Picture Analysis

You're out - enjoying a nice walk in the park. You look around you, and what do you see? This. People all around you on their phones. Surfing the Internet, taking a business call, or taking a picture of themselves. It's everywhere - it's inevitable. People aren't enjoying the park because they're too caught up seeing who's getting married on Facebook. It's an epidemic! People in America are just too technology crazed. I'm convinced that people don't even notice half the things around them because they're caught up in an entirely different world.

This image even captures what I see at restaurants. People aren’t even conversing anymore because they’re too caught up on their phones. My friends and I play a game when we go out for dinner. We put our cellphones in a pile in the middle of the table at the beginning of the meal. If anyone touches their phones during the course of dinner then they have to pay for everybody’s meal. But if everyone makes it to the end then we all pay for our own.

I personally think it’s sad that we live in a world where we have to worry about

everyone having to put away their iPhones just to converse. I think that we’re so caught up with our “cyber-selves” that we even forget how to act like our own selves. I think it’s important to remember that technology is really great. It can really help us and it can be a lot of fun for us as well. However, it isn’t everything. There is a world behind that phone screen that you haven’t looked at yet. Take a minute to stop looking like the girl in this picture and take a look up instead.

Citation

"Using Mobile Phone." : Public Domain Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

http://www.pdpics.com/photo/5031-using-mobile-phone/

My research question is: Do we, as Americans, rely on technology too much? I do believe that we use technology too much and that we depend on it far more than we should. Personally, looking at my usage of technology I use it more than I realize. I use my computer and my iPhone every day. I depend on my GPS to get me where I need to go, text messages to communicate with people on a daily basis, and google to answer any questions I may have at any time I may have them. I sleep with my phone next to my bed, and it’s my morning routine to check my e-mail before getting out of bed. My gut emotion is that we are far too attached to our gadgets and what technology can provide for us, using it constantly.

I think that if Americans took the time to really look at their technology use that the majority would agree with my opinion. However, I think that there are many people that are oblivious to the fact and wouldn’t admit it. I know several people that spend lots of their time on their phone, but when you say something to them about it they deny spending that much time on their phone. I think that there are some people who are just in denial about their technology use, however, it is constant for everyone, and it’s hard to avoid. Technology is everywhere, even when we don’t realize we’re using it or seeing it, we are. I think we’re fools to think that it isn’t a huge part of our everyday lives.

I would love to research some statistics. I would like to find out how much time an American really spends using technology every day. These numbers would really help me with my question and to prove or disprove my point. I would also like to possibly interview people that I know so that I could have collected data of technology use. I am excited to do my research for this paper to help me gain better knowledge on this topic.  

Hello everyone! I'm Katie. I just recently moved to Colorado about a year and a half ago. I enjoy writing, reading, watching movies, exploring the outdoors, and taking my dogs to parks in my spare time. I'm fluent in French, my favorite director is Wes Anderson and I love to spend my days baking. I am really enjoying this class because it is opening me up as a writer both creatively and technically. Now that you know a little about myself I'll tell you that this blog will be about how technologically crazed we all are in America. What are the affects on us? Are we overusing it in too many ways? Do we rely and depend on it more than we should? Keep updated with my blog to find out these answers!