Technology and How It Connects the World

Teagan Drury
Period: B3
January 6, 2020

Some people feel that technology disconnects and isolates each other from the world, I

couldn’t disagree more. Many people use social media for the sole purpose to feel more

connected and involved. Social media had many forms. It takes place all over the internet and on

our phones, laptops, iPad, anywhere there is internet. And there are many apps that allow

humankind to connect such as, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. With all of these

social media apps people are able to post pictures or videos of whatever they want, text anyone

from around the world instantly, or put a message and movement out there.

To begin, technology connects us more then it disconnects us because it has the ability to

bring communities together. Leo Notenboom has used technology to connect his community

with a fun event he hosts in his fenced back yard, a corgi picnic party, where over 150 corgis and

owners alike come to interact and have some fun. But if it weren’t for social media then none of

it would be possible. He says, “These are events — in-person, real-world events — that would

not take place were it not for the technology that surrounds us today. The technology enabling

you to read this enables entirely new communities to form” (Notenboom, 2015). This community

of corgi lovers and owners would never have been able to have met such a grand amount of other

corgi owners if it weren’t for social media. Back in the day it would have been impossible to

connect to that many people and have them all meet.

 Additionally, technology has the power and influence to educate and inform people, to be

able to share their stories. How often do people hear about a big movement on the news? How

often do you get your news off of social media? In a study conducted in 2018, “About two thirds

of American adults (68%) say they at least occasionally get news on social media” (Pew

Research Center, 2018). But social media doesn’t only give people the power to stay informed

and educated, it also gives people a voice and a platform for a movement and protests. The me

too movement started on social media as a hashtag, and if it weren’t for social media then the

movement wouldn’t be as big as it is today, “In less than six months, because of the viral #me-

too hashtag, a vital conversation about sexual violence has been thrust into the national dialogue.

What started as local grassroots work has expanded to reach a global community of survivors

from all walks of life and helped to de-stigmatize the act of surviving by highlighting the breadth

and impact of a sexual violence worldwide” (https://metoomvmt.org/about/). Social media is and

technology give a platform for voice and reason.

Lastly, technology gives most people around the world the capability to connect and

message each other instantly. Assuming someone has Wi-Fi or phone service which most people

do, then you can send a text and the receiver will obtain that message instantly with very little

delay. However, if you lived in the year 1860 you likely sent your messages through the Pony

Express, and it most likely took weeks or even months for your message to be read. And then

that much time again for you to receive a response. From personal experience I know that

whenever I send a message if the person is active, I will get a text back instantly. Everyone is

always on technology and ready to reply. If I post something anyone across the world could be

able to see that post instantly. Technology allows us to connect instantly and at a speed

previously never imagined.

 Some might say that technology isolates people and disconnects them from the world.

However, to that, people isolate people, not the technology. Notenboom even claims that, “I

honestly don’t ‘get’ the concern that technology is somehow isolating. As I sit here behind my

computer, I feel more connected than I ever would have had computers and the internet never

been born. I interact with more people on a daily basis - online and in person - than I ever could

have in previous decades” (Notenboom, 2015). Technology connects people much quicker and

easier, however some people don’t understand how it connects people and that can confuse them

and make them think social media is a bad thing. And while its not the same face to face

interaction as many believe to be connecting people, it’s a different form of interaction that

allows people to always be talking to someone and always have a friend.

In conclusion, social media connects people all around the world to a higher level than it

ever has, social media has the ability to bring communities together, technology has the power to

inform people and educate them and give people a voice, and it connects people instantly. Many

people use social media and technology to feel more connected. These ways of connecting us are

easily accessible and everywhere we look. It can be found in every corner. Some people will

argue that technology can isolate people from the world, but that couldn’t be more fake. The

simple fact is that social media and technology connects everyone more than it ever has.