400 word draft
Health nuts are often seen suggesting “non-toxic foods” on instagram or promoting the next new diet that will “make you feel and look better than ever” in a magazine you see in the grocery store. They try to lead lives cleansed of the toxins they think are in foods or their bodies. But often, it isn’t as healthy as they think it is. You need a varied diet in order to live the healthiest life possible-you can’t completely cut out an entire food group (without sufficient replacements) and still expect to be healthy. In addition, this life is very restrictive; are they happy being constantly consumed with thoughts of their health? Sometimes, you need to just let go and enjoy the moment without thinking of the possible consequences. Technology is similar. A life completely devoid of it, in this day and age, could severely hinder your career and ability to connect to others. But, too much of it can have the same effects. Sherry Turkle, a MIT professor and sociologist, argues in her work , The Empathy Diaries, that the balance is leaning way to the side, and technology is causing more negative effects than it is producing. Emmerson Giella and Alicia Burr, who are both writers of the same topic, write about technology’s effects on their lives. They argue both ways, saying that there are both benefits and drawbacks to technology use…There is a point where the perfect balance of technology in one’s life equates to a balanced diet; you have just enough of the “healthy” stuff to balance out the “bad” stuff, and you are therefore able to live a fulfilling and healthy life.
Connection is one of the more debatable topics when it comes to technology. Some argue it is stealing our ability to connect with others, while others argue it actually increases this ability. Sherry Turkle,
800 word draft
Health nuts are often seen suggesting “non-toxic foods” on Instagram or promoting the next new diet that will “make you feel and look better than ever” in a magazine you see in the grocery store. They try to lead lives cleansed of the toxins they think are in foods or their bodies. But often, it isn’t as healthy as they think it is. You need a varied diet in order to live the healthiest life possible-you can’t completely cut out an entire food group (without sufficient replacements) and still expect to be healthy. In addition, this life is very restrictive; are they happy being constantly consumed with thoughts of their health? Sometimes, you need to just let go and enjoy the moment without thinking of the possible consequences. Technology is similar. A life completely devoid of it, in this day and age, could severely hinder your career and ability to connect to others. But, too much of it can have the same effects. Sherry Turkle, a MIT professor and sociologist, argues in her work , The Empathy Diaries, that the balance is leaning way to the side, and technology is causing more negative effects than it is producing. Emmerson Giella and Alicia Burr, who are both writers of the same topic, write about technology’s effects on their lives. They argue both ways, saying that there are both benefits and drawbacks to technology use in their daily lives. I believe there is a point where the perfect balance of technology in one’s life equates to a balanced diet; you have just enough of the “healthy” stuff to balance out the “bad” stuff, and you are therefore able to live a fulfilling and healthy life.
Connection is one of the more debatable topics when it comes to technology. Some argue it is stealing our ability to connect with others, while others argue it actually increases this ability. Sherry Turkle believes that technology is doing the opposite of connecting people. She believes that focusing on a device instead of people around you actually disconnects you from them. Following the introduction of technology into our lives, she argues, “We begin to think of ourselves as a tribe of one, loyal to our own party. We check our messages during a quiet moment when the pull of the online world simply feels irresistible. Even children text each other rather than talk face to face with friends…” Phones and other technology are being introduced at younger ages these days, and the effects are similar if not worse than adults. They prefer spending time on them playing games or watching videos rather than hanging out with real people. However, it can allow connection in some cases. If you live far away from friends or family, like most college students do, technology can be very beneficial. Gaia talks about her experience with technology since moving to college, and how it has allowed her to stay connected to those she cares about: “Throughout my time at college, I’ve used phone calls to connect with friends and family. I feel as though I’ve been able to get closer to one of my friends in a way. We never had time to hang out when we were at school together, but weirdly enough, the space between us has made it seem like that never mattered. We can still talk to each other, and our phone calls and texts allow us to connect. I’ve been friends with her for so long, I’m extremely grateful to be able to connect with her in this way.” In this day and age, people are able to connect faster and more efficiently than ever to those who live far away from them, thanks to phones and other technology. But, this technology can also be overused and sometimes abused. I have absolutely felt the pull of my phone when I’m bored or was having a conversation with someone. I wait for them to respond, then immediately open that app back up to talk to them again. This can cause a sort of endless cycle; you’re bored without the conversation, you get excited when they text back, you spend a few seconds responding, and then it repeats, causing your emotions to fluctuate and maybe even attach those positive feelings to the device. This is why a balance is needed: technology isn’t inherently bad and does actually produce some good effects, like being able to stay connected with loved ones when separated. But, it’s easy to get addicted to the rush those responses give you. So, I would recommend trying to limit the conversation to calling or facetime, but if you do text, try to keep it condensed and not spread out over the whole day, because that can cause that dangerous anticipation. And, thought It’s a bit of a controversial topic with people my age, I would also recommend replying as soon as possible, no matter who the person is-you should get your thoughts out there as fast as possible and then return to what you were doing before, instead of waiting hours to respond.
