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Tuyen Nguyen
ENGL 1121-34 College Reading and Writing
Samantha J. Ten Eyck
11/17/2017
Don’t Blame Technology, It’s Us.
To be living in a modern world with advance technology seems to be perfect, but for me
many problems come from advantages of technology. I have seen many friends of mine stay
focused and tapped on their phone’s screen for an entire day without moving. Moreover, I have
felt abandoned when I try to hang out with my friends. It might be like most of the people in the
US, especially when the US has the most advanced technology base in the world (Team). The
common story nowadays is that you invite your friends to a party, and you are surrounded by
people tapping their smartphone without stopping. I was born in a developing country in
Southeast Asia, Viet Nam to be exact, but it does not affect to the way people use tech devices.
While many people do not have anything to eat, I was luckily born in a family in the middle
class. Because of this fortune I had chances to interact with computers and cell phone when I was
in high school. To be honest, I’m not even bothered by those technology stuff because I’m a guy
who is trying to finish an IT degree, but people who using technology as a shield to this world
are annoying. When I was young I used to play outside till dawn or being called back to home,
but nowadays that kinds of stuff seems to be “unrealistic”. I might sound like an old lady who
hates
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this new world but just like one of those people who try to wake other people from relying on
electronic devices.
Many deaths caused by lack of awareness relate to tech addict have been recorded. There
are many people killed because they are too focused on their smartphones or tablets while
driving or walking. According to The National Safety Council, there were 180 fatal crashes from
2009 to 2011 where evidence indicated drivers were using cell phones (Crash Data and
Underreporting). Why do people do that even though they know it is dangerous? Maybe it
because tech devices are too important to us. We might miss an important call, text messages,
but it might be a much expensive price that you might have to pay; a life maybe? Don’t blame
technology, it us who need to acknowledge our problem.
Stop texting, tweeting, suffing, look around and what do you see. Are you happy with the
environment around you? Do you feel comfortable behind that screen? Do you even talk to your
family members about your day? Even I used to do it with my family, but I realized that my time
is limited. I was born as a human, so I must live like a human not just rely on tech device. Instead
of hiding behind those screen, spending time with your family will bring you more pleasure.
“Spending time in everyday family leisure activities is associated with greater emotional bonding
within the family” (A Wise Investment: Benefits from Families Spending Time Together). Even
though Facebook, Twitter, and other social network have a lot of attraction, real life interacting
will be a greater resource for social develop. Through time social network has been developed to
a better level, anything relate to our life can be found online easily, and CEO of companies have
done an excellent job to attract customer in using their network. Most of the news all around the
world can be found on Twitter… for just a few simple clicks. Friends can connect with each
other no matter where they are and what they are
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doing, all it needs is just a phone or a portable device with internet connection. According to a
journal article on pcworld.com, the slowest internet connection in the US is 6 megabits per
second which is more than enough for a video call or text messages (Lawson).
Should technology be blamed for their advance development and sufficient? Of course, a
big “No”, the problem is that technology is “innocent”, yes innocent. What are the reason for us
relying on these technology devices? According to Adam Dachis, Dopamine is released when we
eat, and checking email, playing games, suffing web have the same effect. Dopamine is a kind of
neuron signal for pleasure, reward when we do something good for our body. “We consume
three times the information as we did 50 years ago, thanks to Gutenberg press, there are more
books available than the average of citizen can read in their lifetime” (Dachis). Following the
advance of technology, our knowledge has been improved a lot through years, but it is more than
