I was reading an article and it said that there’s a huge problem with having new advanced technology. By being high-tech, we are sacrificing proof of our existence. It may not make much sense, but if you think about it our only proof of existence is by producing something that will last long enough / outlive us. For example, the only way we know that dinosaurs existed at one point in time is because of the fossils we have found showing their growth and their development. The same goes for us, back in the day cavemen used to draw on the cave walls, now we are able to see what their artwork looked like and how we have evolved. Similarly, in previous generations, there have been paintings, sculptures, books, etc that have been documented and have proven our existence and how the earth was in those times. However, now, since everything can be done with our devices, we won’t be leaving a trace. This issue really highlights the importance of nature and how we can connect to it. It also emphasizes the need for prioritization. Why worry about something that can easily change, rather than work on something that can truly benefit you and bring you joy. A simple example of that is when a young teenage girl worries about the number of likes her Instagram picture gets. It’s pretty silly to spend your time worrying about such things. Instead, that young teenage girl could develop a skill, she could learn a language, learn how to play an instrument, she could read some books, educate herself further. In all cases, she is working on herself, she is improving herself. If she would’ve continued working on herself perhaps for the next ten years, she would’ve gotten so much farther than if she would’ve just been spending time on Instagram obsessing over who follows her, who likes her pictures, and what the comments say. The entire app (just like most social media) is completely fake. Even your friends are fake on the app. Someone you never talk to could easily comment, “queen” or “go off” it’s really not tough to act nice. There’s also plenty of hate on the app which can destroy a young girl's mental health and in some cases, the way she sees her body. Someone might body shame which is completely inappropriate but the damage is done and that might affect the receiver (especially if it’s a young girl who doesn’t know any better). There’s so much pressure online. That’s why it’s really important to take breaks whenever it is needed. This generation should recognize its current overuse of technology and start making some changes. We should go back to doing things with our hands, go back to our origins. We can start off simply by just writing letters to each other rather than sending meaningless texts. Even though texts are quick and efficient, it’s impossible to continue building a relationship through texts. Texts can be easily misread, it can be taken lightly or seriously, a message can be seriously different depending on how it’s read, where the accents are placed and the tone of the reader.
Another point that was made in the article was the audience switch. Back in the day, when one wrote a book, the book could stand on its own. But now, books are written with the need to please the audience or to have the audience engage with the book in a certain way. The difference is, back then, an author could write a book and never need the book to have an audience, the book could just be a well-written book. But currently, our books now have an added relationship between the narrator and the audience. The same goes for movies and t.v shows. If you know the show Big Brother, you would know that the entirety of the show depends on whether or not someone calls in. Without an engaged audience, the show would amount to nothing. Without the views, it wouldn’t exist.
The point of this is to just reflect on how our world is changing and we currently have adapted to it without reflecting on whether or not we like those changes. Personally, I think it’s time we get back to our roots and stop spending as much time on social media or whatever it may be and start doing things with nature and start leaving something behind for future generations to look at and appreciate.
