The Darker side of Technology

Technology--A word of infinite possibilities. The reliance on technology has increased dramatically, whether it is simply computers, televisions, cellular phones, or whether they are electrocardiograms, geostationary operational environment satellites, or orbital docking systems. Human beings rely on communication technologies and computing devices so much that it has integrated itself as a common part of every lifestyle. Technology is now a central power that fuels the rhythm of daily life. Today, the darker side of technology, of which typical human beings tend to neglect, will be unveiled. The ever so essential instant messenger, television, and computer will be discussed in this journal. Perhaps it will open the eyes of many to face reality. And the reality is, humans are ignorant! MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, iChat...do these terms ring a bell? Instant communication, just a click away! How convenient... These softwares are quite helpful, don't get me wrong. Even I have to admit i go online 24/7 to chat with my friends to hear the latest gossip or to get help with the utterly annoying units that we rush to get in for the next target date. With that, I pause and sigh a long sigh... Well, that's beside the point. These instant messengers are quite addictive and distracting (and you think to yourself, don't we all know this?). Moreover, they are quite dangerous for the young clueless children of society (think of those pedophiles! *gasp*!). In addition, instant messaging threatens the very basis of our grammar and spelling (lyk u kno wat i mean! lol). What we do not see, however, is that our reliance on these instant messengers serve as barriers for interpersonal person-to-person relationships. I mean, where is the emotion, the tone, the eye contact, and the presence? Well, let's make it a little bit more personal and think of it this way... Imagine that your boyfriend/girlfriend cheats on you (knock on wood). He/she would obviously prefer to say sorry on MSN than in person or on the phone...Where's the courage in that? Where is the true emotion, or the expression... It's like having a job interview over the Internet! (So if anyone wants to ask me out on a date, ask me in person, ok? NOT ON MSN!*cough cough!* or call me! *wink* I'm just joking around...)To cut it short with the Romeo and Juliet dilemma, what I'm trying to say is that we isolate ourselves from other people, and this is obviously very unhealthy. Moving along to our next victim: The TELEVISION! The television is a major source of entertainment and it does occasionally give us useful and important information. Stepping over to the dark side, the TV is bad for our eyes, it influences violence and the usage of nasty language, and it is a cause for procrastination, laziness, and distraction... No wonder I get grounded ever so often. SHHhhh! Our age group is stupid. Don't get mad at me, please. Really, we are stupid. We would buy anything they show us on TV through excellent advertising techniques! The next time you see a commercial, do remember: WE control what is cool, NOT the TV people! Keep in mind that technology was designed for us to control, not for them to control what we do and how we live! Furthermore, the television creates social injustices through stereotypes and discrimination. Blondes are stupid, super skinny annorexic people are sexy, and Chinese people are weird thrifty people (oh, i am insulted! *sniff*). These stereotypes can be really harmful and are evidently affecting the minds of human beings. Last but not the least, I will be discussing our all-time-favourite device: The Computer! Thank goodness for the computer! Super long essays are not a problem, and photoshopping my pictures make me look prettier (kidding!!). Quick access to information and E-class itself are very convenient! I will not be discussing threats to privacy, security, and the computer's addictivity (We all know these things!). Instead, I will be discussing how bad total reliance on the computer is! First and foremost, not all information presented on the Internet are positive ones! Second of all, the world would collapse without a computer. Lawyers keep their files on computers, banks keep databases and store all account informations on computers, and politicians need instant polls! Do remind yourself that computers don't last forever. In fact, Canada alone is experiencing energy problems. Imagine a total blackout in the very near future. We wouldn't survive! At least I know I wouldn't! We are all so relaxed right now that such a catastrophe would shock us all! Technology--A word of infinite possibilities; the question is, how far should we go with it? Well, in instant messaging terms: cya ppls! ima be on msn all nite long! bye!

Stabbed by the Media

A Letter to the Media
by: Anna Neuheimer

You paint our faces and put on our clothes,
You make our personality and invent our roles,

You silence our voices and create our fears,
You don't see us calling,
You don't see our tears.

You control our self-esteem and kill us inside,
You've destroyed us enough now we want to guide.

See our ways, our souls, what's real,
From now on we'll decide how we feel.

We'll show you how we really are,
Your image of us has gone much too far.

birth of this blog

September 16, 2006; period 2 @ media class; this blog was born =)