Technology’s Effects on Modern Life
Modern technology improved many things such as schools, kids can now easily learn things through the aid of computers and internet; Science and medicine, scientist with the aid of new technology can now eradicate many diseases, and illnesses; Communication, social networking and blogging has improved quite a lot people all around the world can communicate with each other via Facebook, Twitter, Myspace etc.; Businesses, companies have become more profitable due to the help of advanced technology. Technology has single handedly increased the simplicity of the human race, by making it easier to connect with friends, aiding scientist to eradicate fatal illnesses and diseases. Most teenagers do not know the world without apps like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Teenagers use these apps to stay connected to friends as if they were thousands of miles away. Teens abuse these apps by constantly going onto those apps to check what their friends are doing. Thanks to the advancements of technology and science diseases like smallpox, and rinderpest are no longer a problem to worry about thanks to the great improvements in science and technology.
Modern society cannot function without the use of a cell phones, computer, or a tablet. Everything now-a-days is digitized. There used to be a time where kids would just tease and joke around with each face to face but now kids go online and make fun of each other. Most people do not get why the evolution of bullying going through cyberbullying is bad. Conn the writer of Cyberbullying And Other Student Technology Misuses In K-12 American Schools says:
Cyberbullying may be even more devastating to children and teenagers because it is “on” 24/7, anonymous, insidiously vicious, and is often committed by perpetrators who are simply “bored” or who react in anger to a “friend’s” rejection by publishing private communications about the former friend’s innermost thoughts and aspirations. (Conn)
Most teens tend to like going on Facebook and Twitter because it gives them false assurance for their insecurities. People are way too involved with those apps. Some are getting famous just for the posts they put up. A new and unforeseen problem with technology is teen’s cyberbullying each other. Lots of people are now taking on a whole new identity on the internet. They tend to create a fake profile in order to harass someone without any consequences. There lots of anti-bullying programs who devote their time and energy to try to stop and eradicate bullying, and one of the most famous one Stop Bullying describes cyberbullying as: “Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.”(What) Cyberbullying is worse than regular bullying because anyone and everyone can do it. It’s no longer the bigger kids who pick on the little guy but now the little guy can pick on the bigger kids by posting a few mean words online. Stop Bullying says that cyberbullying is bad because:
Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night. Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source. Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent. (What)
Cyberbullying.us has done extensive amounts of research to show the amount of people being victimized and what gender was at risk of being victimized by cyberbullying from 2002 to 2010. Now this graph by Cyberbullying.us shows varied rates of people victimized by cyberbullying. (Patchin). Throughout the movement of bullying progressing over to cyberbullying have pretty muched stayed the same throughout the years. This graph displays that throughout the years of many organizations trying to stop or regress these violent acts towards others through the use of technology. Even with the new laws put in place to try and deter kids from picking each other through the internet kids are still harassing each other without a care in the world. (Patchin)
This Graph proves that girls are more likely of being cyberbullied or cyberbullying others. Girls tend to pick on other girls because they feel threatened by their talent, beauty or they just do not the person, or it may be a simple fact because she does not know them yet. More girls are doing this to each other because every girl has that one minuscule details about them that they do not like and wish they could change. It can be hair is too straight, teeth too big, toes too long, or maybe even being bow legged. Other girls just have a natural ability to pick up these little things a vulnerable female is trying to hide. Most people think it’s an easy problem to stop by just monitoring teen’s computer use and restrict their computer time. Studies done by StopBullying says:
Cell phones and computers themselves are not to blame for cyberbullying. Social media sites can be used for positive activities, like connecting kids with friends and family, helping students with school, and for entertainment. But these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through technology, the effects of bullying are similar. Kids who are cyberbullied are more likely to: use alcohol and drugs, skip school, experience in-person bullying, be unwilling to attend school, receive poor grades, have lower self-esteem, have more health problems. The 2008–2009 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicates that 6% of students in grades 6–12 experienced cyberbullying. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 16% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year. (What)
The lack of change has not discouraged lots of organizations, schools, and law makers to try to get cyberbullying to cease once and for all. According to bullyingstatistics they tried to prevent kids from bullying through strict policies against harming another student in any shape or form; Prevent bullying with consequences stating a student could face school suspension, expulsion and in some extreme case where the victim has taken his or her life they can be tried in court; And also prevent bullying with family education organizations trying to stop bullying encourage parents, and teachers to be behavior role models in order “..to learn new behavior patterns and break old models, such as counseling, rather than simply punishment.” With Kids bullying each other, school activities, and friends I wondeer how they find so much free time in front of the television killing off some brain cells.
