Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to grow up in the time period of a parent or even a grandparent? In some instances the similarities are few and far between. It is true that this generation is the generation of technology. Technology is one of the great enhancements of the 21st century. It has its obvious benefits; however, the question is it causing more harm than we are aware of?
The articles Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Downtime, and An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness, both gave inside information that may or may not surprise you about the world of technology we live in today. When I think of technology I think of computers, cell phones, and iPods. To me all of these devices do two things. They keep the user busy or occupied, and they keep the user connected to peers. Both of these functions seem to be good argument for using this technology. For example, it is a known fact that this generation is the generation of easy communication. I always thought this was a good thing. Another thing these technologies have done accomplished is taking away boredom. If one is bored in today's generation is sign on to Facebook, listen to music, or text. I did not originally think any of these habits were bad habits; however, these two articles persuaded me otherwise.
The articles brought a few concepts to my attention, which I found interesting. First, I never realized how little free time I actually had. Let me define free time by the descriptions used in the articles. Free time is a time completely uninvolved in the world in which you are in a state of mind focused on reflections; at no point are you on a phone, texting, listening to music, or on the computer. I cannot recall any point in my day where my down time is not used to either relax in front of the TV, or listening to my ipod.
According to these articles this is a problem with the upcoming generation. We are not using our minds enough, there is little creativity going on, and our brain is constantly being over stimulated. I can clearly see how over stimulating our brains is a concern. Our brain does need down time. I believe that the lack of rest to our brain is why we are seeing an increase illnesses and problems such as stress and ADD. Too much stimulation to our brains can be bad. Reading these articles have made me aware that technology is one factor leading to the problem. Although I do not believe regression in technology is the answer, people must monitor how much of their spare time is spent gazing at a screen.
Articles:
* "Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime"
* "An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness"
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