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How has the advancement of technology negatively impacted the brains of young adults beginning college?
#programming #robotics
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David’s Answer
Hello Ayen!
I'm a computer science major so I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Nobody underestimates the effects of technology on this generation less than me. In general, it seems this generation has a lot of downsides: lower attention span, worse memories, worse communication skills, etc.
The benefits of technology are amazing, there are more resources available to us than ever before. Overall, it is all about balance. I think in the future we will find a better balance between technology and life. Personally, I've forced myself to spend time each day reading, talking to friends, and going to the gym. At first this was tedious, but now it has genuinely improved my life.
Technology is beautiful and amazing, it's why I'm a computer science major. But young people these days are definitely overdependent on it. I agree with Tony Pearson, we will look back on our overuse of technology negatively. It's all about finding balance. And once we do so, we will be better for it.
I'm a computer science major so I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Nobody underestimates the effects of technology on this generation less than me. In general, it seems this generation has a lot of downsides: lower attention span, worse memories, worse communication skills, etc.
The benefits of technology are amazing, there are more resources available to us than ever before. Overall, it is all about balance. I think in the future we will find a better balance between technology and life. Personally, I've forced myself to spend time each day reading, talking to friends, and going to the gym. At first this was tedious, but now it has genuinely improved my life.
Technology is beautiful and amazing, it's why I'm a computer science major. But young people these days are definitely overdependent on it. I agree with Tony Pearson, we will look back on our overuse of technology negatively. It's all about finding balance. And once we do so, we will be better for it.
Updated
Tony’s Answer
Ayen,
50 years from now, we will look at people's addiction to cell phones like we see the addiction to cigarettes in old black-and-white movies. The negatives so far have been (sources: https://markmanson.net/smartphones ) and ( https://www.gq.com/story/cal-newport-digital-minimalism )
(a) shorter attention span. Rather than spending a lot of time to understand a subject in depth that are "Too Long; Didn't Read" (TL:DR) people are now satisfied on quick short answers and soundbytes. While technology has made Wikipedia and a vast amount of information readily available, people are not as curious as they should be to take advantage of this.
(b) less face-to-face interaction with others. Communication face-to-face is a lot different than via text messages or tweets. A lot of information is communicated non-verbally through smiles and hand gestures that just don't get across with abbreviated texts and emojis. Video calls are more effective, and technology is now making these possible.
(c) limiting your experiences to the "echo chamber" -- technology now can help people limit what they hear and see to only those things they already agree to. Customizing news feeds, and relying on Facebook of your closest friends will not expose people to new things, new experiences or new ideas. While technology can be used to explore the world from your home, not everyone takes advantage of that.
50 years from now, we will look at people's addiction to cell phones like we see the addiction to cigarettes in old black-and-white movies. The negatives so far have been (sources: https://markmanson.net/smartphones ) and ( https://www.gq.com/story/cal-newport-digital-minimalism )
(a) shorter attention span. Rather than spending a lot of time to understand a subject in depth that are "Too Long; Didn't Read" (TL:DR) people are now satisfied on quick short answers and soundbytes. While technology has made Wikipedia and a vast amount of information readily available, people are not as curious as they should be to take advantage of this.
(b) less face-to-face interaction with others. Communication face-to-face is a lot different than via text messages or tweets. A lot of information is communicated non-verbally through smiles and hand gestures that just don't get across with abbreviated texts and emojis. Video calls are more effective, and technology is now making these possible.
(c) limiting your experiences to the "echo chamber" -- technology now can help people limit what they hear and see to only those things they already agree to. Customizing news feeds, and relying on Facebook of your closest friends will not expose people to new things, new experiences or new ideas. While technology can be used to explore the world from your home, not everyone takes advantage of that.
Updated
Xiaozhao’s Answer
Not quite sure about how "negatively" is defined, but as far as we can see, college freshmen actually should benefit from the advancement of technology which brings so much convenience to their lives -- vivid presentation in many formats, easy-to-hand knowledge beyond library, and yet to mention more online lectures from multiple perspectives.
As to the negative part, what comes to my mind may be the distraction to the students...what else?