Mason C.

Hudson
Professor Padgett
UWRT 1102 Spring
April 6, 2015
Technology: Its Effect on the United States of America
In this constantly evolving world that we live in, technology serves as the epi-center for
connectivity, relations, and ethics. However, it goes much more into detail than most people may
think, or care. Technology is the central source for literally everything in the world today. From
cell phones and personal interactions, social interactions, and education; it is, literally, all
controlled by technology. Personally, I think that technology is severely overrated and should be
turned down a notch to everyone in the United States of America.
Although my opinion in the previous paragraph really doesnt matter to anyone, it should.
Technologys effect on America and the people contained within the lower forty-eight has gone
unseen for years and it is creeping up to the point of no return. If we, as Patriotic Americans, do
not come to the realization of the problem and then begin to fix the problem; then we will be
technologys problem instead of technology being our problem. No one thinks about the impact
and effects of technology in the USA these days, and its really scary. As amusing as my life may
seem to me, being so technology dependent can cause a heap of issues both personally and
socially. If I become completely dependent on technology, then I will lose sight of anything and
everything in reality, in society, and the world in general (well, that may be nice for a short
period of time). Although I am just one man in a world full of millions of people, this is the case
for all people in the world today. Everyone is overly dependent on technology for something on

an everyday basis and at some point, this will become a problem (if not already). What happens
if technology is no longer available or we cannot use it?
Socially speaking, once everyone resorts to social media and technology for everything,
society wont have a problem because there wont be a society only social media. Technology
will eventually cause the human race to become unsociable because not a single soul will be able
to carry on a conversation without a computer or cell phone screen. All communications will take
place via social media or over some means of technology. Also, an education will become
worthless because you will be able to google, literally, everything that you need to know. You
start to ask yourself, why am I spending almost fifty thousand dollars to get an education when I
can look up virtually anything on the internet? I mean come on, who doesnt have access to the
internet the majority of their time? However, on the bright side, you cant teach common sense,
no matter how hard you try, so we still have that going for us, for now anyway.
In reference to society and social interactions, according to academia.edu, cell phones
have had, and continue to have, a severe effect on social interaction. They say, Technology is a
big reason why individuals enjoy a lot of comfort in their lives. The fact that Americans rely on
technology, in this case cell phones, to receive comfort in their lives is pitiful! Academia
continues on to say that communication is an integral part of humanity. Through
communication, individuals are better placed to accept themselves better. The worst part of this
entire problem is that society has accepted the fact that technology is bliss in life. That is not
okay! Humans in America have all turned into babies and need an electronic LED/LCD screen to
stare at to be able to feel comfortable in life. Technology should not be part of humanity, it
should, rather, be an option to humanity that not everyone must have to live.

In my opinion, I have to agree with Alice Martin from edudmic.com in her opinion that
the rapid revolution in technology affected our lifestyle drastically and led us to believe that our
lives have changed for the better. The importance in that sentence is substantial because we have
all been lead down the wrong path and ended up at the Pot of Coal that we think is a Pot of Gold.
A Pot of Gold would be happiness with the lack of technology, rather than the Pot of Coal that is
a fake sensation of happiness in the presence of technology. In addition, this sensation is trickling
its way down to the younger generation as well. For example, due to the excessive usage of
online chatting and shortcuts, the writing skills of todays younger generation has declined rather
tremendously. In todays world, children are relying more and more on digital communication
(cell phones) that they have totally forgotten about improving their personal writing skills. They
dont know how to use grammar properly, the spelling of words, or how to do cursive writing
(even when I was in grade school I was never taught how to correctly do cursive writing).
However, on the contrary, Susan OHara and Robert Pritchard argue the opposite view of
technologys effect on America. They argue that technology has a positive effect on education
and young adolescent kids (I strongly disagree). However, Pearson conducted a study in 2005
which showed that middle school students actually excelled in strategy use, metacognition,
reading motivation, reading engagement, and reading comprehension after the use of technology
(in comparison to non-technology exposed middle school students). Pearson defined digital tools
to include a vast range of media forms. The majority of studies they discovered dealt with
vocabulary development and reading comprehension. Therefore, a strong research base supports
the conclusion that technology can enhance many, if not all, aspects of literacy development.
On the same path as Susan OHara and Robert Pritchard, Human Kinetics.com states that
the use of social networking sites has both positive and negative consequences pertaining to

