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Georgina Venegas
Ms. Lacey
English 113-3
13 March 2015
Total Takeover
Within the last few generations, some-if not all-individuals have encountered some sort
of distraction. A distraction that changes our life or the way that we perceive the things around
us; such as our interpersonal relationships or the way we approach our problems. Whether the
distraction is a simple television show, a mobile smart phone, or a computer that allows you to
access social networks and other mass media. Too often we let these devices become dominant
mediums of our lives. This sort of distraction is happening everywhere; five year olds playing on
their parents smart phones, teenagers on their tablets accessing social media allowing them to
gossip or talk about the latest trends, and there are even some parents who too, let technology get
the best of them. Technology has taken over a variety of things, to the extent that it can obliterate
the things that had nothing to do with technology before. One does not necessarily have to be a
professional or an expert to see how technology is affecting todays generation in a sufficient
amount of ways. That is not to say that the concept of technology is always a bad thing
technology requires individuals to be dependent on it, because if people are not dependent, it
simply would not exist. This generation needs to realize how is it affecting us as a whole. As this
is being mentioned, one might reflect on how it was that they may have met the love of their life
or the moment when they reconnected with old friends; perhaps how they might have lost
interest in communicating with their parents about the problems they have been

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encountering. More so, something as simple as them preferring to stay home because they might
be too afraid of the real world since one is so used to the virtual one. Although technology has
grown, and will continue to grow, it is indispensable for individuals to distinguish their limits of
usage and realize what it could be used for positively and how it could be used against them
negatively.
Good or Bad?
Everyone can easily get lost within technology, and as mentioned before, there are both
good and bad things that can come of it. When do we consider technology to be beneficial and
when does it become a bad thing. There was a television show known as Pretty Little Liars, and
this show allowed its viewers to get a glimpse of a perfect example of when technology can used
against a person. Towards the beginning of the show, Pretty Little Liars, an introduction to the
viewers begins with a group of friends who are hanging out. However, the show took a drastic
turn when one night one of the five girls disappears and is then found dead. Still grieving, the
other girls go back to their daily routines but are haunted constantly by text messages that never
reveal who is sending them, only signed initial by the A. Throughout the seasons of this show,
the characters continue to be tortured and tormented with mobile messages threatening to reveal
their deepest and darkest secrets. Pulling them away from their loved ones and making them
become distant from their closest individuals, the infamous A was getting what she wanted.
This agony made the main characters on the show watch themselves and their every moves more
carefully because they knew that at their first mistake, they would receive a disturbing text. In
the virtual world, one may consider this as bullying. At this point, viewers are allowed to see that
a phone and what comes with it can affect us tremendously.

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Interpersonal Relationships
How does one go about situations in which a source of technology is changing their
lives? The main characters of the show that aired on ABC Family, Pretty Little Liars must of felt
frightened by the text message threats they were receiving which caused them to push away
everyone they were previously attached to; simply to protect their loved ones from A.
Technology such as mobile phones or computers has ability to affect our interpersonal
relationships with our closest friends. In the case of the show Pretty Little Liars, it portrays that
the virtual bullying and harassment they were undergoing was the reason for their relationships
to be broken. Bullying is so powerful and has increased
dramatically, which leads to the point that technology only adds
power to individualsleaving others weak and vulnerable.
However, that may not always be the case sometimes there
are people who become reluctant to leave technology behind
regardless of the harm or the addiction it perpetuates. This
leaves the hopeless individuals to willingly jeopardizing their
closest interpersonal relationships just for a moment in the
virtual world.
Every so often, parents can realize that their child no
longer communicates with them and seem, very distant. A
reason that this tends to occur can be because teenagers
today rather tweet or blog

