According to Ullman, technology has had tremendous effects on human behavior. At the initial stages of technology, it was supposed to supplement human efforts in making tasks easier to carry out. However, technology has currently taken center stage in directing how we as human beings should behave. Likewise, technology has led to change of behavior in people such that what seemed strange in the past seems very normal today. Technology has also brought about distraction in people’s lives. To illustrate these effects, Ullman uses several examples. First, to demonstrate how technology has taken up the role of directing people’s actions, she uses the example of the balloon that appears at the right bottom side of the computer. The balloon carries the message ‘there are unused icons on your computer’, suggesting that it is high time to do something about it. Multitasking, which was not an attribute of a normal person sometimes ago is now taken to be very normal. Ullman refers to the 1976 movie, ‘the man who fell to earth’ to show how technology has changed people’s behavior. This character in the movie was depicted as ‘not being a human’ simply because he could watch undisturbed, multiple television sets. Today, people can eat, talk and drive at the same time. To show how technology has brought distraction to people’s lives, Ullman uses multiple advertisements that interface an interesting program to the viewers on a television set. He affirms that the episodes of the program are always disturbed by the occasional advertisements. On a more personal basis, technology has impacted me significantly. These impacts have made my life take a certain orientation that has helped to define my behavior.
Technology has affected my life by making me, dependant. I have always found it hard to do mathematics without a calculator. When it so happens that I have to do the calculations without it, I usually panic. This panic worsens the situation such that my confidence goes down. Without confidence, even those sums that I could have done without a calculator troubles me. My problems do not end there. My self-esteem falls as I tend to think that people will see me as stupid. Generally speaking, the problem of being dependent on technology such as this triggers many reactions and consequences in my life. The feeling of being inadequate hinders me from effectively pursuing my goals.
Technology has affected my social life in that it has made me lose touch with my fellow human beings. Majority of my daily tasks are accomplished through a computer. As such, my life revolves around the computer to the extent that I rarely have time to socialize with people. Such behaviors lead to acquisition of traits such as selfishness. This is because people who live in solitude do not know the essence of sharing. Instead of making new friends, I have actually lost friends who view me as anti social. Lack of this socialization makes my life feel void. There are even times when a feeling of hopelessness engulfs me. This feeling often makes me lose the sense of living and suicidal tendencies are very high at such times. To solve such a problem, it requires the intervention of counselors to avert the feelings of lack of self worth.Losing the human touch in life prohibits the clear distinction that should exist between people and machines.
Since I started playing video games, my ability to handle large volumes of data at a go has improved. Video games predispose a person to situations that require concentration and coordination. This has been verified by studying those children who play video games against those who do not. In their performance at school, those who play the games are found to comprehend more complex relationships as compared to those who do not play the games (Collins, 25). As such, mastery of these games comes hand in hand with the ability to do several tasks simultaneously. This is a very crucial characteristic especially in this ever dynamic world. The world today demands too much of our energy. Due to this, we learn how to get adapted to the changing world without being left behind. This characteristic is also very essential when stress management comes into play (cullingford, 34). The present working environment requires one to have the ability to handle stress since competition is usually very stiff and those who go the extra mile to satisfy their customers carries the day. At my work place, I am able to handle large volumes of work with minimum stress. I am usually a very important part of my team because of my ability to coordinate large volumes of duty with a lot of accuracy. All these attributes that make my life and work satisfying have been acquired through interaction with technology. In summary, I would say that technology is a two edged sword. It has its negative implications and positive attributes. Inability to survive without it is a demerit while being able to handle many tasks and have coordination is a merit.
Works cited
Collins, Betty. Children and computers in school. Routledge Publisher 1996.
Cullingford, Cedric. Computers, Schools and Students: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009.
Ullman, Ellen. “The Boss in the machine.” New York Times, 2005.Print.