Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Blog 1 Revised

Has Technology Changed Human Society?

If you think about it, technology has made life easier for most, but it has also caused a great deal of laziness on the part of the users. Who needs to pick up the phone to call someone when you can just send a text? Why sit down and write a letter when you can send an e-mail?

Most people won't deny that for the most part, the use of computers and other modern technology has improved their daily lives and their work environment, as long as everything is up and running properly. At work you can now send a file to your co-worker to review rather than getting up and taking it to them. You can also revise that document quickly if need be, and then send the final revision off to where ever it needs to go. If your office has the equipment, you can have your meetings with other locations and people over a television or computer without ever having to leave your office. The time saving benefit of modern technology is huge.

The ability to surf the net to learn something about a subject is something that just about everyone does. It's fast and if you are good at deciphering all of the data, it's easy to do. Anything you need information on can be found with the clicks of a few keys on your computer keyboard.

Just about anywhere you go today; you will see somebody with a cell phone or blue tooth device attached to their ear. Almost everyone today has one, and they are great to have. I spend a great deal of time with my cell phone attached to my ear. They are great to have when you travel, and most of the newer phones have internet available on them so you can stay connected everywhere you go. Again, this is great technology.

The only drawback to modern technology today is that it has made us lazy in a way. Sending a document to your co-worker via e-mail is great, but it takes out the human interaction that used to be there when you had to get up and take that document to them. The same is true for cell phones. The ability to text message on your phone is great, I do it, but again I feel that you lose the interaction that you could have by just talking to the person face to face or over the phone.

A study by Ipsos OTX* showed that the average adult spent 9.8 hours "consuming" media, whether that was computer usage or watching TV. The Pew Research Center showed an increase in cell phone texting use by adults that went from 65% usage prior to Sept. 2009 to 72% usage by May 2010. Another Pew survey done between 08/09 –09 / 13 2010 showed that 85% of adults have a cell phone. Below are links to the Ipsos OTX information as well as a link to the Media Literacy Clearinghouse that has more information on technology use of different kinds.


 

http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/people-spend-more-12-day-consuming-media-study-finds-21005

http://www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm



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