…While phones are great for staying connected to those you love, they also come with a lot of extra things that aren’t really needed and are really easy to get sucked into. Games, social media, even the internet in general can be really good at grabbing your attention and running away with it. But, then again, these things aren’t inherently dangerous by themselves.
1200 word draft
Health influencers are often seen suggesting “non-toxic foods” on instagram or promoting the next new diet that will “make you feel and look better than ever” in a magazine you see in the grocery store. They try to lead lives cleansed of the toxins they think are in foods or their bodies. But often, it isn’t as healthy as they think it is. You need a varied diet in order to live the healthiest life possible-you can’t completely cut out an entire food group (without sufficient replacements) and still expect to be healthy. In addition, this life is very restrictive; are they happy being constantly consumed with thoughts of their health? Sometimes, you need to just let go and enjoy the moment without thinking of the possible consequences. Technology is similar. A life completely devoid of it, in this day and age, could severely hinder your career and ability to connect to others. But, too much of it can have the same effects. Sherry Turkle, a MIT professor and sociologist, argues in her work , The Empathy Diaries, that the balance is leaning way to the side, and technology is causing more negative effects than it is producing. Emmerson Giella and Alicia Burr, who are both writers of the same topic, write about technology’s effects on their lives. They argue both ways, saying that there are both benefits and drawbacks to technology use in their daily lives. I believe there is a point where the perfect balance of technology in one’s life equates to a balanced diet; you have just enough of the “healthy” stuff to balance out the “bad” stuff, and you are therefore able to live a fulfilling, connected, and healthy life.
Connection is one of the more debatable topics when it comes to technology. Some argue it is stealing our ability to connect with others, while others argue it actually increases this ability. Sherry Turkle believes that technology is doing the opposite of connecting people. She believes that focusing on a device instead of people around you actually disconnects you from them. Following the introduction of technology into our lives, she argues, “We begin to think of ourselves as a tribe of one, loyal to our own party. We check our messages during a quiet moment when the pull of the online world simply feels irresistible. Even children text each other rather than talk face to face with friends…” (Turkle 344) Phones and other technology are being introduced at younger ages these days, and the effects are similar if not worse than adults. They prefer spending time on them playing games or watching videos rather than hanging out with real people. However, it can allow connection in some cases. If you live far away from friends or family, like most college students do, technology can be very beneficial. Gaia talks about her experience with technology since moving to college, and how it has allowed her to stay connected to those she cares about: “Throughout my time at college, I’ve used phone calls to connect with friends and family. I feel as though I’ve been able to get closer to one of my friends in a way. We never had time to hang out when we were at school together, but weirdly enough, the space between us has made it seem like that never mattered. We can still talk to each other, and our phone calls and texts allow us to connect. I’ve been friends with her for so long, I’m extremely grateful to be able to connect with her in this way.” (Gaia) In this day and age, people are able to connect faster and more efficiently than ever to those who live far away from them, thanks to phones and other technology. But, this technology can also be overused and sometimes abused. I have absolutely felt the pull of my phone when I’m bored or was having a conversation with someone. I wait for them to respond, then immediately open that app back up to talk to them again. This can cause a sort of endless cycle; you’re bored without the conversation, you get excited when they text back, you spend a few seconds responding, and then it repeats, causing your emotions to fluctuate and maybe even attach those positive feelings to the device. This is why a balance is needed: technology isn’t inherently bad and does actually produce some good effects, like being able to stay connected with loved ones when separated. But, it’s easy to get addicted to the rush those responses give you. So, I would recommend trying to limit the conversation to calling or facetime, but if you do text, try to keep it condensed and not spread out over the whole day, because that can cause that dangerous anticipation. And, thought It’s a bit of a controversial topic with people my age, I would also recommend replying as soon as possible, no matter who the person is-you should get your thoughts out there as fast as possible and then return to what you were doing before, instead of waiting hours to respond.
