The effects of technology are inevitable. Technology surrounds every single one of us everyday of our lives. This topic interests me because there are so many conflicting views about how the costs of technology compare to the benefits. It's undeniable that there are many positive aspects to technology, but when we look around at what society has turned into, it's concerning to see the negative effects that come with these advances as well. I personally have always valued personal interactions. I think some conversations are meant to take place face-to-face and should involve direct eye contact. It's true that texting and calling are incredibly convenient, making it easier than ever to reach someone quickly and get a fast reply. However, I find it disheartening how many conversations are taking place in this impersonal manner in this day and age when some of these conversations really deserve a more personal setting. Parents of teens today are definitely witnessing the societal changes that come along with society, but they aren't actually submerged in this new culture like the actual generation of teens is. Since teens are the ones growing up in and being raised in this new technological world, I'm one of the most qualified people to write about this topic. Any teenager growing up in this generation is, in fact, highly qualified to write about the effects of technology. The consequences of technology can be seen everywhere; their effects are unavoidable. 

In "The Four Negative Side Effects of Technology," Pamela DeLoatch  highlights on the negative results that can occur when technology is used both inappropriately and excessively. The four big negatives DeLoatch focuses on are how technology impacts the thoughts of children, the feelings of children, the risks of privacy and safety, and the detrimental impact a lack of physical activity can have. One way technology may change the way children think is by the use of video games, which "can lead to distraction and decreased memory" (DeLoatch). However, video games are not the only way technology can decrease memory. Kids, and actually all people in general, have such quick, easy access to every bit of information they could ever possibly search for. While this is certainly efficient, the information doesn't sink into the brain as well as it would if people had to work a bit harder to find the answers they're looking for. Technology impacts the feelings of children by making them less likely to identify themselves with others and less likely to pick up on emotions of others. DeLoatch writes that, " A study on two groups of sixth graders found that kids who had no access to electronic devices for five days were better at picking up on emotions and nonverbal cues of photos of faces than the group that used their devices during that time" (DeLoatch). This shows that personal interaction with other human beings is truly so important to the normal development of children. Socializing over text and the internet is much easier than real-life interactions, so kids are socially awkward when they come upon a situation where they have to be conversable. 

Although DeLoatch does make two good points about the negative effects technology has on the development of kids, that wasn't the only topic she focused on; she also brought up the issues of privacy and safety that come along with these new technological advances. Sexual predators have been known to make fake accounts and pose as regular teenage kids in order to gain trust with other kids. Then these awful people ask to hangout and kids don't think anything of it until it's already too late. Another problem with social media is the bullying that occurs. " A quarter of teenagers say they have been bullied either by text or on the Internet" (DeLoatch). The problem with social media is that kids have an enhanced amount of confidence when they're saying something through a screen rather than to someone's face. Lastly, along with the safety issue comes the problem of sexting. If you go around and ask kids if they partake in sexting, many will deny it, but the truth is, "24% of teenagers aged 14 -17 have participated in some sort of nude sexting" (DeLoatch). Kids don't realize that once they send a picture, it's out there for the world to see. This can then lead to bullying, depression, and even suicide depending on how bad the situation is. DeLoatch then also brings up a very good point of the lack of physical activity that has resulted from the overuse of technology. When the parental generation was young, they went outside to entertain themselves; there wasn't such thing as sitting down on the couch and playing XBox all day or locking themselves up in their rooms to facetime their friends. However, since kids nowadays are becoming more stagnant as they sit inside on their various devices, childhood obesity is increasing. The bias against technology is apparent in DeLoatch's tone throughout her article. However, she supported herself with exact statistics, so her information is accurate. DeLoatch definitely brought up a few issues that are extremely relevant and becoming even more so as technology continues to grow.

Similarly to DeLoatch, Martin Bosworth shared his concerns about technology in his article, "Too Much Technology, Too Fast?" Whereas DeLoatch focused on the harms of technology on children, Bosworth focuses more on the greater picture and looks at how technology is affecting society as whole and, specifically, just how fast its effects are spreading. Bosworth writes, "A recent poll found as many as four in ten Americans consider their high-speed Internet connections "essential" to their daily lives ...  Fully half of the respondents said they couldn't live without Internet access, as they depended on it for news, information, and simple communication." (Bosworth). This is so sad that people feel that staying connected is that important to their daily lives. He also found that many people check their work emails while they're at home and also on the weekend when they don't even have work. Weekends used to be a time for working parents to spend time with their families. They wouldn't be able to check back in until they physically went into work during their next shift. However, technology has now become so irresistible that people can't bring themselves to disconnect and draw themselves away from their work. This draws away from valuable, personal time that is critical to holding families and relationships together. Bosworth also draws on the fact that video games increase violent tendencies and promote permissive attitudes towards drugs and sex. Kids don't see the harm in picking up a controller and putting on a headset to play their favorite games, but these games may actually be causing kids to unconsciously form unfavorable behaviors. Bosworth is also, like Loatch, clearly biased against technology, but all of his information is objective rather than subjective, so his article can be trusted. 

In agreement with Loatch's concerns for privacy when dealing with technology, Susanne Posel writes about the lack of privacy involved with technology in her article, "How Your Cell Phone Makes Spying Easier for the Government and Police." Smartphones these days are truly smart phones, but that's not necessarily as good as it sounds. Cell phones track locations and all activity of the owner of the device. Phone companies can record all GPS trackings, text messages, and phone calls and they can then sell that information to whoever is interested and is willing to pay a good price, which is usually either the government or the police. "A CNN article reported that whoever has the biggest offer to the wireless corporations, wins the information war" (Posel). Police and government officials don't hold any warrants giving them the right to obtain such personal information, yet they're doing it anyway, without the knowledge of the cell phone's owner. The FBI has the capability to basically bug cell phone towers in order to tap into and listen in on people's personal conversations. The alleged goal of this spying is to catch criminals or listen in on suspicious, possible terrorist activity, but everyday Americans aren't happy that they're innocent phone calls and text messages are being seen by the government. Posel has quotes and resources in her article from CNN and various cell phone companies who confirm that this information is true, assuring readers that her information is accurate. Posel evidently stands against the lack of privacy with technology, but then again, there aren't many people that would exactly be happy knowing everywhere they go and everything they say and do is secretly being tracked and recorded.

The question of negative effects of technology on society can certainly be argued against by those that believe technology is doing nothing but benefitting our developing world. There are some people who are ignorant to the fact that their every move is being tracked, or there's people that don't have kids, so they don't see the concerns with technology related to the development of the young today. There are countless amounts of people that would argue that the "harms" of technology are not so significant in the grand scheme of things. Many people believe there are so many positives of technology that the benefits outweigh the goods. People could certainly compose an argument saying how technology has improved speed, efficiency, communication, business, national and international relationships, etc. Most of my sources appear to agree that technology has caused severe harm to the evolution of society and the individual in a great number of ways. From the impairment to the psychological growth of children, to the privacy and safety concerns, to the worries about increasing obesity, and to the frightening knowledge of the ability of the government to track our phone records, DeLoatch, Bosworth, and Posel all expressed considerable concern related to technology. One thing all three authors have in common is that they all believe changes need to be made to the way technology is being handled, and these changes need to come sooner rather than later. The perspectives of the authors reinforce my own opinion that technology is tarnishing our society. While I can admit there are benefits to technological advances, it is sometimes hard to see past them when everyday I look around and see the continual damage that is occurring, all due to these small devices that fit in the palm of our hands. 

