Christina Oswald

Professor Sotirakopulos

Honors English 1102

20 February 2018

Technology’s Effect on Humanity

Advancements in technology have grown exponentially over the last twenty years.

Humans’ dependence on technology has also followed a similar pattern. It is often thought that

technology is taking over our lives; however, is this increased use of technology detrimental to

humanity?

Stefana Broadbent, a cognitive scientist, expresses some of the benefits of the use of

technology in the workplace and in schools. Broadbent explains that technology has often been

removed from these public spheres usually because employers or teachers do not want their

employees or students slacking on the job or in the classroom. However, limiting a person’s use

of technology (more specifically their phones) can inhibit a “greater possibility of intimacy.” In

other words, Broadbent claims that cellphone use during work or school can improve

relationships due to a continuous conversation. A major part of being human is social interaction.

Even though friends and family may be apart, they will be able to continue talking to each other.

On the other hand, many believe that employees and students will not be able to stop using their

phones when they should be working. This is the common assumption of most; however, jobs

and schools oftentimes have idle time. Although there are a few that will take advantage of

cellphone use, the majority of people will only use their phones when they have free time. By

completely taking away someone’s phone, employees and students will have no contact with

their private spheres and eliminate the chances of greater intimacy with someone.
 In her piece, “Does Texting Affect Writing?”, Michaela Cullington summarizes the

effects of texting on the writing of high school students. The most common form of

communication between high schoolers is texting, and this form of communication contains

many abbreviations. For example, some people use “thru” instead of “through.” Many assume

that using this short-hand jargon negatively effects one’s writing. Since communication is such a

necessary part of being a human, writing that makes sense to the reader is just as necessary.

Cullington, however, found that “texting is not interfering with students’ use of standard written

English and has no effect on their writing abilities in general” (370). Cullington uses her own

research and observations along with expert research to conclude this. Even though high

schoolers use abbreviations when they text, “none of them believed texting abbreviations were

acceptable in formal writing” (368). Some students did confess to using abbreviations in their

formal writing, but they would catch the mistake before turning in the assignment. Students

know that texting language is only appropriate when they text. That means that the standard for

written English remains the same, and proper communication will continue to happen.

The exponential increase of technology use over time may have its negatives. Nicholas

Carr explores one of these negatives in his piece “Is Google Making Us Stupid,”. Carr believes

that relying so heavily on Google, people do not retain as much information. He also believes

that people have a shorter attention span. The Internet is filled with so much information. Carr

expresses that “[his] mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a

swiftly moving stream of particles” (315). Rather than deeply reading something, Carr, along

with colleagues that express the same grievances, loses concentration quickly and skims through

readings. This can be seen as a negative, but this is the world we live in. Technology is steeply

advancing every year. At this point, there is no turning back. Today’s society lives in a time
where technology is embedded in our daily lives. Retaining information is, for the most part,

unnecessary because there is quick access to any information on the internet. Continuing to

implement technology into people’s daily lives, allows people to work in a society centered

around technology. In a way, people are working smarter rather than harder.

Technology may seem like it is taking over our lives, but there are ways to implement

into society without diminishing humanity. Technology is something that will continue to grow.

People may take advantage of cellphone use as work or use “thru” in an essay, but as of now,

those are not major problems. Allowing technology to become a part of daily life helps people

stay connected with one another and work efficiently in a tech-oriented world.
 Works Cited

Broadbent, Stefana. "How the Internet enables intimacy." TED. July 2009. Lecture.

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” They Say / I Say, 3rd ed., W.W. Norton &

Company, 2017, pp. 313-329.

Cullington, Michaela. “Does Texting Affect Writing?” They Say / I Say, 3rd ed., W.W. Norton

& Company, 2017, pp. 361-372.