Social media... Two words that have changed the way we live today. Two words that inspire debate after debate and argument after argument. At first, many believed it was just a fad, and that Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, etc. would pass like a style of clothing as time went on. I guess it all comes down to the growing trend in technology use. We have come to find that technology/social media are looking to be a new more permanent way of life. But the question is "has it changed us for better or worse?". Believe it or not, it's hard to choose a side. I find myself in the middle. I have seen the best of both sides: a life not so technology dependent and a life where I'm surrounded by it. To me, social media and technology are neither bad nor good in a all out extreme way. We've lost values from it, but at the same time gained new ones to replace the old.
Technology was the creation of social media, and thanks to that we are more connected with the people and world around us, but at what price? Have we lost that satisfaction we find in face to face interraction? When I was in elementary school, we didnt have Ipads or tablets, in fact the only technology we actually cared about was Gameboys and Nintendo DS's. We would go out side and play in our backyards or ride our bikes with other kids, but today I see children sitting beside eachother playing games on their tablets, even SMARTPHONES, or chatting online with other people. Its like they could care less that someone is beside them. However, I do see little boys and girls playing against eachother on their games and having the times of their lives. I see them sharing what they created on an app or pictures tht inspire them on We Heart It.
I think the affect the internet/social media has on us is a neutral one. For example, it is said that the internet and the way it generates information and presents it to us, is causing people to lose their ability to concentrate for long periods of time enough to where we can't read books or articles. While this may be true, it has provided us with a faster, easier and more efficient way to gain knowledge about all topics providing us with more of a yearning to learn. You see? Both sides can be argued and make sense.
It's crazy to think that in less than a ten year span, the world has changed so much in how it lives. To put it simply, it's progess. The world will always change. I don't believe we can just give up technology or social media once we've had a taste, so it's not just a fad. I do believe however that whether technology has a negative or positive affect on us is our doing and of our making. We decide how we use it.
Technology was the creation of social media, and thanks to that we are more connected with the people and world around us, but at what price? Have we lost that satisfaction we find in face to face interraction? When I was in elementary school, we didnt have Ipads or tablets, in fact the only technology we actually cared about was Gameboys and Nintendo DS's. We would go out side and play in our backyards or ride our bikes with other kids, but today I see children sitting beside eachother playing games on their tablets, even SMARTPHONES, or chatting online with other people. Its like they could care less that someone is beside them. However, I do see little boys and girls playing against eachother on their games and having the times of their lives. I see them sharing what they created on an app or pictures tht inspire them on We Heart It.
I think the affect the internet/social media has on us is a neutral one. For example, it is said that the internet and the way it generates information and presents it to us, is causing people to lose their ability to concentrate for long periods of time enough to where we can't read books or articles. While this may be true, it has provided us with a faster, easier and more efficient way to gain knowledge about all topics providing us with more of a yearning to learn. You see? Both sides can be argued and make sense.
It's crazy to think that in less than a ten year span, the world has changed so much in how it lives. To put it simply, it's progess. The world will always change. I don't believe we can just give up technology or social media once we've had a taste, so it's not just a fad. I do believe however that whether technology has a negative or positive affect on us is our doing and of our making. We decide how we use it.