Is technology ruining society?

[Bidoof FTW]

Yes, this video may be an exaggeration of what goes on society, but the basis is still somewhat true. Social media and electronic communication really seems to have changed society and how people communicate. Do you think that how often people use smartphones and social media in public is unhealthy and ruining real life communication?

 

[Bounsweet]

I remember seeing that video a while ago when it was first published and my opinion on it hasn't changed much: it's ignorant.

I met my boyfriend online, and the Internet has helped me see more of the world through the easy interaction with people of other countries. It's not ruining society in any way, but it is changing it. Though I do think that children should not be given tablets and cell phones to distract them/keep them out of their parent's hair, and that they should be spending much more time outside and in nature, but that's my style.

It can't be ignored that technology has grown more in the past couple decades than pretty much throughout most of recorded history, so it's hard to predict how this will affect future generations, hell even Generation Z.

 

[S u m m e r y]

I think they have it's pros and cons, but the video is really generalizing it and exaggerating it more than required. Yes there are certain sections of people (like me) who are overly reliant on technology, chatting or surfing the internet the whole day. But saying that it's bad for the society is stupid. Look at social media, it is the IT thing today and will be in the coming generations. It might hamper social skills for an Individual but it's not bad for the society, ultimately it has it pros and cons.

 

[BrandoSheriff]

I first saw this video when it came out, and it got me interested in the subject of technology and its effect on society. I actually believe that while most forms of technology (smartphones, social media, etc.) have caused a whole lot of good, there are some negative side-effects to it, one of which is the decline of face-to-face communication, which has been declining since 2010. I've included an essay I wrote for my English class last semester pertaining to this topic if anyone's interested in reading it.

So yes, I'm with S u m m e r y on this, in that technology has its pros and cons, but it isn't exactly destroying our society (for now).

 

[Keiran]

People were doing the same thing with the printing press..newspapers in the early 1900s ...and TVs when they were new....literally any medium that brings information to you is gonna get treated this way 'cause it fills the void of doing nothing.

Honestly the only thing smartphones have done to "ruin" society is introduce Texting & Driving.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

No, it is not ruining society. Technology is causing society to pace faster and faster.

I think that the one dangerous thing that technology does is that it harms our health in the sense that it requires us to be much faster than what we are used to, but outside of that, it's not dangerous in of itself.

 

[AFeralFurry]

What's wrong with society is people, not technology. The technology only makes it more obvious that people are an issue, and society doesn't want to believe that they're the problem, so, like society has done for time immemorial, it blames something else. Music, video games, phones, whatever takes the blame off of the real issue, people themselves.

Just my two cents, though.

 

[Dazel]

There's not actually anything wrong with technology in and of itself; in fact, technology is literally nothing but a benefit to society. However, the fact is that human beings are just awful at taking things in moderation, and this is true with technology as well.

 

[Mark Kamill]

Its not. Its allowed us to make tremendous breakthroughs in medicine, has allowed the world to be connected in a way previous generations never imagined, and overall has enhanced our way of life in a way that will never be seen again in a long time. However, with the speed of technology there comes a huge paywall being put up, which 3rd world countries can afford, let alone most of the 1st world population. Society will not be ruined by it directly in the future, but the cost of this technology certainly will.

 

[Livewire]

The problem isn't so much the technology but the misuse and abuse of that technology by people. Yes, some games, apps, etc., can be "addicting" and hard to put down, but remember it's up to the person to have the willpower to put the thing down and take a break from the technology every now and then.

 

[twocows]

The only problem I've noticed is people using technology at rude or inappropriate times, like while driving or in a conversation with someone else.

The video's a bunch of nonsense. Talking with people is easier than ever. So what if it's not face to face? Faces aren't the point of communicating, the exchange of ideas and information is. I say this as someone who does both face to face and online communication in roughly equal measure.

 

[Ivysaur]

This video starts from the assumption that face-to-face communication is better and preferable to online interactions in every way, which is not true. It also implies that online interactions are weaker, more superficial, and that IRL interactions are "superior".

I think that both ways to relate to other people are equally as valid, and the Internet allows us to create some relationships that couldn't have possibly existed otherwise, and that couldn't have been replaced IRL. I could have more friends around here (except I'm a big introvert so probably without internet I'd have the same amount of IRL friends I currently do, but zero online ones- hurray for socialization!), but that would not make up for meeting people from different cultures, countries and races I can't find around here. And widening your horizons, even if it's online, helps you develop your mind much more than having three more friends from your neighbourhood.

 

[Oryx]

This video starts from the assumption that face-to-face communication is better and preferable to online interactions in every way, which is not true. It also implies that online interactions are weaker, more superficial, and that IRL interactions are "superior".

I think that both ways to relate to other people are equally as valid, and the Internet allows us to create some relationships that couldn't have possibly existed otherwise, and that couldn't have been replaced IRL. I could have more friends around here (except I'm a big introvert so probably without internet I'd have the same amount of IRL friends I currently do, but zero online ones- hurray for socialization!), but that would not make up for meeting people from different cultures, countries and races I can't find around here. And widening your horizons, even if it's online, helps you develop your mind much more than having three more friends from your neighbourhood.

