Technology: how it Benefits our Lives

In an article published by Pew Research Center, and written by the associate director Kristen Purcell who carries a Ph.D. in Sociology, she states, “The Internet and digital technologies such as social networking sites, cell phones, and texting, generally facilitate teen’s personal expressions and creativity, broadening the audience for their written material, and encouraging teens to write more often in more formats than many have been in the case of prior generations,” (Purcell). Our lives have been greatly affected by technological advances, and we may not realize how much we really utilize the benefits that technology provides us with.

Technology has been beneficial to our society in the field of education, in our social interactions, and continues to advance as time goes on. The benefits that it provides to the world definitely outweighs any obstacles that it may hold.

Technology has had a positive impact in education. The development of technology provides educators and students with tools that allow for more advanced and helpful learning techniques. For example, in a study by Pew Research Center where Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers were surveyed on how today’s digital tools affect student writing, it was found that “96% agree that digital technologies “allow students to share their work with a wider and more varied audience,” 77% agree that these tools “encourage greater collaboration among students,” and 78% agree that digital technologies “encourage student creativity and personal expression,” (Purcell). The combined impact of these outcomes produced from using technology shows that there is a greater investment among students in what they write, and allows for greater engagement in the process. Technology opens up a broad selection of sources and tools that make it easier to learn, and in my opinion as a student myself, more motivation to want to succeed. Throughout my time of schooling, technology has made things like creating presentations more interesting, studying more useful and easily understood, and learning more exciting.

Technology allows for us to be able to easily communicate with people around the globe. Being able to have the opportunity to communicate with others at our fingertips makes for a wider audience to view writings, and to be able to engage and collaborate with others. For example, the development of social networking has allowed easily accessible ways of communication, and through that, we are allowed the access to more content and material for personal use and use in the classroom. In an article published by The Atlantic, and written by Nicholas Carr, an American writer who has published books and articles on technology, business, and culture, he states that “Even when I’m not working, I’m as likely as not to be foraging in the Web’s info-thickets ‘reading and writing e-mails, scanning headlines and blog posts, watching videos and listening to podcasts, or just tripping from link to link to link… the Net is becoming a universal medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind. The advantages of having immediate access to such an incredibly rich store of information are many, and they’ve been widely described and duly applauded,” (Carr). There is clearly a greater ability to keep up with learning tools and techniques, as well as to stay up-to-date with things happening in the world around us.

Often, technology gets a bad rap, but it actually provides us with a more broad and advanced way to teach, learn, and communicate. For example, Carr states, “The easy assumption that we’d all be “better off” if our brains were supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence is the output of a mechanical process, a series of discrete steps that can be isolated, measures, and optimized,” (Carr). Carr brings up the frightening thought of technology basically taking over. However, Carr’s skepticisms, and skepticisms such as Socrates’ concerns about written language and the 15th-century editor, Squarciafico’s concerns about printed works failed to anticipate the benefits that technology might hold for human knowledge.

Technology has been, and will continue to be beneficial to our society in the field of education, in our social interactions, and continues to advance over time. Technology has opened doors for both teachers and students, and has contributed many good things to our day-to-day lives. We are given things like ore social interaction through social networking, tools that make teaching and learning more interesting and understandable, and has made us eager to see what else technology will have to offer. Despite some challenges technology causes us to face, the benefits that it provides to the world definitely outweighs any obstacles it holds.

Works Cited

1. Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 13 June, 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/.
2. Thompson, Clive. “Public Thinking.” Smarter Than You Think, The Penguin Group, 2013, pp.45-83.
3. Purcell, Kristen, et al. “The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing Is Taught in Schools.”
4. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 12 Feb. 2014, www.pewinternet.org/2013/07/16/the-impact-of-digital-tools-on-student-writing-and-how-writing-is-taught-in-schools/.        

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