Are We Too Dependent on Technology

If you were to ask somebody what a computer was sixty years ago they would look at you look at you puzzled. Now days it is hard to find a household or office in America that does not contain at least one personal computer. With all of this information at our finger tips, we have to ask ourselves if we are becoming too dependent on technology. Imagine if we were to wake up tomorrow with all electronic devices disabled. Everybody’s life would be impacted in one way or another. We would lose what has become the largest portal for communication. We would also lose countless information that has been stored on computers. There is no denying that technology is going to continue to grow; and impact every aspect of our lives. But the question is if we are becoming too reliant on something that can quickly disappear. We very well could be at risk of losing it all very soon. I will discuss what could cause this change to happen. I will also go over how I believe our dependence on technology is growing. Earth’s magnetic field protects us from most of the suns radiation and other harmful effects. However, the sun is a very powerful force that can cause sudden intense outbursts of energy that are called solar flares. If a very powerful solar flare where to strike Earth it could cause serious effects to our power grid. If we have no power grid, we have lost all of our electronic devices that we count on so much. Solar flares usually impact us the most on an eleven year cycle. The most recent time solar activity peaked was in 2001, and caused widespread radio blackouts in the pacific. The newest cycle of solar activity had begun in late 2007, a year earlier than expected. Scientists say it will peak in 2012 and be between thirty to fifty percent more intense than the one in 2001. With the next one being hypothesized as so much more intense, I believe that it’s time we have a backup plan to accommodate a life without technology. A lot of people believe that we are not too dependent on technology. I spoke to my brother; he stated we just utilize it like we would automobiles or anything else like that. There is no denying the benefits of technology, however, I believe we should not get ahead of ourselves. Over the last fifty years our civilization has changed dramatically. Communication with friends and family has become as easy as the click of the mouse. Also we have saved countless trees by using electronic mail instead of paper mail. I agree that it is in our best interest to continue to use technology in the future. However, I feel that we all should get into the mindset of having a contingency plan in case we lose it. It is hard to go anywhere now days without interacting with a computer. A lot of jobs now require that you fill out applications on the internet. It has also become crucial that you have basic computer skills to be employed in any office setting. In 1994 only 3% of public schools had internet access. In just over ten years in 2005 that number had jumped to 94% of all public schools now having internet access. (US Department of Education) This just goes to show how fast technology is really growing. I feel that we are way to acceptant of something new and need to realize the repercussions before jumping right in. So many people rely on technology in their everyday lives. It could be from using your cell phone for an alarm clock, to setting a flight plan for a commercial flight. If we were to lose all of this, I believe that we would all be left in discontent. I believe that now is the time to slow down a little bit and gain a view of where we are heading. The way that I see it technology is going to continue to grow at a rapid pace. Everybody always wants the next coolest or fastest thing on the market. If you stop to realize how much our lives have changed in the last fifteen years. You can only imagine what our daily activities will be like another fifteen years from now. I believe the one thing that will remain the same in that fifteen years will be our dependence on technology. That is unless we do realize that we need to keep our advancements in check. I believe that a new potentially life changing technology should be closely analyzed before being released to the general public. If we don’t fully realize the potential effects of a new technology, we could be faced with unexpected consequences. Although I welcome change and enjoy using new devices myself, I feel that I too would be lost if I were to lose it all. For that very reason I think that we as a civilization need to realize the potential effects if it were all gone.