social development. Its amazing that one can find a long-lost friend through a social media
networking site. Therefore, in a society where people have become so mobile and family &
friends are often geographically separated by thousands of miles, it can be convenient to keep in
touch through technology. However, one does not need not to look far to find problems
associated with social networking sites (again lives my point that technology is bad). There is a
constant debate about whether internet addictions are real or not. It appears to be a serious
problem and those with the problem are unaware that they have it. It is a very accurate
assumption that web sites such as Facebook, twitter, and Instagram have contributed to cheating
on significant others, often leading to divorce and/or separation. People have been fired from
jobs or put under pressure because of their actions and interactions within social networks that
may have undermined their professional standing.
However, going back to the positive side of technologys effect, creating meaningful
relationships is often about sharing our lives with others (social media), and technology can
allow us to do so through photos, videos, and text. Perhaps overcoming a sense of isolation is
one of the greatest features of becoming involved in online communities and virtual worlds. A
person might feel like an outcast in their own community and/or family, however they might find
someone online with similar interests. In association with Human Kinetics, we can consider
someone who enjoys photography as a leisure activity. This person would be able to share that
passion with people all over the world by using the internet and its tools (e-mail, video chat,
online video). Although, simply sharing a common interest with people through technology does
not necessarily have a positive impact on social skills and development.
After reviewing the writings and statements by Human Kinetics and Susan OHara &
Robert Pritchard, I can now see where technology can be beneficial to the human population.

However! Fred Guterl with Scientific America states what effect emerging technologies can have
on society. Guterl says that technologies may one day allow us to live healthily well beyond onehundred years old, enhance our intellectual and physical abilities, and control our emotions. This
would end up putting us into a virtually perfect world. However, one must wonder whether a
perfect world is what the human population actually thrives for? What would changes caused
by such emerging technologies really mean for the real American population? What will drive us
as humans and motivate us if we can just enhance ourselves and if choices are already premade
for us? Will we still feel needed and in what way? The job of humans on Earth is to make a
difference in somebodys life and to feel like we are important. If we dont feel like we are
important and needed, we will all be pointless. Again, technology can, will, and already has
begun to rewrite the code for Americans.
After all the research, reading, and thinking, my opinion remains unchanged.
Technologys effect on America and the people within this great country has gone unseen for
years and it is creeping up on the point of no return. Although, as bad as I hate to say it,
technology does have a somewhat positive effect on society ad Americans. But, the ratio of pros
to cons in reference to technologys effect is strongly swayed towards the cons due to all the
endless possibilities of negative effects that can and have come from technology. I said it earlier
and Ill say it again, if us as Americans do not realize and dispose of the problem; we will be
technologys problem instead of technology being our problem.

Works Cited

Guterl, Fred. "What Impact Will Emerging Technologies Have on Society?" Scientific American
Global. N.p., 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Technology Can Have Positive or Negative Impact on Social Interactions." Human-kinetics.

Human Kinetics, 2008. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

Martin, Alice. "The 4 Negative Side Effects Of Technology." Edudemic - Connecting Education
& Technology. N.p., 30 May 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Liew, JY. "The Effect of Smart Phones on Social Interaction." Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 09
Apr. 2015.

O'Hara, Susan, and Robert Pritchard. "What Is the Impact of Technology on Learning?"
Education.com. N.p., 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Chappell, Bill. "U.S. Students Slide In Global Ranking On Math, Reading, Science." NPR. NPR,
03 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Final Paper Reflection

The reason I chose the Final Research Paper was due to its representation of my work
ethic and research throughout the semester. My final paper demonstrates what I learned about
researching and composing a research paper this semester. In my previous English related classes
I havent ever really had to write a true research paper so this one was a learning experience.
Throughout the writing of this paper I learned that my writing skills were not where I wanted
them to be. However, I also learned that my writing had come a long way since the time I started
UWRT 101. Overall, this Final Research Paper was fun and provided me with some good
information about a topic that I was already interested in.