Salazar 1

Arturo Salazar

Professor Kade Parry

English 1010

27 July 2014

Cyber world, reality vs. digitalization.

Technology is the fastest medium of communication perhaps the most used, the benefits are clear
the speed of communication the easy share of information by using social media connecting and
reconnecting with friends, but we need to know the dangers of sharing to much and who is getting
this valuable information. Education has always been linked to technology the faster and more
accessible education is the better, however are students and teachers aware of how dependable and
effortless education using technology has become, students are digitally educated however
students are unable to apply education to real life scenarios. To find a balance between technology
and life we have to look and understand how to apply its benefits and always try to reduce security
information risks and dependability on computers.

Technology has taken an important role in society, making communication more efficient. This
communication medium can be used for good or for bad. Sometimes being able to communicate
with such fast speed puts personal information at risk, at the same time monitoring technology
breaks privacy laws. Its important to be aware of both the pros and cons of technology as it


Salazar 2



develops throughout the years. Social media has brought families together, acquaintances to
friends, all with the click of a button, or search of a name. It has a huge impact on our societies
views of communication and development. New generations grow with a limitless sense of
communication. All of this is possible because of the use of technology. Technology has also
changed peoples image of how to educate and be educated. Many of our younger generations have
access to thousands of books, all that can be viewed by a single computing device holding endless
amounts of information. This accessibility to massive amounts of information has also completely
changed the way that younger generations learn and become educated. Some people feel that the
dependability on computers has gone over the limit and believe that at some point computers will
be smarter than humans. We are allowing this by feeding all the information to the machines. As
a computer science major, my main focus is controlling and developing new technologies making
technology essential within the workplace and at home, however users in general need to be able
to learn and be able to control its benefits to control it. Being educated with the pros and cons of
the advancement of technology will not only help people such as myself who are working
constantly in the field but to society as a whole.
Our world is slowly being taken over by social media. For some people social media has
been a blessing. Some have been able to re-connect with lost family, and friends, some have been
able to meet the love of their life, found jobs, all of which are wonderful things. Fist we need to
know what is the description of the term social network A social network, refers to a set of social


Salazar 3



units (individuals, groups, and so on) and the interrelationships among them.(Harvey, Kerric 122)
Many studies reveals the importance of interpersonal networks these networks have been studied
from the beginning of time giving people a sense of identification, social influence, social, trust,
knowledge and information, which area great characteristics to help improve the life style of the
community in general imagine Being able to find people with just the click of a button can
definitely be beneficial in those circumstances. Being able to just scroll through a dating profile
to see if you might like that person definitely has its benefits. No feeling awkward just striking up
a conversation with the person, not so hard to be rejected through an e-mail as it is face to face etc.
It also is so much easier to find a job due to technology. We can save so much time by searching
online for jobs, applying for them from the comfort of our homes without having to drive around
and meet the people first. Makes it better in the sense that employers cannot judge based off of
your looks but by the application itself. All of these can and have been good for a lot of people but
there are also bad things that come along with the good. All these social networks are filled with
self provided information and gives a strong line of information about the user making the
information exposed can have opposite effects on people that for it quick distribution it is almost
impossible to clear damages or risks social media modifies the tradition way of communication
and discovery, for example, yes it is nice to be able to re-connect with old friends via social media.
But how genuine is the connection? Ever since social media has become a booming thing its as if
people have lost all ability to communicate with words. Everywhere you look you see people with


Salazar 4



their phones glued to their hands. Women at the park with their children sitting on a bench scrolling
through their timeline missing out on the fun their kids are having alone. Mothers sitting next to
their daughters in the doctors office and not saying a single word to each other because they are
to busy sending lives to each other in candy crush saga. Family dinners are quiet, people do not
talk to each other while on an elevator. Its as if people forgot how to be nice to total strangers or
even to their family for that matter for example Common concerns about inappropriate network
use include students being distracted from instruction through their use of instant messaging and
social spaces, or worse, that these
activities could foster improper and dangerous behaviors, such as cyber bullying.( Robinson, L
69)
While online dating may be nice and comfortable, what is wrong with stepping outside of your
comfort zone and speaking with someone? Its really bad when you go on a first date and already
know everything about the person because its all posted on their timeline or you emailed back and
forth all of the questions you should be asking on the first date. So now the first date turns into a
quiet awkward meal because you already know everything about that person. The point is that
people have become so involved with this social media fade that we are losing the ability to
actually communicate with people. Our society has become addicted to this illusion of friends
and fun when really people and kids should be outside playing, meeting new people and finding
things to talk about, not just write back and forth. The key is control and we need to be aware of it


