Wesley Chandler

ENG 110

Prof. Miller

April 5th, 2024

The Hypnotizing Effect of Technology

Technology has played a crucial role on how we live our lives and get work done on a day to day basis. Whether it be us sending a simple text to our friend or working on our laptops to get some work done, the use of these devices always ends up finding time to end up in most of our days. Overtime technology has shown us that though it can be used in a very productive manner and a very negative way as well. These devices have caused us to lose our attention spans, struggle with in person conversations with our peers, and begin to affect us mentally as well. Kevin Kelley, a famous scientist who has studied people and the love they get for inanimate objects. Kelley’s concept of Technophilia sheds light on people’s continuous fascination with technology and its humongous  influence on our society. I was also able to get an insight on technology from a younger generations perspective by reading two of my classmates’ writings, Jack Thurmond and Cote Briggs. These two young and up and coming students at the University of New England shared how technology played a crucial role in their lives from a student athletes perspective and full time students insight in each of their writings. 

While technology does offer an endless amount of opportunities for progress and innovation, it also presents challenges and complications that require careful consideration by one. In Cote and Jack’s passages they discuss how technology has benefited both peers in many ways but has also affected their attention spans, affected their in person conversations with peers, and give them a sense of urge to want to be on those devices more. Kelley believes if we begin to embrace technology mindfully and very critically, we can be able to harness and grab its potential to create a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future for everyone. Now I do believe in Kelley’s concept, but I also believe some of the topics he brings up are not true. I believe that our society could use technology in a better way while still being able to use these devices in a healthier manner. One of the ways that we can focus on bettering our minds so we are not always drilled on our phones is beginning to have more in person conversations with our peers. 
One example that Kelley brings up is how one of his friends’ daughters reacted when she had her phone taken. In the text he brings up her outlandish reaction, “An acquaintance of mine has a teenage daughter. Like most teens in this century she spends her day texting her friends, abbreviating her life into character hints, flinging these haikus out to an invisible clan of mutual texters. It’s an always on job, this endless encapsulation of the moment. During dinner, while walking, on the toilet, lounging in bed, or in any state of wakefulness, to chat is to live. Like all teens, my friend’s daughter tested the limits of her parents’ restrictions. For some infraction or another, they grounded her. And to reinforce the seriousness of her misconduct, they took away her mobile phone. Immediately the girl became physically sick. Faint, nauseous, and so ill she couldn’t get out of bed. It was as if her parents had amputated a limb.” I completely agree with Kelley and have seen this myself. I have a four year old sister who is slowly falling in love with what technology is today  and honestly for her age impresses me how well she can use a tablet. If she asks my mother though for her tablet and does not get it she begins to act up. Throwing herself on the couch, having an attitude, and being rude to others just for a device she just started to use. Jack talks about how sometimes his phone can make him feel as well. In his passage he talks about some of the little things that might affect his day, “I have mini panic attacks before remembering it’s on my desk charging. As funny as this sounds, this is a real problem. Overattchment to our technology leaves us addicted to it. Without it, we would have trouble functioning. To me, this is when I realized how much of a chokehold technology has.” We begin to worry entirely on these devices and cause our brains to give us an attachment and can only cause some mental health issues. I believe that if we prioritize other things rather than our phones or computers all the time they won’t play as big of a role in our lives as they do now.