A few days ago there was an all-school workshop about technology and its influence in the lives of teens, and I thought that it led to interesting discussion. Today, our generation of teens takes all of the technologies we have (internet, phones, television, etc.) for granted, when even in our parents' generation they hardly had any of the technology that we do now. Technology has evolved rapidly to become a major part of our lives, but it has developed its pros and cons, as well. During the workshop, my teacher had us compile a list of the pros and cons of modern technology on teenagers, and here is a small example of what we came up with:
PROS:
easier communication with others
entertainment
easier to find information
CONS:
online predators
weaker face-to-face communication skills
"sexting"
I think that there can be very valid arguments made for the pros and cons of modern technology. Although it has its negative side, technology has become such a vast part of our lives that it is pretty much impossible to eliminate. The best way to live with it is just to regulate our usage and to make sure that we use these technologies in appropriate ways.
So, what do you think? Do the pros outweigh the cons?
4 comments:
I wish I could've been here for this workshop. I was presenting down in New Orleans. It would've been a great discussion to have with students. In my opinion, yes, the pros outweigh the cons. Mostly because I feel more connected to my family, but for many other reasons, as well. Thanks for sharing!
Jen, this is a really important topic that everyone should be aware of. In my opinion, the pros do outweigh the cons, but the cons are definitely valid. Our use of technology has allowed us to become more productive, to become more organized, and to connect with many, many other people, and it is for these reasons why I think technology has helped and will continue to help our lives. However, it must be said that although technology definitley improves our lives, it does, in terms of communication, weaken the human-to-human bond. That is, by texting and emailing, we weaken our personal connections to other people and rely on a less personal means of communication. But still, I am a fan of technology!
I definitely believe that the pros overcome the cons. I have also noticed that older generations are now adapting to fit the age of technology into their own lives (for example my mom just got a facebook.....ew...). I think that new technology is going to be a part of our lives until the day we die, however I think there needs to be a better balance of computer vs non-computer time. If not, we might turn out like the humans in the disney movie Wall-E haha
I feel like technology has made huge advancements just in our lifetime and while valuable, has some very serious downsides. I'm not sure which outweighs the other, pros or cons, but I think the safety issue is something that everyone needs to be made aware of.
Post a Comment