The world of technology has grown to consume our lives and distort our views on the values of authenticity in the biological and social world. As we become more and more dependent on technology, we also become emotionally and socially drained, detaching ourselves from reality. Sherry Turkle, author of “Alone Together” and Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Why the Revolution Won't Be Tweeted” discuss the ways in which technology has influenced our views of real-world values. As people adapt to a world where technology has become ingrained in their daily lives, they become dependent on its reliability until it consumes their time and reduces the value of relationships to simple connections. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe amount of time we spend connected to the virtual world is reducing the value of real relationships between people, allowing us to “harness the power of these distant connections with marvelous efficiency” (Gladwell 137). When we realize that it is a easier task than sending a quick text than engaging in a time-consuming phone call, we naturally become drawn to these “…substitutes for connecting face to face” (Turkle 11). younger children begin to adapt to a life where they need “…constant connection” (Turkle 17). They are welcomed into a separate world that allows them to connect with whoever they want and whoever they want to be and even virtual avatars attempt to simulate the appearance of who we want to be and imitate the actions of other humans to satisfy our need for intimacy and love. We continue to allow these materialistic things to satisfy us emotionally, because we believe they are smarter and better than other human beings. In reality, they are just “…a clever collection of “as if” performances” (Turkle 6), programmed to perfect the flaws of human nature. When people online build relationships without intimacy with each other, the value of a real relationship is distorted by the assumption that “…a real friend is the same as a Facebook friend” (Gladwell 138). We're too afraid of a negative outcome in a face-to-face relationship that we simply can't avoid, but technology gives us the ability to disconnect or simply disconnect if we're no longer happy. Thus, “we don't seem to care what these artificial intelligences “know” or “understand” about the human moments we might “share” with them” (Turkle 9), we only care about avoiding the risks of authentic relationships. We would rather not have to learn to expect the unexpected, so we become attached to a world that guarantees us pleasure without pain. In the age of technology, we have become lazy. The ones who say it's just making life easier are most likely the ones who were most likely never motivated to do much in the first place. The amount of effort that technology takes away from stressful moments may also explain why certain goals are achieved more quickly in the Internet age. Social media, especially the most successful vehicles like Facebook and Twitter, make it easier to attract participants, “not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice, but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they aren't motivated enough to do it.” . make a real sacrifice” (Gladwell 138). So, now that technology can “replace where people fail” (Turkle 5), we don't worry about wasting our time doing it ourselves. When we are not asked to dotoo much, we are more likely to be attracted to the message. That's how Sameer Bhatia, a young entrepreneur suffering from acute myeloid leukemia, found a bone marrow transplant so quickly. Of course, donating bone marrow is a serious matter, “but it does not involve financial or personal risks; it doesn't mean spending a summer chasing armed men in pickup trucks” (Gladwell 138). We depend on technology to easily navigate our daily lives, and it's getting to the point where being “connected” becomes a need rather than a desire. When we are connected, we expect a sense of security and belonging from everyone we interact with, so “we are shaken when that “unplugged” world doesn't mean, doesn't satisfy” (Turkle 11). The real world doesn't give us the instant connection we crave, and sometimes we're too lazy to wait out face-to-face interactions. The problem is that not only is the need for real interactions reduced, but the technology itself is also becoming time-consuming in itself. Even though we feel like our virtual world is the same as, or better than, our real world, we don't realize that the amount of time we spend connected leaves us with less time in reality. Social networks successfully attract and consume more people by “…decreasing the level of motivation required for participation” (Gladwell 138). We are more likely to join a group of hundreds of people on Facebook that requires only a post or comment than a club at school that requires a break from the schedule and a physical appearance once a week. We never want to take away our precious time, especially if we don't think it's very important, so we find ways around it. But in this generation, we will never go back to the old ways where people came from miles away for meetings and gatherings and preferred it that way. I mean, wouldn't you like to know who you share your opinions with? Or give up personal information? The world is always moving forward and finding new ways to address our problems. We know we spend too much time connected and we know it can affect us emotionally when we are “unplugged,” but “if the problem is that too much technology has made us busy and anxious, the solution will be more technology to organize, entertain and relax us” ( Turkle 11). This is why every new phone or every new device produced in the world has one more feature that makes a common task even easier than before. As technology advances, the world's dependence on it increases while reducing the value of the biological and social world. We never imagine a future with less technology. You'll never see a phone or iPod go back to its original model or take away its most popular features. We tend to wonder how this will affect us in the long run and what we will see ourselves relying on next, “but what happens next is more of the same” (Gladwell 142). More technology, continuous progress and a deeper sense of dependence on technology is what the world will come to. Evidently, children growing up in this “new aesthetic” (Turkle 6), or inauthentic era, are already distorted by the value of authenticity that was once so important to people who did not have technology. They are exposed to a world devoid of real connections and real relationships, making it seem like the world has always been, and should be, this way. They have the “feeling that communication has no history, or had nothing of importance to consider before the advent of television and the Internet” (Gladwell 135), simply because the world is trying to show them that they don't need to depend on authentic relationships. relationships to satisfy. At the Darwin exhibition at the Museum..
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