, truths, ideas and concerns with those who might be interested. Websites such as incentive. M, in which individuals crowd-source solutions to their company’s toughest problems, have allowed unassuming free- thinkers to serve as some of the wealthiest companies’ saving grace, in a way that is safe and attractive to them. While there is bad information on the web, there is so much good. Human communication has been revolutionized. App culture that was started by Apple has provided platforms for young people to feel inspired to solve some of the world’s most simple problems, and innovate with ease. To conclude, technological developments have not irreparably damaged the lives of young people.

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