What Does It Mean to Be Human in an Age of Social Media and “Intelligent” Machines? Technology has been created and evolving since the beginning of history, all the way from the primitive discovery of fire to the advanced concepts of Global Positioning Systems, technology has come a long way and definitely affects every individual of society. Even during the short span of my lifetime, the change of technology has affected my life and how I perceive the world. Growing up in the 90’s definitely showed me that the advancements of technology changed how people lived their lives. During my childhood I would play outside, and read books to pass the time, but now a days I spend more time inside on a computer, or on my phone to pass the time. Technology is quickly changing and everyday people are being pulled further into the technological void. Even though technology is improving with the internet, science, and social media. Society is given an ever-changing new perspective and viewpoint on the world. Over the past couple of decades, society has reached a point where people are starting to prefer socializing over the internet, or just living their lives in the most convenient way possible. Meaningful social interactions have started to fade with the rise of the technological wave. For example, face to face conversations have become screen to face text messages and emoji’s. In “Technology: A Reader for Writers” many authors pool together their ideas to illustrate the power of technology, and what technology could do if left unchecked. In the article “When My Kids Unplugged”, Susan Maushart reveals the effect of pulling the plug on electronic media. According to Maushart, people in today’s society don’t use technology but in fact inhabit technology. By this she means that people unconsciously live in the world of technology and just happen to accept any changes to reality without question. Over years of this technological change, people begin to separate from reality through technology. Dependency issues are created by this inhabitance of technology. As an extreme point, in the Disney movie Wall-e, humans are seen as big time consumers on floating recliner chairs, with their eyes fixed on their computer screens. In the movie, the immersion into technology has gotten so bad that people have completely forgotten how to socialize with others and live their life without being so dependent on unnecessary technology. Maushart’s statement, that we are people that inhabit technology, is a great example that technology could be detrimental to society if there isn’t enough awareness of the use of technology. Not only does technology engulf our perception and actions in society, but it gives us a facade of being all too connected with one another. In the article, “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle states that the very technology that is supposed to connect people, is actually making people more isolated and lonely. Society uses technology to bring themselves to a point of intimacy that is not too close, or not too far for their comfort zone. Turkle calls this phenomenon the Goldilocks effect. Having the countless number of Facebook friends, and talking to 5 different friends at once, but not being able to have a genuine conversation with the person sitting across the table from you can be seen by this Goldilocks effect. Giving up conversation for connection is what modern technology has brought to the table. Technology has created a paradox where people are afraid of real time. By this I mean, with the use of technology, people can edit, delete, and reshape how they appear to others in the world. Without this technology they are afraid of real time conversation because they feel as if they don’t have control over how they are perceived. Indulging into social media has created a problem for real intimacy amongst all age groups (teenagers all the way to the elderly), and could be dangerous to the social connections of the world. Even though Maushart and Turkle argue that technology can be detrimental to present day society, there are indeed positive aspects that technology can have. Technology has given opportunities to connect and have relationships with people you wouldn’t be able to have relationships with due to distance. However, this same opportunity that technology gives, can also take away from our social lives. Neil Postman says that there is a price we pay for technology. B. Richards on SoulSatisfyingTech.com makes a great analogy that depicts the trade-off that happens through technological change. The microwave was created and intended to make meals easier and quicker to prepare. This piece of technology was a great step forward, however, the microwave still has a technological trade off. Having the microwave means that people are beginning to overlook the importance of eating together at a dinner table, or even potentially weakening family bonds with lack of sociability during meals. This might not apply to everyone that owns a microwave but it in fact shows the sociological and technological trade off that is shown in history. The positives aspects that technology brings with wider connections around the world and the ability to create relationships with all different kinds of people regardless of where they live can also be a negative aspect when it is taken to an extent where people begin to ignore those around them and search for only technological connections. Being a part of a rapidly advancing technological era definitely changes how one perceives their environment. Since the advancements of technology aren’t going to change, we have to change the way we have technology in our lives. As a human in the age of social media, we must use technology instead of being used by it.

Works Cited
Maurshart, Susan. "When My Kids Unplugged." Technology: A Reader for Writers. By Johannah Rodgers. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Turkle, Sherry. "Alone Together." Technology: A Reader for Writers. By Johannah Rodgers. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.