In Response to Social Media and Us

I found this post very interesting, and all though I agree that there are some advantages to having almost every answer to most of our questions at the tip of our fingers, I would have to respectfully disagree on how the author of this post goes into defending technology.

    As I mentioned earlier, I agree full heartedly that technology is very helpful to us and frankly has become a part of our everyday lives. But I can also argue that the fact that we depend so much on technology leaves us at a disadvantage. Simple yet important tasks such as reading a clock, writing letters, and even doing simplistic mathematical calculations are things that most  people don’t do anymore and that some people can’t do at all.

    One argument that was made in the post was that the media and technology helps our generation communicates better. A statement that I disagree with full hearty. Our generation is probably the worst at communicating because of how much we rely on technology. If you you’ve ever found yourself texting a friend that you are at their door instead of simply knocking on the door, you’ve just proven my point. We are so used to the simplest forms of communication that we barely even use words anymore. Emojis has now become the new way that young adults communicate amount each other. I find it fascinating when people have Internet friends for years  that they’ve never actually spoken to in person. I find it even more fascinating that two people can sit right next to each other or in the same room and text back and forth instead of verbally communicating. It is not uncommon to have a group of friends go to dinner or hang out together and stay on their phone the entire time instead of enjoying each other’s company.

    One of the biggest skills that employers look for when hiring a potential employee is their communication skill, yet it is a skill that most of us lack. Although the Internet allows us to network on a bigger spectrum, so does face to face interaction. Truth to be told, one can easily pick up photography skills from talking to someone in person as they can online. One can easily learn about fashion, makeup, and healthy hacks from interacting with someone as they can online. The idea that without the Internet, we human beings would fall to ashes is ludicrous. Generations of people have done it before us, therefore we can as well. There use to be a time where you had to interact with people face to face in order to network and gain information. I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it, I am not against technology or social media, but I also don’t think that it is absolutely crucial to our lives. I strongly believe that there are ways in which we can utilize technology without giving up other essential skills. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It can be both!

    Sure you can go online and learn about photography, but you can also do so by talking to photography professors around your local areas and college. You can do so by going to museums and art shows. Lincoln has a studio called Art & Soul where you can take cooking classes, art classes, and be in an environment full of inspiration and interesting people. Instead of going online to learn about fashion and makeup, you can take a textile class, or ask a friend who is really good at makeup to teach you a trick or two. Not only will you be learning something new, but it will give you the chance to bond with that friend. Instead of going online to learn about staying healthy, you can go to the Rec and talk to the personal trainers or take classes. You can work out by yourself and if you can’t afford to spend the money, you can take advantages of the free classes and event that they offer.

    Technology isn’t everything. We are naturally social creatures and we thrive on human interaction, hence, it make no sense to deprive ourselves of that.