
 We live in a great age where new advancements in technology are improving by every passing day that improves almost every area of our daily lives. Compared to the past fifteen years ago and certainly compared to hundred years ago, people today have invented machines that can do things that people in the past would have considered to be unimaginable or magic. Technology is an invention that is designed to solve any problem or to make a certain task easier to perform. Whether it is to improve our cooking, the way we traveling, and how to communicate. It is obvious to notices the benefits, and not technology have negatives of technology such as the knives that helps cut our food to make it easier to cook or eat, cars that take us from one place to another faster compared to walking. However, the type of technology that has hidden negatives is communication technology or what some people call "social technology". We must be aware of the negatives just as much as the benefits social technology provides. The social technology was an invention that allowed people to connect and stay connected with one other no matter the distance between them. One example is old military tactics using kites or smoke signal to relay messages are replaced today with radios that can get the job done faster. We no longer need massager birds or the delivery guy to give us the good news of a family member because we can simply call them or post the news on our Facebook page, letting everyone know about one's life and ideas they might be too shy to talk about openly. However, you see all too often where people are just focusing on their phones, the device that allows them to stay connected to the digital world is keeping them from the real world. Fewer people are focusing on the real world, where social interaction seems to be fading away. We cannot simply forgo social technology, cellphones or social media, but we can learn how to use less of it and use it in a way will advance our lives instead of using it to as a cage keeping us from living it. Technology will only improve as time goes on so we must learn how the separate our digital world and the real world so we can never lose our humanity because ultimately we as individuals must choose whether to let social technology make us more or less human. I suggest that everyone should take at least an hour out their day to forgo social technology and focus on the real world.

 Before talking about social technology's positive and negatively effects on everyone lets first talk about why it was created in the first place. Our very own human nature is the reason we created social technology, whether one believes that human nature is bad or good one thing is certain we need connections. An ancient Greek philosopher by the name of Aristotle said it best.   

"Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to and therefore does not partake of society is either a beast or a god. "

Think of schools of fishes as the human race and the great white sharks as the beast or some obstacles that need to be overcome. When fishes swim in swarms it is to avoid getting eaten by the great white shark because when in a group an individual's chances of surviving is higher in a group compared if they were alone where they are considered easy prey. As for the great white sharks, they do not need help to survive because they can do that by themselves. Humans and many other animals are social in order to survive. An order to be social there must be a way to communication. For wolves, they howl to let the pack know something for human we created languages. With affected ways of communication, societies can be formed. People are social by nature, and this nature of ours is the reason knowledge is shared and emotions can be translated into words, leading to a feeling of belonging. However, as a small society grows into a country the need to communicate became harder to maintain, for that reason other forms of inventions were created to send messages that people's own voices alone could not reach. That is why we invented the letters and all sorts of different way deliver it. As knowledge grow, inventions did as well which gave shape to the phone and the internet that are more reliable means of communications.

Social technology has changed the world giving anyone how knows how to use it, a new voice to share with everyone or learning something new. Many new opportunities for people to stay connected in the ever growing world. New jobs were created that do not even exist fifty years ago that help existing companies grow. The very way people can find information about anything humanity has learned from past works to new discoveries happening today has changed for the better. The smartphone alone has replaced many inventions such as but not limited to, the phone, a clock, a calendar, a flashlight, and the camera etc. It is no wonder why most people today do not leave home without it but the most important part of smartphones are the social media apps. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are just some of the many social apps that people use to give them a new digital voice on the internet where they can share with everyone. People can voice their opinion and feel like someone is listening which some people prefer compared to going outside voicing an opinion and watch people are not caring. Anyone can say anything on the internet whether they are a shy or confident person. Families that live far away from each other can call or even skype one other to just check up on them and see how they are doing in real time. New jobs are now available now where people do not even need to leave the comfort of their own home to pay the bills and put food on the table. 

In a book, Hooked on Technology, and paying the price, written by Matt Richter talks about Kord Campbell life. Kord was not able to finish college because he had to help his family's business. You often heard that college graduates make more than high school graduates but thanks to his love of programming he was able to make LookSmart, a search engine which he sold making him a big success. His search engine was sold to a big company making him 1.2 million dollars. People can make money in the digital world but also, save money.  Social media alone is a new cheap way for business and people to advertise about almost anything. Artists would post pictures of their art on Pinterest. Inspiring musicians can get famous just by uploading their music on Youtube. Businesses, small or large, have a Facebook page to better spread special deals and opening events. If you are still not convinced that social media changed the world then look no further at our current presidents, Barack Obama, 2008 election and other politicians who join official after 2004 when Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerburg. Carl Miller reveals in his article "Tweet Victory" that President Obama success is largely thanks to Facebook and Twitter, furthermore he called the 2008 presidential election a "Facebook election". Obama presidential election page on Facebook got 45 million like and spend the word of 358,000 events where he was able to raise almost 700 million dollars. Social media was a somewhat new thing at that time but people uses to make fun at the fact adults having a profile because it was something only teenager uses but in today's day and age, it is unusual not to have a Facebook profiles that do not exclude  The most powerful chair of office. The elderly can even benefit from social technology, in the article "Social Media Gerontology: Understanding Social Media Usage among Older Adults." By Hutton, suggest that studies found there is no significant difference in traditional communications between social users and non social users. As the elderly ages, it might become difficult to move, let alone travel, compared to the times of their youth. Thanks to Facebook they can keep track of what their children's life and what they are doing no matter where they are living. Skype can even allow people to have a face to face conversation in real time despite the distance between the two individuals. Yes, the elderly would have to learn how to use social technology but people are always at work trying to make technology easier to use a computer or smartphone today, it is a challenge that can easily overcome. The socially awkward can benefit from social media because they can find easily find like mind individuals that share the same interest that they can talk about and if they get to know one another they can even meet each other. Dating apps are a great way for the socially awkward people or people who feel they are not meeting the right type of person in the place they hang out in. With dating app, "The One" can be just a click away. The bottom line is that anyone can benefit from social technology in a way that can enhance his or her normal everyday social lives for the better. 

