Is digital technology disrupting our life and values, or is it creating new ways of living?
With the thrills of futuristic technological inventions comes the threats that they impose on cultures and traditions, amongst other things. The increasing influence of digital technology on the new generation has caused pessimistic views on both digital technology and social media. The reasons for scepticism regarding the online community are justifiable. However, it seems that the negativity often drowns out the numerous favorable features of social media.
One of the advantages of digital technology is its ability to bring the entire world closer. The #MeToo, #NeverAgain, and #BlackLivesMatter movements; the live stream of the North Korea and U.S. summit; these events - which gained even more global significance when facilitated by technology, prove history is being made on these screens. And the sheer accessibility of information allows it to be shared with everyone in the blink of an eye. According to Oxford University, the most prominent source of news is the internet (including social media) for ages 18 to 44 and television for ages 45 and above, both of which are technological devices. Convenience is a major factor that determines interest in the fast-paced life of the modern person – and what could be more convenient than significant headlines presenting themselves in the palm of one’s hand? The approachability of news through technology truly promotes erudition and international awareness for students, rather than hindering it, as it is commonly believed to do.
Furthermore, we must not forget that as social animals, the desire to stay connected with others is in our most primitive nature. The only difference between the caveman era and the present is that our ancestors used cave paintings instead of Instagram. ‘The Telegraph’ contends that “the rise in technology in the past decade has led to fears that teenagers could be damaging their social skills”. Although unorthodox, social media is a method of exercising social skills. When one expresses oneself through text, creative emoticons, and dictionary-accredited jargon, it reveals an entire culture unique to the internet. Moreover, social media links people to the world, regardless of physical proximity. Without it, I would never hear from family living abroad nor see the faces of old friends whom I had lost touch with. We live in an interconnected world where one associates with people around the world in addition to those in their immediate vicinity. The online world seems to be the only effective place to communicate with everyone everywhere.
Despite society’s efforts to demonize digital technology, there is no doubt that it has become a crucial and habitual part of our lives. Along with the constant changes civilization goes through, the values and lifestyles of the people living in it are bound to change. Of course, this does not imply the futility of the old-fashioned -- the past is preserved to become culture and history. It merely advises that we have faith in the current lifestyle we are creating and that we accept that the time has come for a new digital age.
Bibliography:
Oxford University. "Where Do People Get Their News?" Medium, 30 May 2017,
medium.com/oxford-university/where-do-people-get-their-news-8e850a0dea03. Accessed 31 Oct. 2018.
The Telegraph. "257 Minutes: the Time Teens Can Spend on Computers Each Day Before
Harming Wellbeing." The Telegraph, 13 Jan. 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/13/257-minutes-time-teens-can-spend-computers-day-harming-wellbeing/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2018.
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