Alestle, IL
01-25-07
Staff Editorial
Society is too dependent on technology
Zach Groves, News Reporter
Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: Editorial
When Kip Dynamite sang the song "I love technology" at the end of the movie
"Napoleon Dynamite," he made it pretty clear that the world is reliant on it.
After all, he did meet his future wife online.
However, perhaps our generation loves technology a little too much.
Everywhere I turn, someone is on Facebook. I sit in the library and numerous
people are on Myspace. I go to class and sit next to someone who is text
messaging someone else. Chances are that person is on the other side of the
classroom.
The best ones are the ones who are on their cell phones talking about absolutely
nothing. The whole world is gone once they turn on their phones, and they will
shut off anyone from conversation once they ring.
I recently took a listening test for a class that focuses on the science of listening,
and how rare it has become these days with all of this technology. I scored a 70,
which is actually five points lower than the national average, according to my
professor. I wondered if my lack of listening came from all this junk.
I will admit that for a good while I was involved with all of these things. I would
check my Facebook and Myspace accounts almost religiously and find out what
was going on with my friends.
According to techcrunch.com, at least 85 percent of college students have a
Facebook profile, or nearly four million users, and 60 percent log in every day.
The world is so close together with this technology, yet people are still so far
away because they are too lazy to have a real conversation with real people. In
fact, roommates and family members will not get up to go talk to people in
another room.
Instead, they just instant message them.
Michael Bugeja, Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism and
Communication Director, would agree with this sentiment. He said in a
scienceagogo.com article that the public is so reliant on technology that it is
taking part in an "interpersonal divide" and that isolation can lead to depression.
For the next month, I will attempt to break away from the craze by avoiding
Facebook, Myspace and even text messaging. I have spent so many years of my
life keeping myself entertained before I let myself get sucked into this online
world.
One must wonder if Kip could have met someone better by actually leaving the
house.