My comprehension of technology spans from about 1993 to current day which means that
I have witnessed the best of the low-technology era and the advent of the technology leap that it
has made into the high-tech era we now live in and are still working on. I remember when
phones were just becoming touch tone; when the cordless phone came about; when the first car
phones were basically house phones but they replaced your arm rest because they were that big. I
remember brick cell phones as well. These advances in technology, despite how primitive they
may seem now, greatly changed the way things worked I society. Today, they are still changing
how we act on a day to day basis as new games and programs hit the app store and as smaller or
larger versions of a phone hit the market. How do we function without technology? Matt Richtel
would say just fine, if you actually try. Richtel, an author for the New York Times wrote an
article called 'Hooked on Technology and Paying a Price' which analyzed a family and how it
had been affected by technology in both positive and negative ways. Unfortunately, he focused
more on the negative aspects of technology which, really, cannot be ignored with all the
scientific and social evidence we have available to us. Yet, so as to create a paradox, that
information is brought to us thanks to advances in the very thing that Richtel says is having an
adverse effect on society today. However, he is not blind to the positive side of technology.

Richtel does a great job at being objective about this topic. He gives an example about
how email caused programmer Kord Campbell to miss an important email from a prospective
employer because he had received so many and was multitasking at such a level that it got lost in
his inbox. Richtel acknowledges that advances in technology, specifically computers and email,
allows us to work on the go - like answering questions in text format from a laptop or via
program that allows video and voice chat. These leaps and bounds in technology allow us to
receive information at blinding speeds; blinding being the operative term in the case of Mr.
Campbell. Luckily, he was able to reply to the email a few weeks late and still receive the job
with a simple apology. This is all too common today - look at the average college student. High
end laptops are constantly advertised as essential to the freshman college student and, being one
myself, I completely agree. From being able to send and reply to emails from teachers and fellow
students to typing papers in between class or doing your homework which is done all online,
having a computer that can handle multitasking is absolutely essential to staying on top of your
assignments and your grades.

Another example Richtel gives is that of the cell phone. There have been several studies
that show decreases in reaction time while performing motor tasks while talking on a cell phone.
A common example would be reaction speed versus driving. There are laws that prohibit drivers
from using a cell phone while driving and it is pretty easy to see why. Have you ever been
driving while talking on a cell phone and run a stop sign? Perhaps you thought to yourself
afterwards, 'Man! I'm glad no one was at that stop sign or that could have been really bad!'
Perhaps worse yet, 'Was that a stop sign?' I have been guilty of it, and sometimes still am. Using
hands-free devices can only do so much as the person is still multitasking driving and talking.

Richtel also brings up points related to interpersonal relationship. He examines Mr.
Campbell and his family for this and discovers that technology has greatly influenced how their
family interacts with each other. The wife notes that the Mr. Campbell tends to retreat into video
games whenever he is stressed. She feels like it is his way to avoid the problems of reality by
delving into a virtual world. Though she wishes he would spend less time on the computer, she
acknowledges that it is also a part of who he is and that she loves him for it. It provides for the
family at the same time as it detracts from his interaction with it. His son feels the same way and
wishes he would spend less time on the computer during family time. I have witnessed this
myself too. Not only has my family forced me to stop playing video games for certain events or
restricted the time that I could play, my grades also suffered from being too involved with video
games.

During the article, a reader will probably assess that Richtel is on the side that we need to
start limiting ourselves on technology use. However, he does mention a few instances where
technology has improved our lives. As briefly mentioned before, he talks about how we can now
work on the go with laptops and cell phones, but some other things that technology can do affect
more internal processes. One psychological study shown to us by Richtel is that of a brain
imaging scan that showed the 'brains of Internet users become more efficient at finding
information. And players of some video games develop better visual acuity'. So
what does this mean and is it worth the price we pay for using so much technology? Honestly, it
depends on the person. In my six years in the Army I met a lot of people. Some whose job was to
sit behind a desk and crunch numbers all day. Others were in leadership roles and had to interact
with people daily. My own job required me to mostly sit behind a desk and process reports and
crunch numbers but I needed more. Having been very active in the technological world growing
up, I was able to work a keyboard like nobody's business. I could type a report in proper format
and process a spreadsheet in under an hour if I was uninterrupted. Being stuck at a desk with no
other human interaction can get boring. So I learned parts of my superior's jobs and soon after I
was walking around on the hangar floor and helping to solve problems the other soldiers had.
Using that new information source, I was able to make more accurate spreadsheets and make my
job, and those of my superiors, that much easier.

I was an exception. Not everyone can just draw back from a hobby (or in extreme cases '
addiction) and perform like that. Those other people I saw behind a desk were much more
comfortable back there, away from the world, where only numbers and virtual space are the only
company they really get. Richtel really hits home with his examples of the Campbell family and
how they are affected by his job. Though the Mr. Campbell may be able to interact enough to get
a wife and have children, he is still constantly glued to the computer for work and to relieve
stress. So what can we do to combat this growing addiction to technology? Richtel quotes a Mr.
Nass, a professor at Stanford, who said 'The way we become more human is by paying attention
to each other'. Richtel suggests time limits on daily use and prohibiting
electronics in family 'conditions' (ie. Dinner, vacations, outings). This will help to rebuild that
family interaction. Some modern ways of doing this have been created as well. One idea was to
have everyone who went out to dinner place their phones on the table and the first one to pick
their phone up before an agreed upon time has to pay the bill. That is pretty good incentive given
that I can think of several restaurants I go to that can ring up some pretty expensive tabs for just
one person. All Richtel, or even I, can really suggest in the end is to just try leaving technology
behind for a few days and see how you feel. Sure, you may feel a little anxious at first because
you don't know if you will be needed for an emergency, but after a little while you'll discover
how peaceful it is. If you are still anxious about it, put out to your family a way to reach you or
where you will be just in case they need you for an emergency.

Leaving technology behind completely is not an option in today's society. We will have
to come back to it eventually. But for a day or two? This can be done. Technology is like a
necessary evil in that we need it to function and work in most jobs and it is a great way to keep in
touch with family but it is not the only means by which we can have a social life. Neither Richtel
nor I am trying to tell you to leave technology behind all together, but for a day or two. Just give
it a shot.

