Call to Action

So with this highly modernized era of our lives, what can be done to keep in tune with the technology, but yet still maintain good human to human interactions? Well first of all, we can make goals or efforts to reach people in person. For instance, when you get on facebook, you may have some friends who live far away or friends who you have in your friend list, but they are not as close of friends-these people are those who you may not have had much contact with anyway simply because of the way friendships go. For these friends, facebook and blogs are good-this is a way that technology is good and not all bad. Using technology, we can keep in contact with those we may not have otherwise. The problem occurs when those who live next door or just down the street are never seen in person. Those people who we could socialize with, but do not are the ones who we may see in our list of facebook friends and feel compelled to actually set up times to go and visit. This will help to improve the friendship by having a face-to-face relationship. This human interaction and contact is very important in our lives.

Application to life:

The world is so digitally and technologically focused that it is sometimes hard to keep up with all of it. We need to be up to the times with our blogs, our facebook, our twitter, company websites, school websites, entertainment websites, informational websites, such as news websites-CNN etc. A personal application is that in life, we may be pressured by cell phones taking our time, internet taking our time, television, other electronic and technological devices. These all take our time and sometimes we become so absorbed into our modern technology that the closeness and personal aspect of the interpersonal relationships with those around us tend to be dissolved from traditional interactions into ones that are less traditional. By less traditional, I mean that people are not having as many face to face interactions or even voice to voice. People text more and facebook, which is good to keep contact, but not good for keeping the skills and abilities related to normal human interaction that we all need and should develop. I know for me, that sometimes I talk to people a lot through facebook and texting, but when it comes to real life or real interaction, I have a harder time. It’s as if we can all feel safe and comfortable behind our screens, but either get scared or don’t know what to say when we actually come in contact with someone face-to-face. The ability to interact in person is a skill we should not lose.

My Enthymeme (& a slightly changed topic):

Ok, so my blog is changing slightly now. The previous posts have been focused mainly on pressure from the web, so basically on increasing internet technology. But now, I am taking more of a broader approach. I’m using just technology in general, because modern technology is increasing so much-at such a fast rate, that it seems to be taking over our world. With this new approach in mind, this blog includes my enthymeme, as well as defining those who are my audience.
My audience is basically those who find themselves using modern technology often, if not on
a day-to-day basis.
My enthymeme is as follows:
WATCO: What are the consequences of the increasing modern technology on opportunities to stay connected in a natural and normal way with other people and the world
around them?
Claim: The increasing modern technology is detracting from opportunities to stay connected in a natural and normal way with other people and the world around
them.
Reason: Because the increasing modern technology places pressure on people to stay connected to the world technologically.
Assumption: Whatever places pressure on people to stay connected to the world technologically also detracts from opportunities to stay connected in a natural
and normal way with other people and the world around them.

Key Terms:

Ok so this blog will be about key terms relating to my topic and how they are defined.

Facebook: the social media that many use for hours daily. This has now become an employer device to get more of the inside scoop on potential employees. It has become a professional device putting pressure on the users to censor and monitor what is displayed about them. Some people may even feel pressure to list professional goals and experiences on their facebook page in order to give them an upper hand when employers check out their page.

Twitter: another form of social media where users can follow other users in order to receive constant updates on that person/business. This allows users to keep in-the-know about recent news on topics, companies, and people they are interested in.

Web Pressure: The world is turning more and more digital. Just about everything can be done online these days, but it seems lately that a new trend is pushing through. This new trend seems to make internet technology no longer a luxury or a possibility, but it has now almost become a forced way of life. It's no longer an option to use internet technology-you must use it to have an upper hand in the professional world and simply to not be behind. People are almost expected to spend so many hours on line a day it seems, in order to keep up with blogs, email, websites, news, twitter, facebook, linkedin, etc, etc. You name it and you'd better be checking it everyday. People's lives no longer consist of just living, lives now consist of how one uses and is viewed on the web media!

