Final Blog Post 

Relationship With Technology 

  Technology, at first, was built with the intention of making our lives easier. However, the way we view and use technology has changed. It shifted from assisting us in our daily lives to being something we cannot function without. It plays a massive role in our daily lives and can be found everywhere. Not only is it already a big part of our lives, but it's evolving every day, and new technology is coming out constantly. 

The videos we watched in class show both technological advancements and the negative connotations that technology brings. The video on the Futurama ride in 1964 showed how technology would change the world. The 1964 World's Fair in New York displayed Futurama, which shows what types of technological advancements the world was believed to make in the future. It's remarkable how accurate these predictions became. Most, if not all, of these predictions became reality in some way. For example, they showed a submarine, highways across the country, an underwater hotel, and the moon exploration by both man and drone. The next video focused on the darker side of the new technology era that we find ourselves in. Mad World Remix of Moby Video (Are You Lost In The World Like Me) displays how attached we are to technology. This video is very powerful, and I noticed different details every time I watched it. This video highlights how absorbed we have become with technology and how it controls our lives. It shows everyone 100% concentrating on their phones and not aware of their surroundings. 

The last video, MAN, also depicts the lasting effects our evolution has had on nature. It acts as a type of warning message exploring the effects that come with becoming overly enthralled with your own pleasures. 

These videos reminded me of the Disney movie Wall-E, which is set on an uninhabitable (although it really isn't) dystopian Earth. Wall-E is a cautionary tale for the misuse of the environment, like the MAN video. It also portrays the impacts of the overuse of technology, as shown in the Mad World video. For the environment, the movie shows the result of extreme pollution and waste. The film shows the Earth completely covered in trash caused by human overuse. Like the MAN video, where the man continues overusing for personal well-being, the Earth is degrading. For technology it highlights the dangers of depending on technology. It foreshadows the risk of only looking at one source of media. Like in the movie, the humans only know what the ship's computer tells them; similarly, if you only look at one media source, you will only see news from that perspective. Also it highlights the influence technology can have on us and how it shapes our preferences. It also shows the risk of being too absorbed and dependent on technology. Like in the Mad World video, the people are overly obsessed with their phones, and the world around them becomes invisible. Similarly, in the movie, the people become obsessed with their high-tech chairs and amenities and don't bother to worry about anything happening around them. Ultimately, it shows that technology can be used for good and positively controlled in the right hands. Wall-E can also be seen as similar to the Futurama video because of its foreshadowing. Futurama video predicted technological advancements while Wall-E showed us the dangers of technology and where the direction of Earth is going if we don't change our behaviors with climate change and consumerism (maybe not to the extent of the movie's depiction, but pretty close to it). 

This course has improved my self-reflection on my relationship with technology. Technology allows us to access information quickly, improves telecommunications, enables us to connect with friends and family anywhere in the world, and provides entertainment. We do all of these things pretty much every day. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I couldn't live my life without technology, but it would be challenging. Despite using it daily, I believe I have a healthy relationship with technology. I try not to use it before going to bed. I do not look at my phone immediately after waking up and I try not to be on my phone when I'm with friends. I do, however, use technology quite a bit during the day. When I'm bored I find myself scrolling through TikTok or instagram. I use my iPad and my computer in all of my classes and use them to complete all of my assignments. But that is how our society is today. We are in the age of technology. Instead of going to the library and searching for books or studies on a topic for a class, all I need to do is a quick Google search and get millions of results. I also use my phone to make many calls and text people throughout the day. However, most of those calls and texts are to my mom or friends back home because I'm an out-of-state college student and miss my family and friends. Although I think I have a good balance with my usage, I think can be more aware of it and making sure I'm not using it to procrastinate

This course has also made me very aware of my digital footprint and online presence. In this sense, I also have a good relationship with technology. Since discussing privacy in class, I now use fake emails when needed on websites asking for my information. My social media is set on private, and I only allow people that I know to follow me. When searching my name, only my LinkedIn profile and picture pop up. I also am very self-aware of what I post on social media. I do not post anything that a future employer would dislike. Overall, I have a good relationship with technology and use it appropriately without being too attached. I will continue to be mindful of my screen time. I am also smarter about my online presence and double check before I post anything.