Is Technology Destroying Analysis

Sydney Fischer
Mr. Fabian
English 12
11 March 2014

Smart phones and other social media have snuck into every aspect of our lives. It’s the

last thing we check at night, and the first thing we check in the morning. Cell phones and social media nowadays are an established part of society. They can’t be neglected from anyone’s life due to people depending on them so much. They are a necessity; however, they can also be a burden. This technology is improving rapidly, which makes people wonder have we taken it too far? In “Has Texting Killed Romance?” by Ashton Kutcher and “Is Technology Destroying
Social Bonds?” by Shawn Ghuman shows that cell phones and other social media are supposed to keep everyone connected but they may just drive us all apart.
But with the calmness we find in texting and social networks we are building up the anxiety of having a simple conversation with someone face to face. Ghuman shows that the more we text someone the less we know what to say when we see them. This digital communication takes away what all humans want and that is being able to express your thoughts to others. As the usage of social media increases so does our self­consciousness, so why must we stress over the technology that will only harm us? “We can edit and re­edit digital messages as much as we like until we decide we’ve perfectly conveyed our thoughts” (Ghuman
110). Like how Kutcher explained in his article, Ghuman shows that our phones alienate us into something that is beyond what a human could ever be, and that is being perfect. Re­editing messages and using spellcheck takes away the humanistic view. People make mistakes and it’s important that people display them. Ghuman clarifies that it’s okay to text every once in a while or even have social networks, but what’s important is that people measure their daily usage of their phones and focus on the important things in life.

Both articles made many positive and negative points on the subject of texting and
And Ghuman explains that it’s okay to use technology every once in a while, but people should really limit their usage. It’s opinionated that social media is tearing people apart. People use it to stay close with one another when in fact it’s making us more distant. Cell phones and social media take away what makes people unique from each other; our flaws. There are many statistics to prove that electronic connections run more wide than deep. “Researchers have found that constantly checking for messages is an addiction which like other drugs can ruin your personal relationships” (Alleyne

2). Surveys show that young adults spend up to 7 hours a day on their phones interacting with people online. Another survey states that “In total, users check their smartphones an average of
150 times during a waking day of 16 hours” (Spencer 5). Why must these tiny devices control every aspect of our lives? They are beneficial at times but the negative outweighs the positive.
We need to leave the phones at home, stop checking social networks more often, and truly enjoy life. It’s safe to say that this technology will be in our lives for a long time. But as