Fig.1 Desert News National

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about their problems and feelings away rather than facing them or talking about them with
someone who has always been there for them. In the article, Face Time vs. Screen Time: The
Technological Impact on Communication it mentions that Kids are spending so much time
communicating through technology that theyre not developing basic communication skills that
humans have used since forever. This leads to the belief that todays generation seems to lack
skill in face-to-face interactions because some may feel more comfortable through a screen;
clearly not knowing the consequences that may come along with the usage of the technology.
What Happens Then?
An online article provided by the Desert News National, stated that based upon their
research thatFamilies text rather than have conversations. We're living in a culture of sound
bites, and that is not developing our verbal skills or our emotional intelligence. What does this
have to say about our generation today? It does not necessarily affect only our teens or toddlers,
but the entire family tree. What the quote means to say is that whole families are becoming
dependent on technology, creating it to become their source of communication. How is that
possible? Some cultures take family time very serious and do not allow anyone have technology
near the dinner table and nowadays, it seems as if parents do not mind it because, they too, are
checking their Facebook messages or other mass media accounts. As shown on Figure 1 (Desert
News National), almost all Americans own a cell phone. It is fascinating to know how dependent
everyone is on their mobile devices because almost everyone owns a cell phone (except for that
one percent). This percentage has increased dramatically, as mentioned by a Christopher Smith
on a blog, In 1985, for example, there were a total of 340,000 cell phone subscribers in the
United States. In 2012, there are now 5.9 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. How can a

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teenager tell their parents they are having problems or struggling with school? Over a text? Or
over a Facebook post? Something is not right. Communication is essential; not virtual
communication but actual face-to-face communication. However, our lives and the future of
them seems to revolve around a virtual world now. Something as simple as a relationship status
update on Facebook or a depressing tweet on our Twitter account can let strangers into our lives,
sometimes even people whom we know nothing about.
Social Media Official?
Many interpersonal relationships are thought to begin over a screen, whether that be a
matching site or a social network which was intended to reconnect (or connect) individuals. The
dreadful idea of meeting individuals over a screen, whether it be social networks or matching
site, is that accounts could be easily hacked and information can be stolen. Therefore, sometimes
a person could be who they say they are, but other times, it may not be the case. For instance, the
television show that MTV hosts known as Catfish gives us insight on how and why exactly
people pretend to be others. Technology may have its perks, but for one to start sharing personal
information or intimate conversations with and later finding out someone is not who they thought
must be a horrible feeling. The feeling of regret for letting someone into your life whom you
have never met may not have much positivity with in. This is a very common concept with
technology, allowing identity theft to occur. If one meets up with the person and they are who
they truly claimed to be, then one will not have to worry about being catfished.
Assuming that the relationship transcends for two individuals, one of the biggest
compromise for all relationships today is broadcasting it to let the world know it is finally
official. As mentioned earlier, we can now let strangers become a part of our lives by updating a

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simple status or posting a single tweet. Interestingly, many people could say they knew a couple
was dating the moment it happened, and how is that even possible? A single status update that
allowed individuals to see. Social media has become a factor that allows us enter a persons
personal live, knowing so much about one another, maybe sometimes even a bit too much. All it
takes is a simple button to allow others a glimpse of our personal lives.
Even though one can get to know someone on the internet and let them sweep them of
their feet, social media can also led to breaking two individuals up. According to Indo Asian
News Service, Arguments over social media platforms among romantic partners are damaging
relationships, ending in negative outcomes like emotional and physical cheating, breakup and
divorce, a study claims. Sometimes reconnecting with past relationships via social media will
bring back plenty of problems with current partners. No current partner would be okay with their
partners talking to their exes. However, that is not the only problem: reconnecting to people you
were once attracted to or even connecting to new individuals who one may find attractive can led
to infidelity. There are way too many problems that may come about social media in marriages or
relationships.
Bad For Us, Good For Them
Technology is all around us as more specific statistics shown in the figure two. According
to an article written by Louis Basenese, The average American spends more time listening to the
radio (14%) than reading a newspaper or magazine (6%). So yes print is dead. Clearly people
who work for making prints are wasting their time because individuals today rather see it on TV
or hear it on the radio than read it. This seems almost obscure because print is more

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advertised than the actual time spent on it. We live in a world, a virtual world, that spends more

time on screens rather than

reading things on paper.