Arguing the other side:

Ok so now I get to argue for the other side, which means I get to argue in favor of having a constant increase and pressure to keep updated in internet technology.

A few reasons why having more and more internet usage is beneficial:

1. People can chat online with anyone at any moment. Instant message through the internet.
2. People can use twitter to follow not only friends but businesses. By following a business, people can know the current updates of the company they work for or for the company they would like to work for. People can also follow news companies and get headline updates to learn the latest news without picking up a newspaper or going to the news' website. People only have to go to the twitter page for this update, and then if they want to read the article, they can click a link to go to the news' website and read the entire thing!
3. Facebook is a good tool because old friends can reconnect who may not be in contact anymore. These friends can view photos and keep up on each other's lives on their own time. Sometimes it's hard for friends to call each other or get together because of time schedule differences, but through facebook, you can check out someone's profile/wall at 2 in morning if needed to get important updates on a friend's life!

A Response to a Main Counter Argument

Sandy Hardmeier published an article online about the internet (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/technologyinternet.mspx) in 2005. She speaks about the increase in the internet and how that has benefited people. She specifically mentions the aspect of staying in touch-involving digital cameras and the internet. She explains the lengthy process people used to go through just to send a letter to friends or family. People would have to put it in the mail and pay postage and the letter would not arrive instantly, and then if the sender wanted to include photos, he or she would have to develop the film which takes time and then send it off. With the use of the internet and digital cameras, people can keep in touch instantly-no more waiting for hours or days, etc. Life is instant with the internet. She wrote about handy online programs that have sprung up regarding the use of digital cameras: EasyShare Gallery, Google's Picassa, and the Photo Gallery on MSN Spaces. Now granted this article was written a few years ago and the hottest programs and newest uses of the internet may not be these photo applications today, but the idea is still the same that the internet has so many options. And once again, I counter the hype the excitement that goes along with all these options. I am not saying that all internet should be done away with, but I am saying that some things should be eliminated or slowed down or only available but not pressured to use most, or all, of these constantly increasing online media programs. The pressure is great to be connected and literate in all forms of the internet. Maybe postage was slow...but too much technology on the internet takes away from more genuine and thoughtful contact with others. Some may consider internet technology just something to do now when you're bored or just because you feel like you have to. Sometimes too much technology and too many options to do much of the same thing, can be too much.

Source Applicable to my Topic

Ok, so I found a website with an article discussing the ways Internet use takes more time from family and friend interaction than it does from television watching.

Here is an excerpt from that site:

"Still, the researchers found the average Internet user spends 3 hours per day online, almost double the 1.7 hours the average respondent spends watching television.

Data were collected from a representative sample of 4,839 American respondents between the ages of 18 and 64 in June 2004.

For the average respondent, an hour of time online reduces the amount of time spent with family more than twice as much (23.5 minutes) as it limits daily TV viewing (10 minutes). This amounts to 70 minutes less time spent per day with family, versus c. 30 minutes less time watching television. The study also found the average surfer gets 8.5 minutes less sleep per day due to time spent online." (http://www.clickz.com/3455061)

This little article goes along well with my topic. I feel that in this world, there is so many websites to connect with: facebook, blog, professional sites, twitter, etc... It seems people spend so much time online keeping connected with the world around them that they are spending less time with the people around them. We are so focused on knowing the latest news or being a member of the "hottest" social media site or the "hottest" professional networking sites, that we forget to value the little things in life. We forget to just relax, chill out, and enjoy the blessings we already have. It gets to be overwhelming sometimes when we always hear about blogs, twitter, facebook, linkedin, and if we aren't consistent users, we tend to feel behind or out of the loop. Is all of this web pressure necessary? Personally, I think all these web outlets are helpful and useful, but the pressure to constantly be connected to the web is so unhealthy. We have plenty to do and enjoy each day of our lives without feeling like we have to practically live online instead of with the people around us.