While phones are great for staying connected to those you love, they also come with a lot of extra things that aren’t really needed and are really easy to get sucked into. Games, social media, even the internet in general can be really good at grabbing your attention and running away with it. But, then again, these things aren’t inherently dangerous by themselves. Your phone can be used as a way to have fun and relax in your free time, and it’s not necessarily unhealthy if you do-what’s the harm in watching a movie or playing a game for a little while? Gaia talks about her experience with her phone and using it as a way to relax and disconnect from the world around her and just have some time to herself. She describes, “…the use of my phone or computer sometimes correlates with the urge to disconnect and be in my own little world, away from the one in my brain. When I feel like I need a break from my life because I’m overwhelmed, I grab my phone and earbuds and put on my favorite music to relax. Sometimes it might call for a comfort show to help feel more at home, so Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, etc., it is; it feels like a great way to unwind and just be with myself.” (Gaia) she believes that technology can actually be used as a relaxation tool , one where she can disconnect her thoughts from the outside world and just focus on whatever she is doing on that device. It’s not really a bad thing to want to escape sometimes, it’s why we have places like spas, which work to a similar effect. But, too much of this escapism, like anything else, can have negative effects. Burr describes how technology has become very streamlined (behind a paywall) While having these escapes can sometimes make you feel better, Burr argues too much of it can cause us to lose certain abilities like patience. She argues, “Now I can just tell Siri who I want to call, and she does it for me. The same changes can be said for tv. As a kid we still had ad breaks throughout the episode, and just had to find something on that looked interesting. Now we pay for “instant” tv, you watch only what you want, with no ads. While I love not having to wait, I think patience is something we could all benefit from learning. The technology of phones, computers, and more were supposed to help and connect us, but we are more disconnect and losing basic human skills.” (Burr) Companies have found a way to capitalize on our need for instant gratification and escapism, which in consequence damages skills we need in other areas of our lives, like patience. The lure of instant gratification that lays just behind a paywall can become a very dangerous addiction for people who rely on the escapism technology offers. Not only will they be paying money for it, but the lack of other distractions can further advance their addiction to it. But, I don’t believe this is all doom and gloom. Sure, there is a danger of getting addicted to “ad-free entertainment,” but that could be said for anything. Someone can be addicted to sugar, which isn’t bad in small doses and can be controlled with either medication or even just sheer will. A person can be addicted to anything-it is just a weakness of the brain. While some things are very dangerous, like illegal substances, and some things are seen as healthy, like fruit, technology lies in a sort of gray area between the two. It’s not killing people, but it’s not giving them much needed nutrients for survival either. And this, I think, is one of the reasons why balance is so important when it comes to using it. Too much can obviously have negative effects, like a loss of normal human capabilities, and too little can hinder career growth, but just the right amount can allow you to live a normal life outside of technology, but also have a place to return to if that life is overwhelming you.
