Castellon 1

Claudia Castellon
English 113A
Professor Altman
November 23, 2015
Technology: Impact on Society
Technology has evolved tremendously over the years. There is always something new to
technology and we cant seem to keep up with it. There are always changes, new inventions,
updates, and features to technology. Technology impacts our daily life tremendously.
Technology in fact does impact our society in many ways. Technology is only improving,
therefore we should be aware of the ways it can impact our life both positively and negative.
Technology will continue to evolve and facilitate our life but we must learn our limits.
Technology negatively affects society because there is a lack of communication within families,
education is based on technology, and industrial pollution.
Technology just keeps improving day by day. Technology of 2 years ago definitely isnt
the same as it is now. For example, an iPhone 4 which had a high demand 3 years ago doesnt
have the same as the iPhone 6 now. The point of technology is always to be renovating and
changing to attract society. The advertising definitely makes it convincing. But advertising isnt
the only cause why we become so eager to buy a new device. Having the most up to date
technology becomes a desire because we see other people want it therefore we also want to have
it. It is a never-ending cycle because seeing someone else have it makes us want to have what
others have. The more consumers buy, the more creations there will be with technology. We are
causing companies to invent new technology because we are constantly buying technology.

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Communication within the family is important because, family plays an important role
in how society functions; it acts as a primary source for the development of socialization skills
and moral values (The Family and Communication Technologies). According to the article,
The Family and Communication Technologies, it is important to know the limits of technology
especially in todays time. Family is the fundamental base of children. If technology is the only
thing provided for a child rather than communication or attention from a parent then the child
will lack communication skills and confidence in later years. Many times the parents can be at
work all day and not see their child until they come back home from work in the afternoon. The
kids will be quick to attach themselves to technology and forget about dinner nevertheless about
communicating with the parents.
Like in many American households, dinner is the time to gather with family after a day of
school and work and converse. During dinner families talk about their days and parents ask their
children about school or anything they would like to know about. It becomes a time to discuss
and learn from each other as a family. There are already so many distractions happening around
in our life and when a parent or child is distracted by technology at the dinner table, its not only
disrupting, but it is allowing a breakage of communication between the family. Communicating
as a family isnt only the time to know about each others day but also learn values from each
other. Technology can distract and help a person create a world of his or her own. The Family
and Communication Technologies articles explains how technology impacts the way families
communicate with each other upon the family's social and moral values. Technology interfering
during family time increases families to miss out from valuable opportunities to connect with
others (p. 7) This is important to keep in mind because it is seen more often in families. It is
seen often because parents are busy with work and dinner is the time in which they can interact

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with their children but now it is more difficult to do so because of the distraction of technology.
Family time is important for parents and children to be informed of what goes on in each other's
lives. Communication between parents and children is important to have a stronger bond and not
rely of phones to text or call each other. The article, The Family and Communication
Technologies, informs us that family communication enhances values, therefore we should leave
technology aside especially at dinner to learn from our parents values and strive to improve our
communication skills.
Technology is becoming more visible in schools. Books are slowly converting into ebooks, many activities are done on a device, and homework is completed online. Before
technology was advanced and hardly seen in schools, most students had to complete assignments
on paper or had to carry books. Learning is now done more on a device rather than on paper.
Technology advances have no limits. The new generation is only being introduced to advanced
technology and children arent used to learning on their own. Children can become dependent
upon technology with education because the Internet contains so much information and all
answers are given. In other words, children arent forced to think of their own. Technology can
further become a distraction to childrens development because of the entertainment on a device.
More than just e-books, children are addicted to online-games. The amount of time spent on a
device playing an online-game can prevent them from studying. Technology is gaining
popularity for their variety of games and study tools. Sun Jianhong in the article, Solving
Strategies Research for the Negative Impact of Computer Technology on Education, children
arent learning to study on their own without having a device in their hands. Indeed, e-learning
breaks the traditional teaching method (670) Jianhong advocates that technology is taking over
the traditional teaching method of books, paper, and pen. Technology works faster for students to