Salazar 5



Today individuals tend to pose the greatest danger in cyberspace, intelligence services, and
militaries increasingly penetrate information technology networks for espionage and influence.
(Cyberspace And National Security 3 ).
Companies that are part of social media or are always developing ways to protect their users
they have to use new techniques but keeping up wit security is hard as the danger for increases
with the size of the networks Atiya, Amir F., explains on his book based on network analysis
Network monitoring and protection often involve large-scale networks and many organizations.
For example, malware may exist at any network locations. Attacks and malicious scans may be
targeted at large-scale networks ( 63 )
Technology has also changed the views on how to educate and be educated,
40 years ago the only way to study was to find a book, read it and do well on a test. Now its as
easy as pulling out your smart phone, typing a few words and the answer is given to you right
away. Educators and students know hoe easy is to access any sort of database thinking that this
information is easy to obtain having a misperception the real value of data as is described
While this is convenient to most, is this learning? Kids are now using tablets as a notebook,
computers as books, cell phones for current events. Again while this may be convenient to
everybody is this the best way to learn? It seems as if anything and everything can be googled
and you will have the answer. In a college setting this may be beneficial as there is so much to be
done being a college student. But the trick with that is we (as adults) have already been educated


Salazar 6



on how to sit down and write a paper using a pencil and paper, we have had to actually sit and read
through book after book to be able to complete a single paper. Its as if all of the technology has
given kids and teachers an easier way to do things. The easiest way isnt always the best way
. Do we want our kids to be lazy and figure out the easiest way to get things done, or do we want
them to know how to do things the most efficient and best way to get things done? This is a
question that all educators and parents need to ask themselves before choosing how to educate
their students and children. Again control is the key, for example implementation of technology to
help kids with disabilities using Assistive Technology Device means any item, piece of
equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or
customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a
child with a disability.(Bugaj, Christopher R. 13 )

. Teach them how to be efficient and how to use a computer because of how much they will be
used in the future but also teach them the old fashioned ways so that they can know how to be
efficient in their work and know that not everything has to be easy. We want to teach them to be
hard workers not find the easy way out workers.





Salazar 7


Works Cited


Cyberspace And National Security : Threats, Opportunities, And Power In A Virtual World.
Washington: Georgetown Univ Press, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 29 July 2014.

Bugaj, Christopher R., Sally Norton-Darr, and Education International Society for Technology in.
The Practical (And Fun) Guide To Assistive Technology In Public Schools. Eugene, Or:
International Society for Technology in Education, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web.
29 July 2014.

Robinson, LeAnne, et al. Security Vs. Access : Balancing Safety And Productivity In The Digital
School. Eugene, Or: International Society for Technology in Education, 2010. eBook Collection
(EBSCOhost). Web. 29 July 2014.



Harvey, Kerric. Encyclopedia Of Social Media And Politics. Los Angeles: SAGE Reference, 2014.
eBook Collection (EBSCOhost


Atiya, Amir F., Ekrem Duman, and Press IOS. Use Of Risk Analysis In Computer-Aided
Persuasion. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 5 Aug. 2014.


Choi, Kyung-shick. Risk Factors In Computer-Crime Victimization. El Paso [Tex.]: LFB Scholarly
Pub, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 5 Aug. 2014.


Roach, Denise. Vulnerabilities : 79 Most Asked Questions: What You Need To Know. [Brisbane,
Australia]: Emereo, 2013. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 5 Aug. 2014.