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Peter Lawal
Oct. 24, 2018
5th Block
Major Assignment #2: Synthesis Essay

We once lived in a time where technology was nonexistent and society worked

everything out manually. Now technology has been on the forefront of our society for several

decades. Ever since the first computer was developed we have continued to make innovations

that have allowed humanity to evolve in different aspects of life. As a society we are now able to

interact with each other in an entirely different capacity using digital formats such as social

media, instant messaging, video calls, and emails. Advancements in technology has also changed

the way we learn and think due to the fact that it is constantly improving. In spite of large

progressions technology has granted society, it has also relinquished some of the necessities

needed to be well-versed people.

Before technology society faced a dilemma of being able to communicate with each other

efficiently and properly. During those times writing pen and paper letters was the normal way of

communication. The problem with that method was the enormous amount of time consumed to

write a letter, as well as to receive them back. In "Interface Culture: How New Technology

Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate," Steven Johnson explains the inconvenience

of writing with pen and paper. "There is none of the easy flow with word processor, just a kind

of drudgery, running against the thick grain of habit"(Johnson). Consequently, emailing, instant

messaging, and video calling were created to eliminate the flaws of writing a letter. Despite this,

efficiency is not the only way technology has improved human communication. According to

Kevin J. Delaney in "Teaching Tools," "educators are now able to communicate with parents and

students in ways they have never before." In other words technology has enhanced the landscape
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in which people are able to communicate with each other. Without the digital platforms that

people are able to communicate on society as a whole would be constrained due to the lack of

familiarity with one another.

Additionally, technology has transformed the way people in today's society learn. Society

lives in the Digital Era where paperback books are starting to become obsolete and online

textbooks are the norm. According to Arthur Rotstein, "Students at Empire High School started

the class this year with no textbook, but it wasn't because of a funding crisis. Instead the school

issued iBooks and laptop computers by Apple Computer Inc." The trend followed by Empire

High School has been rapidly growing through the years not only allowing the students but the

teachers to be more interactive with the topics taught in class. Furthermore, with the continuous

innovations in technology more jobs that require critical thinking and problem solving from

people are being created. Technology has also impacted creativity by giving artists and students

more platforms to express themselves. Humanities brains have evolved and will continue to

evolve as a result of technology and its innovations.

While technology has positively impacted the capacity of human interactions, it has also

had negative ramifications on human contact with the physical world. In El Universal Cagle

Cartoons, Angel Boligan depicts a picture of a child watching the outside world on a television

instead of experiencing it outside. The picture symbolizes the problem society has with children

in today's world. Children would rather stay inside and play video games or watch television,

rather than going outside to experience the world for themselves. Additionally technology has

taken away from physical connections needed for true intimacy and kinship. For instance, online

dating determines compatibility between partners from algorithms, however these algorithms do

not account for the complexity of human emotions. Furthermore social media has clouded
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society's perception of what a genuine relationship truly embodies. Connection to the physical

world is essential for humanity to not only build lasting bonds but to create memorable moments

throughout life.

Although technology has improved the way we learn it is causing regressions in the way

we process information. Esther Dyson points out how video games, flashing screens, and images

can negatively affect children's informational metabolism. This will ultimately cause children to

lose key skills that will be imperative for their learning. Likewise constant technological

innovations have allowed people to do less than they have been required to do in the past. Steven

Johnson explains in "Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create

and Communicate" that as a child he had no objections to writing manually, but as technology

improved he found the skill to be unnecessary. Hence the trend shown that society is becoming

accustomed to letting computers do more of the work while they are becoming more lethargic.

The internet is a gateway to information for society, however people have a hard time

determining which information is right and which is wrong. David Gelernter argues the same

point in "Should Schools Be Wired To The Internet?" by explaining how the abundance of

uncensored information on the internet causes American students to lack the proper literary

collection of novels and information necessary to be successful in the core subjects of education.

As technology continues to shorten the brain's attention span and ability to decipher what

information is important humanities ability to process data will inturn decline.

There is no doubt that technological advances has impacted our society. The way we

interact and the evolution of our brain has forever been changed positively and negatively. The

landscape of people throughout the world that we are able to communicate with has expanded

enormously due to technology. However we ignore the benefits human connections has on us by
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failing to realize that technology can not simulate the uncontrolled variables that occur on a daily

basis in reality. Moreover creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking are essential for any

individual to learn. Technology has heightened these skills by giving students resources that can

aid in their progression through them. Nevertheless with video games, television, and the

complex web of information on the internet our brains are becoming more distracted causing us

to think slower. I believe technology is a necessity for the growth of society as whole, but

unnecessary for the development of the individual.

Works Cited

Boligan, Angel. Cartoon. El Universal [Mexico City]. Cagle Cartoons, 9 Jan. 2008. Web. 17

Aug. 2009.

Delaney, Kevin J. "Teaching Tools." Wall Street Journal 17 Jan. 2005: R4. Print
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Dyson, Esther. Untitled essay. What we Believe But We Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers

on Science in the Age of Certainty. Ed. John Brockman. New York: Harper, 2006. 192-

194. Print.

Gelernter, David. "Should Schools Be Wired To The Internet?" Time. Time Inc., 25 May 1998.

Web. 18 Aug. 2006.

Johnson, Steven. Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and

Communicate. New York: Basic, 1999. Print.

Rotstein, Arthur H. "Books Are Out, iBooks Are In for Students at Arizona High School." St.

Louis Post-Dispatch 19 Aug. 2005: C2. Print.