Eyes up, the world is passing.

 

 

                  There is no doubt that technology improves daily life in many aspects, but at what cost do these improvements come? With the emergence of newer and newer technologies, which demand more and more of our time, we become less affable in all social aspects of life. Its this type of social ineptitude that can prevent us from chance encounters, those of which could be as simple as saying hi to a stranger, to as meaningful as a lifelong friend or partner. Of course, the latter is an unlikely case when it comes to chance encounters, but the mere possibility is enough take your eyes off the screen. 

                  I took a class recently that asked each student to document the hours that they spent looking at a screen over a four week period and the results were eye opening. For me, if it were just time spent looking at a phone screen, my results wouldn't have been off the charts in any way, but the assignment specifically stated that all screen time must be monitored. When you think about it, there's really not much time spent in a day in which you aren't looking at some sort of screen. To put things in perspective, when sitting in class, attention is usually drawn to a powerpoint, when at home, TV's or computers are usually the focal point, and phones are used everywhere in-between. Screens truly are everywhere, and as technologies develop, its almost impossible not to let them encompass daily life.

                  It would be unfair though, to not list at least some benefits that screens and technology present in modern life, one of the most obvious being the speed and efficiency at which news is transmitted, in this way, we can stay up to date on almost everything we want to know, and on a bigger scale, lives can be saved. Technology truly can connect us with others around the world too, it opens new portals that would usually go unnoticed, it can make an average person's life infinitely better in a few seconds, these are just a few examples, but it really goes to show the impact that technology can have on anyone.

                 Technology plays a major role in just about everything in our modern society, and for better or worse, its here to stay. There are countless upsides and downsides when it comes to technology, but what it really comes down to is how you choose to use it.