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access answers and doesnt include writing because it can be typed. Many ebooks have the
audible option which doesnt require students to read because a robot reads the book for you.
The introduction of technology to a child, especially at a young age as it is seen now, is
extremely dangerous to the future. Kids are raised with a device in their hands that doesnt help
them think for themselves. The use of technology should be limited both at schools and at home.
Utilizing technology at school gives students, especially children, the boost to use technology at
home because they are being taught to use technology to complete tasks. Everything is being
taught on technology and the new generation especially, isnt learning to learn outside of a
computer, tablet, or any sort of device. Lucinda and Crook state that most domestic computer
time is given to playing games of a kind not typically found in class and thats because parents
are purchasing games for their children to be entertained. Childrens Computer Use at Home and
at School, article concludes that 73% [parents] cited a desire to [buy their children technology
to] help with their childrens schoolwork. This is a problem that can lead to greater problems.
Parents are using technology to help enhance the learning skills for their children, but arent
spending time with their children trying to teach them themselves. Parents are teaching their
children to rely on technology for schoolwork. Parents are the main influence in a child and if
technology is seen as a reward or as an education helper then children will learn to make
technology their center of attention.
Technology not only affects the learning developing of children and communication
between families but also affects our environment as a whole. Industrial pollution and the
development of cars are raising pollution. Andrew Revkin in Warming: Pollution or Technology
Problem?, concludes that pollution takes on many faces. It contaminates many sources of
drinking water, releases unwanted toxins into the air and reduces the quality of soil all over the

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world. There seems to not be a limit to this because there is more technology being produced.
Pollution occurs when outdated technology and defeated devices are thrown away. Outdated
technology is old technology producing that generate large amount of waste (Industrial
Pollution). Outdated technology uses more energy and hazardous oils. Air and water technology
pollution can lead to health problems.
In addition to pollution, cars are being made without being approved emissions tests.
Volkswagen was recently accused by EPA also known as, Environmental Protection Agency, of
selling unapproved tested cars. Diesel cars were modified with greater software that not only
affects the car, but the environment as well. Many companies cheat in emissions tests for
money, but this is dangerous. BBC reported that they found irregularities in tests to measure
carbon dioxide emissions levels that could affect 800,00. The United States sets limits to cars
and its pollutants, but in the production of Volkswagen, the emitted nitrogen oxide [was] up to
40 times above what is allowed in the United States. This is a severe case for both Volkswagen
and the environment. Companies are so eager to gain money that they dont bother to think about
the environment. Volkswagen thought they could get away with cheating but technology is
advanced, therefore they got caught immediately after the various damages done to cars. Proper
emission tests caused some population to the environment which is something to be aware of
especially with technology because technology affects the environment by companies who
decide to cheat for ambition (money).
Technology will continue to expand and become greater. There are so many inventions
and plans to come in the near future. There seems to be no limit to technology, but technology
cant become the center of our attention. If we give it the power to take over, we will be left
without any knowledge of our own because everything is found on the web or on a device. We

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are lacking originality and the production of technology and making technology the answer isnt
the way we children will develop properly, families arent going to be united, and neither is the
environment going to be healthy.
The more the inventions of technology the more problems will come about. Technology
is affecting familys communication, education/ children development, and pollution. There will
continue to be technology but there needs to be a limit. We must learn to give technology a break
and not make it our focus. The lack of communication between families, distractions in
education, and pollution should not be raising but instead decreasing. Technology shouldnt be
consuming our time and life.

Works Cited
Henderson, Bill. "Books Without Batteries: The Negative Impacts of Technology." Publishers
Weekly, 258.15 (2011): 56.

Hotten, Russell. "Volkswagen: The Scandal Explained - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., 4
Nov. 2015. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

Jianhong, Sun. "Solving Strategies Research for the Negative Impact of Computer

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Technology on Education." 2010 Second International Workshop on Education

Technology and Computer Science, 1 (2010): 671-674.

Kerawalla, Lucinda, and Charles Crook. Children's Computer Use at Home and at
School: Context and Continuity. British Educational Research Journal 28.6
(2002): 751771. Web..

Little, Linda, Elizabeth Sillence, Abigail Sellen, and Alex Taylor. "The Family and
Communication Technologies." International Journal of Human - Computer
Studies, 67.2 (2009): 125-127

Revkin, Andrew C. "Warming: Pollution or Technology Problem?" Dot Earth Warming

Pollution or Technology Problem Comments. N.p., 15 Dec. 2008. Web. 22 Nov.
2015.