Nowadays rather than doing thing with their children parents just stick their kids in front of the television. Dr. Fals from Florida Hospital Blog says “As the demands for our time increase, parents are turning to technology to help keep the kids quiet and busy, allowing them time to focus on making dinner, send a few emails from their smartphone or even just some personal down time. As the Medical Director of Florida Hospital for Children’s Healthy 100 Kids program, I know that when it comes to childhood obesity, too much screen time may add to unhealthy habits that can last a lifetime. In general, kids today prefer spending hours watching TV or playing with their tablet computer instead of heading outdoors to a park or getting active with friends.”(Fals)
This graph proves that we subject our children to a massive amount of T.V time that they will grow into their adult life living with these consequences. The graph by Chartsman states sixty-six percent of Americans eat their dinner in front of the television and do not take the time to appreciate the family and friends gathering to eat the dinner. Fifty percent of children in between the age of six and seventeen have televisions and their bedrooms. It amazes me that parents only spend thirty-eight minutes a week having meaningful conversations with their children and their children can spend up to nine-hundred hours watching television. He also compares the hours per year spent at school and hour per year spent in front of a crap box. The numbers were astounding; The average kid spend up to 900 hours at school per year that is truly justifiable because kids attend school a hundred and eighty days a year and most of the school average an eight hour day of learning, while kids are at home with many other choices to pick different activities and they manage to accumulate a total of a thousand-six-hundred and eighty minutes which translates roughly around to 28 hours per year spent frivolously starring at a box full of brain numbing shows. The AAP or American Academy of pediatrics suggest children should only spend an hour or two maximum watching television per day. Dr. Fals expressing her fears says “AAP has estimated that the average child can spend upwards of 7 hours of TV, internet usage and video games per day! The scary thought is that everything else is taking a back seat including: quality family time, reading, homework, and exercise.”(Fals) While the kids are too busy watching television and surfing the internet beautiful days perfect for playing outside is just passing them by. It is not a surprise that kids do not enjoy eating vegetables so all the while they are just sitting there watching television, playing video games, and going on the internet they are filling themselves up with a bunch of unhealthy junk food that are provided to them by their parents who allow them to stay inside the whole day. So not only are they not running around and enjoying the beautiful day outside kids are also eating a bunch of unhealthy food which would cause them lots of problems in the future like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, hypertension and cholesterol.
Technology has tons of benefits but it also comes with lots of negatives. People tend to use technology in order to cause emotion pain onto someone else. This act is called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying was not recognized as a major problem in the early 2010s when kids started committing suicide due to these hurtful comments via web. There are lots of rules, regulations, and organization created to prevent student from being harassed and/or harassing someone online. Schools created rules and restrictions preventing children from harassing each other like if any student was found bullying another they would be reprimanded, expelled, or can be tried in court if the victim has taken their own lives.
Nowadays parents do not really watch over their children, they just seem to stick them in front of the television with the hopes of that the television would teach them morals, and life lessons.
Citation
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Patchin, Justin, and Sameer Hinduja. "Cyberbullying Research Center - cyber bullying examples, cases, laws, articles, stories, presentations, videos, facts, statistics." Cyberbullying Research Center - cyber bullying examples, cases, laws, articles, stories, presentations, videos, facts, statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
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