Deluded Beings

The idea of technology stealing the human spirit is something that is frightening. Should children be sat down in front of the television and allowed to watch never ending media? Should teenagers spend hours on the internet everyday playing games, chatting with friends, and networking with people around the world? What effects does this sort of mass media have on the ones who are most exposed and emerged in it? The consequences will not be seen for some years if technology is indeed damaging. But from the evidence available now, mass media does seem to have somewhat of a harmful affect on the human spirit.

Families seem mesmerized by the glowing images that project from their big screen televisions as they sit down to eat dinner. Instead of asking the children how their day at school went or trying to resolve a conflict between siblings, the focus is on pop stars and what they’re wearing. The glamour life is apparent not only throughout Hollywood, but in every home in America. We welcome it into our lives, our beings, and ask why our lives aren’t as luxurious. Little do people realize that it is slowly destroying the character that human kind has amassed over our history as a species.

Mankind’s short existence has led to many great advances, but perhaps all of the creations that have furthered man have also hindered him. In the modern day, it now seems as if advertisements, celebrities, and the constant need for virtual noise are imperative. Machines control all of the small tasks that used to be performed by humans, the tasks that would let people appreciate the small things now proceed in the background, unnoticed and forgotten. There are few tasks that are left up to the imperfect hands of man which allows more time to be immersed in the deadening barrage of screens. This obsession leads to unhealthy family relationships, obesity, and most terrifying of all, lack of life.

Activities such as sports, spending time with friends, and forming relationships are being substituted for pseudo interactions with created characters from everyone’s favorite shows. Somehow, these imaginary personas’s form a strong bond with people even though no physical relationship is fashioned. This leads to a life of solitude. Computers are a great example of this paradox. How can one be connected with the entire world and yet be so alone? It is because of scenarios such as these that humans are changing at a fundamental level. Once a social animal, the solitary life seems to be consuming entire generations. This style of interaction, through electronics and fantasized friends is a shallow substitute for actual contact. It warps the perception of reality and even of time.

In moderation, technology is a powerful advantage to humans. Unfortunately, the excess of today’s use of this power has corrupted its benefits and turned them into detriments. No more are the days of playing outside, watching the clouds whisper by, or experiencing the world that shaped mankind into greatness. Now these experiences are jaded, expressed through the eyes of the few, fed to the masses, and devoured as quickly as the brain can process. What once was a boundless opportunity for growth has now limited the ability to live.