Fig.2 Daily Reckoning

Technology in Other Aspects

Television is another source of pop culture that can have both negative and positive
effects. This source of media can affect all of its viewers, which can range from toddlers to
elderly people. After undergoing research, there was a surprising amount of statistics in which
one can see that technology is taking over jobs. An article found on Human Kinetics, stated
Watchers simply sit there and ingest what is presented to them without having to respond or
react to another person. This quote shows how television can be both good and bad; good in the
sense that we can intake information and gain knowledge from it, but bad in the sense that most
individuals sit there and do nothing while viewing. Watching too much television also has the

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potential to lower our social skills. Since television requires no feedback from us, we are not
interacting leaving the television to have its control. If it affects adults and elderly people, how
does it affect our children?
A little while back, people started walking into a famous food chain restaurant, known as
McDonalds, and noticed how much they have changed the interior of the restaurant. Back in the
days McDonalds had playgrounds where kids were able to jump around and be active (although,
partners may have hated it because their child would never go eat when the food was ready
because they preferred to play). If one walks into McDonalds famous food chains today; one can
find that the play areas for kids are computer kiosks. This takes a huge role in toddlers, because
they are no longer active; in fact they are the complete opposite. At such a young age, children
are being shown that technology is a good thing; influencing them to join the norms of playing
games online and such.
Hopeless
Despite the fact that technology can be beneficial, it can leave some people completely
hopeless. Using the same scenario about the fast food chain, McDonalds, in Alaska; they now
have kiosks that help people order their food. Where does this leave the cashiers? They will no
longer be needed. According to an article found on CNet, the goal of the kiosks in McDonalds
is designed to boost efficiency and make ordering more convenient for customers. As one may
see, this is not the only location nor will it be the only location that will replace people with
machines. Leaving hard working people hopeless, technology will only become a higher
demand. After all, technology is known for its efficiency and its accuracy in ways that humans

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cannot keep up with. Technology cannot be fought, because there are individuals who prefer the
technology over people when it comes down to protecting their business and revenues.
Overview
Overall, technology can become the best or the worst distraction to mankind. Although
good may come of this distraction, such as allowing people to become aware of any breaking
news the moment it happens, one can remind themselves that family time is still essential.
Sometimes setting a phone down for an hour and allowing their parents (or children) back into
their lives will show that their is communication still there. Individuals should be aware that
being so dependent on technology is not healthy. Studies have even proven how it can physically
and mentally affect an individual. Avoiding technology, however, will be almost impossible since
it is now everywhere we look. They key concept is understanding ones limits once they have
obtained an electronic device or came into contact with one.

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Works Cited
Casey, Judi. "The Impact of Technology on Our Work and Family Lives." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Dec.
2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Christopher, Smith. The Role of Communication Technology in Today's
Society.

Christopher Smith RSS. 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Feb.

2015.
"Dimensions of Leisure for Life." Human-Kinetics. 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 27 Feb.
2015.
"Facebook, Twitter Causing Couples to Break Up: Study." NDTV Gadgets. 8
Apr.

2014. Web. 4

Mar. 2015.

Johnson, Chandra. "Face Time vs. Screen Time: The Technological Impact on
Communication." Face Time vs. Screen Time: The
Technological Impact on

Communication. 29 Aug. 2014.

Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Kooser, Amanda. "McDonald's Hires 7,000 Touch-screen Cashiers - CNET."
CNET. 17 May

2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.

Louis, Basenese. The Six Most Fascinating Technology Statistics Today - Daily
`Reckoning." Daily Reckoning. 7 June 2013. Web. 22
Feb. 2015.
Prepare for a Mobile Advertising Boom. Chart. Daily Reckoning, 2013. Web.
Tech Takeover. Chart. Desert News Graphic, 2014. Web.

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