Technology can have a profound effect upon us individually and on society. As technology changes we begin to adapt ourselves and our lifestyles to the new technology.
Today I asked you which of the following was the most important tool in your life
1)Emojis
2) Instagram
3) Life Straws
All of you said either Instagram or Emojis. They are tools you actually use. The life straw is not a tool that is needed for your life. When I pressed you to explain why emojis were important to you life someone stated, "It helps me communicate sarcasm or emotion to a friend." We all agreed and gave a couple examples of how the lack of emotion of texting can cause conflict sometime. But what has the text replaced? Actual talking! Actual emotion! We often believe these tools we use "connect" us with those around us but in reality perhaps they are actually pushing us away from each other. Think of your lunch table...5 people sitting together but no one is engaging with each other.
Here is Marshall Jones' award winning slam poetry to prove the point. Be mindful of your connections.
Also this great technology that is supposed to improve our lives can sometimes make us miserable.
The point of today's lesson was also to drive home the point of SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION. Those outside influences that affect our lives like TIME and PLACE. If you were much younger or older perhaps none of the tools would be of importance. If you were in a country with limited supply of clean water the LifeStraw would really be your most important tool. Again the point of the Sociological Imagination is to prove that your life isn't truly completely up to you. Your life is often heavily influenced by outside determining factors that we do not often reflect upon.
No comments:
Post a Comment