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 the same things as regular phones but they replaced your arm rest because
they were that big. These advances in technology, despite how primitive they may seem now,
greatly changed the way things worked in 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 bigger) 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 - even though he does acknowledge the benefits of it being around.

Richtel does a great job at being objective about this topic. He gives an example about
how email caused Kord Campbell to miss an important email from a prospective employer. 'Not
just for a day or two, but 12 days. He finally saw it while sifting through old messages.'
Because he had received so many emails and was multitasking at such a level, it got lost
in his inbox. Richtel acknowledges that advances in technology, specifically computers and
email, allows us to work on the go when he says '' cellphones and computers have transformed
life. They let people escape their cubicles and work anywhere.' Answering questions in
text format from a laptop or, in some cases, via a program that allows video and voice chat
makes long distance correspondence simple. 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. Another example Richtel gives is that of research on cell phone usage.
There have been several studies that show decreases in reaction time while performing motor
tasks and talking on a cell phone. 'The resulting distractions can have deadly consequences, as
when cellphone-wielding drivers and train engineers cause wrecks.' A common
example would be reaction speed versus driving. There are laws a new one in South Carolina
and an older one in Colorado that prohibit drivers from using a cell phone while driving; 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?' To combat this,
however, cell phone companies have developed hands free devices that allow people to answer
phone calls on the go without using your hands. This only comes at the cost of looking like total
tool in public but, hey, it is safe.

Richtel also brings up points related to interpersonal relationships. He examines the
Campbell family for this and discovers that technology has greatly influenced how their family
interacts with each other. The wife notes that the programmer 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. ''I would love for him to totally unplug, to be totally engaged,' says Mrs.
Campbell, who adds that he becomes 'crotchety until he gets his fix.' But she would not try to
force a change.' It provides for the family at the same time as it detracts from
his interaction with it. Another person technology is effecting in the Campbell household is their
son, Conner who '' tall and polite like his father, recently received his first C's, which is family
blames on distraction from his gadgets.' (Richtel, 2010). To combat this, the Campbell's
integrated family study time that takes place after they eat. 'It feels, Mr. Campbell says, like
togetherness.' This just goes to show that if you try to push technology aside for
a bit, you can do it.

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 explains how
'[i]maging studies show the brains of Internet users become more efficient at finding
information. And players of some video games develop better visual acuity.'
Furthermore, the art of 'multitasking' is a highly sought after skill for employers. Being able to
juggle two or three tasks at a time is argued to increase productivity. 'While many people say
multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise.' Making
his switch back to the negative side of technology, Richtel brings in information disproving the
multitasking myth. 'Heavy multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out
irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress.' So,
perhaps an employee who multitasks may produce more work, what kind of stress are they
subjecting themselves to? Is it worth it? Is the quality of the work equal between one person
doing a large project as opposed to splitting the work between several people? Richtel would
argue no and the scientists would agree with him.

Not everyone can just withdraw from a hobby (or addiction in extreme cases). Richtel
really hits home with his examples of how the Campbell is affected by his job. Mr. Campbell
may be able to interact enough to get a wife and have family, but 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 references a Mr. Nass from Stanford University who thinks '' the
ultimate risk of heavy technology use is that it diminishes empathy by limiting how much people
engage with one another, even in the same room.' This means that we lose the ability to
understand how others feel and share those feelings with those people, even those we care about,
because of our heavy use of technology. Modern ways of combating this are to have everyone
who goes out to dinner in a group 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
several restaurants can ring up some pretty expensive tabs for just one person. Another is to set
time limits on how long family members or you and your friends use the TV or video game
system. Many electronics come with Sleep functions or locking features that turn the device off
after a set period of time. All Richtel 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 do not know if you will be needed for an emergency, but after a little while you
will 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. Walks in the
park, cook outs in the backyard, or even just sitting and talking with some people without
checking your phones. Richtel is not trying to tell you to leave technology behind all together,
but for a day or two, just give it a shot.

