The time for registering for classes is almost here. Soon we’ll all be anxiously sitting in front of computer screens, already logged in, ready to pounce on those noonday classes. Isn’t it funny how we do this? On that day, our calendars have an event down to the second.
Before the clock was invented, this kind of behavior would be absurd. Back then, people didn’t specify time like this but rather thought of it in terms of seasons and stages. After the clock, people perceived time in a completely different way. They thought of it as something to which everything revolved around. However, this shift was not merely a change in thought; it was a change in the way people lived.
So, if such a simple invention like the clock can revolutionize the world, I think it would be prudent for us to ask ourselves an obvious question: How is technology affecting us today?
You don’t have to look too deeply to find an answer to this question. I mean, we live in a technological jungle. We use technology to aid us in almost all of our pursuits. For information, we have a myriad of data banks to choose from. To communicate, our norm is now texting, Facebook and Twitter. To find entertainment, we fill our time with video games and television. Nearly everything we do now is in some way affected by technology.
But are all of these technological advancements good for us? Are we, as people, advancing with technology? Or is there a catch? Maybe some of our technological advancements are coming at a cost. Are we losing by gaining, so to speak?
Take communication, for instance. Gone are the traditional forms of it. They have been replaced with things like texting and email. We now have conversations with people miles away and can even talk to multiple people at once. But does this actually improve our communication? After all, by using these devices to communicate, we dismiss face-to-face dialogue. In doing so, we remove from conversation any intimacy or personal element we might have had.
What about our intelligence? These days, when we want to know something, we have television, computers and the World Wide Web at our disposal. These advancements give us unprecedented access to information. Yet our minds do not absorb information at the same rate information is produced. In light of this, could it be we are actually making are minds shallower by such an overflow of data?
These are just two examples, and much more could be said about them. I have only scratched the surface, but you can see how technology may be affecting us.
Now,before you jump to conclusions, allow me to say something: I, too, have a cell phone and other technological gadgets. I am on ESPN.comway too much and have spent my share of time in front of the Xbox. I like surfing Wikipedia as much as anyone.
So I want you to see I am not condemning technology or its users. I merely wish to point out that technology influences us. It influences not only the way we perform our daily functions, but also the way we think and live.
Now I realize you may never have thought about this concept or you may think this is a trivial matter.
But you must not take this issue too lightly. The fact is these technologies are relatively new entities, and as a result, we know very little about the long-term effects they can have on our lives.
If not for this alone, we should look hard at how the things we craft are crafting us.
Ben Hester is a freshman  majoring in political science. He can be contacted at
[email protected].