I'm not sure I agree that both are equally valid in the world we're in today - but I think we're moving towards a world where they will be. When we look for a job, we still go on face-to-face interviews. We still interact with customers, on the phone or in person. We still have meetings. A person that never developed the skills to interact in person because they only interact with people online will be hamstrung when they go to look for a job. But I think we're moving towards work where we may not ever interact with a person face-to-face - at my job my supervisor works from home unless absolutely necessary so we rarely interact face-to-face, and only one person of my 6-person team is in my building and we never meet in person. I'm in a unique position in a specific profession though, and it's not common at this point in time to be in a position where you'll rarely interact face-to-face with anyone at all.

Lacking the skills gained from interacting with people online may result in a more negative experience when you send emails, but no one tests how comfortable you are interacting online before work. Since a huge amount of people, especially older people, don't have these skills, it's given more of a pass than lacking face-to-face skills.

I'm not saying at all that online skills are useless, but that from at least that perspective, face-to-face skills are more useful. And the way you develop skills is...to use them. In the future, more workplaces will certainly move to be like mine (although I doubt that interviews will ever be over IM or email by default), but at this point in time the face-to-face skills are much more helpful in the workplace, a place we spend a great deal of our lives, than online communication skills.

 

[Dr. Wiggles]

So we're gonna blame objects for our choices? You can choose not to revolve your life around technology. Does it ruin society? Not necessarily, I think it makes the world go at a faster pace which is optimal. The people who can't moderately control how much time they invest into objects, ruins society.

 

[maccrash]

I find it frustrating when I'm with friends and they're all on their phones as opposed to giving me attention I WANT ATTENTION but other than that technology is okay; but it does make me feel like more of a drone. still, we wouldn't be anywhere near as advanced as we are today without it and I wouldn't be here, typing this reply without it so it's done some good.

it's not ruining society or anything, no. at this point we're so reliant on it, it would be more devastating if it were all removed.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I find it frustrating when I'm with friends and they're all on their phones as opposed to giving me attention I WANT ATTENTION but other than that technology is okay; but it does make me feel like more of a drone. still, we wouldn't be anywhere near as advanced as we are today without it and I wouldn't be here, typing this reply without it so it's done some good.

it's not ruining society or anything, no. at this point we're so reliant on it, it would be more devastating if it were all removed.

Good point. I think that's probably one of the biggest pet-peeves some people have towards technology. I have been on both sides of that xD.
Technology isn't bad on it's own. But, it is changing the way society works, as well as possibly our brains (similar to (it's believed) how writing, and the clock changed how people viewed the world when those were created).

 

[Oryx]

Good point. I think that's probably one of the biggest pet-peeves some people have towards technology. I have been on both sides of that xD.
Technology isn't bad on it's own. But, it is changing the way society works, as well as possibly our brains (similar to (it's believed) how writing, and the clock changed how people viewed the world when those were created).

Do you have some source on the clock? Not that I don't believe you, but I haven't heard that before and that sounds absolutely fascinating.

 

[obZen]

Look Up is the most overrated video in the history of the internet.
First of all, the "points" brought up in that video are all things that every SHOULD have already had thought about.

Next, really? I'm gonna randomly say hi to this person while we walk in different directions? No, it doesn't work that way, not in NY.

What I do hate about technology (well, how people use it) is that everyone gets drowned in it
During the summer, everyone just sat around watching [insert Netflix show here], and I'm sitting around wanting to play basketball or something.
Also, online match dating has worked well overall, but I think it's absurd that I've heard people go, "I have a boyfriend!" but have NEVER MET.

I'm mixed on this topic. I had a debate in COM 100 about this, and there were people who claimed that they can live digitally. One classmate said that he can work from home, socialise with people online, get a virtual hug, and order food. However, I'm one who needs to get out of the damn house and go for a nice walk every once and a while.
Maybe I'm a minority in this

 

[Centipede Chan]

In some ways yes, but mostly on the younger population (21 and under). With Twitter, Instagram, and all that hashtagging and bad grammar, it really shows how lazy people can be. The excuse "Not in school so I can type however" pretty much translates to "I'm a lazy butt face with few to no signs of intelligence."

On the other hand it's a pretty helpful thing, especially for schools. Dropbox for example lets me take my 3D models from home (I hate having to transfer USBs in my sculpture class's computers) and sync right to the computer in school. Pretty freaking great and efficient.

I'm mixed on this topic. I had a debate in COM 100 about this, and there were people who claimed that they can live digitally. One classmate said that he can work from home, socialise with people online, get a virtual hug, and order food. However, I'm one who needs to get out of the damn house and go for a nice walk every once and a while.
Maybe I'm a minority in this

As much as I love sitting around I feel the same way about getting out to walk once in a while. I can just hardly sit still for an anime episode I want to watch.

 

[Nah]

In some ways yes, but mostly on the younger population (21 and under).

When I read that, 2 thoughts went through my mind:
1) Well damn, I just barely dodged a bullet there since i just turned 22 less than a week ago
2) I'ma so old ;_;

But in all seriousness, I don't think that there's anything wrong with technology itself. Stupid and lazy people have existed since the beginning of humanity, so it's not like all out fancy gadgets have suddenly made us all dumbasses. Last I checked there were still some intelligent people in the world. It's just more visible these days; information travels a million times faster than it did a century ago. Perhaps it's just that technology is outpacing the speed at which humans are willing to adapt and change (which is pretty slow if you ask me)?

Also, does anyone else find it a bit ironic (or whatever the correct word would be) that we're having a discussion about whether or not technology is ruining society but are using said technology to have the discussion?