Have you ever really thought of how often you use technology? Jason Putorti, a twenty nine year old tech executive from San Francisco, wrote an article putting into perspective how much our lives revolve around our devices. From the sensation we get from a “re-tweet” or text message, to a simple phone call to a relative, the effects are apparent. Addiction to our devices now is being related to things as serious as drugs and alcohol. Whether we decide to continue down this technology-driven path, or adopt the ability to talk in person, the signs of our addictions to new technologies are more superficial than ever. Early on in her article, “Ever-present devices can push our crazy buttons,” Sharon Jayson of USA TODAY refers to Jason’s trip …show more content…
Likewise, through social media people are more focused on their followers who they have absolutely no connection with compared to their childhood friends. Putorti’s conversation reflects many issues in America today as Jayson states, “We’re constantly on Facebook and Twitter, checking out new apps, and “checking in” so our friends know our whereabouts.” Personally, one of the first things I do in the day is check social media apps, falling into the group of people who find themselves unable to think about life without their phone, laptop, or televisions. Similarly, people out at dinners all across the nation can be seen enveloped in their phone instead of talking to the person(s) at their table. Nick Deviley of Fish Creek, Wisconsin, also sees the progression of this issue as he says, “People live on their phones now. People don’t even look up.” From a singular person walking around downtown, to a large group of teenagers in a mall, everyone is victim to neglecting the outside world and walking zombie-like glued to their …show more content…
Some experts on addictions are not positive when considering technology whether to take it seriously or not. Marcel Just, Director for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, shared his thoughts on the issue saying, “I don’t know whether it formally qualifies as an addiction, but certainly you get used to it, you want it, and it’s hard to do without it.” Many people struggle with the fact of giving up their devices for three hours let alone one or two whole days. Sharon Jayson refers to a study as she states, “Students asked to go without media for 24 hours liken their experiences to addiction withdrawal.” To me, this is stunning. Generally speaking, having no knowledge of the students, I feel that they have no previous experience of having to go through a true drug withdrawal, like a: marijuana, cocaine, or meth. So how could a few selected individuals have the knowledge to make such a serious comparison. All things considered, it is astonishing that young people would have such serious issues with giving up such little devices. All in all, the addiction comparison seems very palpable and frightening for our coming