"Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation" (Jean Arp). For many people technology sits in the center of their world, where they need its' constant stimulation and gratification immediately if not sooner. We have a way of letting this technology being so important in our lives that we let the things that are truly important fade into the background. The essay "Hooked on Technology, and Paying a Cost" by Matt Richtel takes the situation of a businessman, Kord Campbell, and shows the negative affects that technology is having on his and his family's life.

The essay explains how if we continue to abuse the use of technology we will suffer in the other aspects of our lives. Technology is addicting and fascinating but our brains are not wired for the constant stimulation we are providing them with.  Nora Volkow,  Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and brain scientist said,  "The technology is rewiring our brains". While using some video games and browsing the web have shown to increase visual acuity and help users to be more efficient in finding information online there are also negative effects. Mr. Campbell's addiction to technology has caused him to miss deadlines, pass over important emails, spend less time with his children, put strain on his marriage, and not even be able to enjoy vacation time. 

The audience of this essay would be all of us who are heavy consumers of technology. This group of people ranges from dads, moms, children, businessmen, husband and wife, students etc. Because technology is so readily available to us it makes it that much easier to become addicted or to abuse it. This essay addresses and is written to all different types of people because there is not just one type of person who misuses or is being affected by this. In the essay, Mr. Campbell is an entrepreneur, husband, and father. Each of his duties feels the negative repercussions of his fascination with technology.  He misses a huge offer on a deal to sell his company for over a million dollars as he is scrolling through one of his many monitors on his desk. His marriage is straining because of his lack of ability to pull away from the computer and games to spend more time with his wife. Mr. Campbell's habits even start to run off on the kids who have laptops, cell phones, and television all at their fingertips. This family is an example of what many are becoming because off all the technology available. So while the essay immediately addresses Mr. Campbell and his endeavors, one can see similarities to the Campbell family's addiction and match it with their own technological tendencies. 

The context surrounding the situation in the essay involves Mr. Campbell and his relationships with his family, wife, and his work. His work is the first thing that felt the burn of his addiction to technology. His work suffered but his intake of technology did the opposite of decrease.  His relationship with his wife was another aspect of the context; he was spending less and less time with her but more with his electronics. He would become engulfed with video games and television shows for hours.  Rather then spending time with each other on family vacations everyone would enlist in the comfort of their phones and laptops. The children were also becoming addicted to their devices. Their relationships with their parents were lacking. This essay was written about Mr. Campbell and his family but the circumstances surrounding each of them are very similar to many families' situations today. 

The exigence of this essay would be that technology is being looked to fill a void in many of our lives that we are creating ourselves.  We are rewiring our brains to accept and process things like a computer does. The need for constant stimulation is there because of all the devices we have ready at the hand. Technology is a great thing that has lead to many advancements that are more then helpful to humanity. The abuse of technology however is something that can and should be controlled. By letting technology take over your life you are allowing for other aspects of your life to be negatively affected.  Communication skills are lost, relationships are strained, and work obligations can be overlooked. 

Technology is something that is necessary for us to have in this day in age. The point  of the essay is to reach a certain audience, this one being most Americans, and to shed light on the power we are letting technology have in our lives.  The problem isn't the technology rather it is the way we are using it. Having the ability to control desires and urges for electronics will lead to people being more successful in everything they do. This essay was written for all types of people and many different situations. Recognizing the problem is important in fixing this situation.
