The Impact of the Digital World

Rachel Joyce
Sep 1, 2018 · 3 min read

Everyday we heavily relay on technology to accomplish day to day tasks. We are able to have everything at our fingertips. With one simple touch we can get food delivered, watch a show, text a friend, play music and so much more. Today the smartphone has made it so we don’t even need to leave our house to do all these things. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without having everything in the palm of our hands. Our world around us is becoming smarter, faster and more digitalized than ever before. With all the positives of technology there are many negatives to this digital age.

After reading the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” gave insight on an issue that is happening right before our eyes. The way millennials view the world and spend their time is drastically different from previous generations. The iGen generation was born into and shaped by smartphones and social media. These teens grew up with phones and tablets handed to them for entertainment. Much of my childhood was centered around reading books, playing with toys and watching movies. All of these things have been taken over by the smartphone. Toy stores and book stores are going out of business since you can order all these items through the internet and have them delivered to your doorstep.

Today teenagers are living their lives through their phones. Being so consumed by our cell phones is harming social interaction. A quote that stood out to me in the article was when Athena stated “my bed has an imprint of my body” due to spending most of her summer alone in her room. Hanging out in person has drastically dropped due to virtual spaces that we can go to through apps and the internet. Growing up I always looked forward to hanging out with other kids in my neighborhood. We didn’t have cell phones with activities on them so we had to make our own fun. Adolescence is a time for expanding social skills, todays generation lacks the qualities needed when talking in person as kids spend less time in face to face interaction.

With all the onscreen activities such as texting, snapchat and instagram, leads teens to feel more lonely and anxious. Teens need to document and post pictures when they are hanging out with each other. Being able to see what others are doing at all times causes teens to feel vulnerable and left out. We live in a world where we are constantly comparing ourselves to others over social media. Having too much information and knowledge of what people are doing is not good for our mental state. Orson Welles mentioned in Future Shock how we live in an age of anxiety. We are victims of technological strength and we need a sense of security during this time.

In “Lo and Behold Reveries of the Connected World”, Herzog examines the impact the internet has on society. A scene in the movie that stood out to me was the interview with the family that had been targeted online after the death of their daughter. Photos were taken of the girls body and insistently ended up on the internet. Millions of people clicked on the pictures out of curiosity. The hate mail was so horrifying and nothing could be done because their is no law in place for deceased people. People don’t have any respect over the internet because you aren’t held accountable for your actions.

Our world is changing and advancing than ever before. Having all this power at our finger tips does have consequences. I do think it is impratcial to restrict technology to a generation that is so use to having this access at all times. However I think it is crucial for teens to see how some of their problems can be linked to their phone. In this digital age it is important to know that nothing is permeant and technology is going to continue to change at a fast pace. Those who recognize these changes and turn to the future are going to prevent the future shock that Orson Wells was referring to in the film.

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