Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Marissa Mondin
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
02/16/16
Topic Proposal: How has technology affected the make up of the millennials?
Introduction/Overview
I will be exploring how the increase of technological advances has affected the
millennials psychological make-up. There are opposing views on technology already, but I am
looking deeper into the facts, in how it truly affects the minds of these individuals. Many people
think, the more technology the better, whereas others believe it has, taken over the world.
Neither opinion is wrong or unjust it just leaves opportunity for bias which gets tricky. My plan
is to research how certain technologies such as TV, computers, cellphones, and videogames have
affected certain things such as the brain, social skills, and relationships.
In the beginning of my research of this topic, I chose to research how these technologies
have negatively affected the generation first and was surprised how popular the topic is in
todays talk. Weve come to lose track of just how much these technologies take up so much of
our time so easily. The newest research from Kaiser Family Foundation in late 2009, showed that
the average American spends about 10 hours and 45 minutes a day plugged in, using a cellphone,
playing videogames, watching TV, or using their computer! The downside to this is the
neurological functions of these peoples brains look as though there is less firing between
neurotransmitters in the pre-frontal cortex, which is the boss-man of the brain. It is the part of the
brain responsible for the kinds of things that make us adaptable in the world.
Similarly, in the pre-frontal cortex is where we develop empathy and emotion. As we
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tune more into screens and less into people, not only are we getting less face-to-face social time,
but were also wiring the brain to be less adaptable. If we vaccinate ourselves to extreme images
on screen, it also drains the brains tendency to seek out real-life situations. Thats border-line
the definition of Schizophrenia: withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy.
These findings bring up suspicious questions such as: If Im only connected 8 hours a
day am I still affected to the same extent? Can I become Schizophrenic if Im on my phone too
much? These are all questions coming to my mind as well, and I plan to find the answers.
I have talked to a lot of people about my topic, asking questions and asking opinions on
making my topic more specific. I have read some articles and papers online on various websites,
but am still searching through reliable resources. I have found much information, though am
weary about some sites and dont want to pose false information about the positive affects I have
found. Most of the affects I have found are opinion-based which I am trying to stray from.
What are the long-term effects of living in a technological world? Are these mostly
negative or positive?
To what extent is the development of new technologies having a negative effect?
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how it has affected me, but I would like to get a more holistic approach on the topic in general
and how it affects more than just my emotions and actions. I know some negative affects of
technology overuse from my family members as well as me sometimes. I know how it has lead
to miscommunication within my relationships and family. I also know I am one person, and not
enough to state a point of whether this is a global issue of the whole millennials or its more
positively affected us. I hope to learn more about the statistical facts of this topic globally, to
generate a well-rounded consensus . I hope to learn more about how these issues affect the actual
human mind and body as a whole and how that whole is changing our generation.
Next Steps
I plan to find search for articles, magazine entries, psychological research studies, and
medical papers in the hope of finding ways f supporting my positive and negative sides
FACTUALLY with as much detail as possible. I also plan to use our library on campus because I
have searched for books and articles on the subject and have found a wide variety of papers to
which could be helpful! Im not sure if this is a reliable source, but I also plan to interview
people or rather as them a few questions and create a consensus of my own town on their ideas
of certain views. Hopefully with my factual research and intimate research of my peers, I can
create an informative and true paper.