 With every new invention, new problems can arise that was unforeseen for example remember the Kent Campbell? The man who sold his search engine for 1.2 million dollars, he is having a lot of problem with his family. He wanted to stay connect with social technology because of his work and the possibility of new information. Kent laughed when he said that if aliens were to ever land on earth he wanted to be the first one to know. He became so addict to the internet he lose the connection with his family. Kent's wife notice the changes in him saying that when they were younger he would still use computers and phones around her but not as much as is he doing now. It has gotten to the point where his children copy his actions to the point they would rather use their game system or iPad rather than spend time with their parents. Children copy their parent's actions so they grow up believing that is the normal way to live one life.  In the Youtube video "Look Up" by Gary Turk talks about how social technology is doing the opposite. Living in the moment is being replaced by sharing edited moments on Facebook. Spending time with family is very important; we cannot let anything from getting in the way when one is trying to connect with one another. Communication is key to building a strong relationship with anyone and there are moments where you have to stop using technology or social media to actually look at the other person's eye and give them one full and undivided attendant. It is a very simple but effective way that people used in the past to show that we care about what the other has to say. Even the blind would show their undivided attention by stopping whatever they are doing a lending their ears so to speak. Communication skills are something to be worked on, some people are better that communicating with others but one will never grow without practice. By looks into the other's eyes, listening, speaking, and reading body language we can make sure we do not lose the emotions that make us human. Always begin connected to the social technology does have to negative effects, not only in communication but in information gather and anyone can get addicted to social media. Not everything on the internet is true even thou people consider the internet as the greatest source of human knowledge. People could purposely put out false information or not give the full truth. For argument sake even if one find the information they need for their homework, people like to believe that they can multi-task and end up searching for something that does not help. A paper that can be done an hour can take up four hours. Multi-tasking is something we all feel like we can do but it so easy to make us lose focus because of people trying to get in connect with us via email or text, maybe an interesting video and decide to watch another then do something else that has nothing to do with homework. 

Being addicted to social media is possible and it can be proven be just try to not use it just for a little awhile and all of sudden the urge to check your phone will not fade. Matt Richtel Suggest that we are addicted to social media, not the same way as heroin or other dangerous drug but similarly to sex. According to some scientist, addiction is not what use to believe it to be. Thinking that you become addicted to a drug just because the drug has chemical in it that makes our bodies curve it. A new theory that Professor Alexander made shows that addiction is caused by one feeling unsatisfied with their life. During the Vietnam War 20 percent of soldier were using heroin a lot. Being in the hot jungle, having people shooting at you, not having close family and losing some friends can make life miserable. Once the war end, people back home were afraid that there would be a lot of heroin addicted veteran would be walking around the street looking for a fix. However, an outstanding 95 percent of soldier stop using the drugs. They did even need to go to rehab either. When people are happy, some people would share the joy to people around but if people are, miserable they would look for ways a quick relief such as heroin, chocolate, or even social media to get throw life. "The opposite of addiction is connection."(Alexander) Endlessly checking Facebook post or putting something up on a social media just to show you are having fun and not being left not will only feed one's social addiction. People do not want to feel disconnected or left out of anything but they make a digital life that is cherry picked. Keeping up a lie is an unhealthy habit that needs to be changed with health one such act getting to know someone in the same room.

 The way to make sure that social technology does not take over your life is be putting an hour day banned on social technology. For example, at the dinner table with family or friends gives them your undivided attention to show you actually care about them. Yes, social technology can approve people and society for the better if and only if we do not it control your life. Having a ban on technology is general can be very healthy. Going out for a run, reading a book, talking to friends and family, or even getting lost can provide improve yourself.  Being alone is not the problem if you doing something proactive. Feeling alone is, someone can have tens of thousands friend on Facebook but that will not matter if none of the really know you because we do not even know if anyone is listening. Make a memory that will never be forgotten does not need to be share with everyone. Stop let the digital world keep you from living the real world. Yes, social technology is helping to stay connected to people but we forget all too easy that reason why it invented. The social technology has made us anti-social, the thing that was supposed to bring people closer started replacing people with a machine. Technology will only improve as time goes on so we must learn now where to use and where not. We must separate our digital world and the real world so we can never lose our humanity. Ultimately we as individuals must choose whether to let social technology make us more or less human.  

