Technology is everywhere, therefore we are always able
to connect somehow, whether if it is through our smart phone, our laptop, or
any other electronic device. 24/7
connectivity has many positive attributes, some of which include; constant
communication with anyone in the world, endless amount of information at your
fingertips, and being able to access information anytime you want. But, there are also many disadvantages to
24/7 connectivity, some of which include; constant communication with anyone in
the world, endless amount of information at your fingertips, and being able to
access information anytime you want.
Technology and 24/7 connectivity is truly a double sided sword.
Let us start by discussing the advantages, because
these are more obvious than the disadvantages.
Being able to talk to friends and family anywhere in the world instantly
is an amazing attribute, you can send information quickly, and always be
connected in their lives, even while you’re at Penn State and they are
not. You can also meet new friends
online, there are multiple sites that allow you to connect with others with
similar interests. These interactions can lead to lifelong friendships, or at
the very least a friendship for the time being.
The days of looking up information in outdated books,
or having to ask multiple people are obsolete.
Today, you can look up anything on the internet and there will be some
information about it. This helps satisfy
instant gratification –which is an epidemic in today’s society- and also helps
shortening research time.
Not too long ago, if you had to look something up you
had to go to the library, but what if you wanted to find this stuff out at
10pm? You had to wait until the next day, because the majority of libraries are
not open 24 hours. Luckily, with the internet on almost every device this is no
longer a problem. You can look up
information anytime you want!
While those all sound good, they can easily turn bad,
but sadly these are hidden risks. You
are always connected to your friends and family now, distant is not a
factor. Nothing is hidden from them, you
cannot block them out, and let us be honest, we all wish at times we could just
disconnect at times. Meeting new friends
online can be beneficial, but it is very easy to lie on the internet, and you
never know whom you are actually talking to.
Many people get “Catfished” which is the act of having a different
identity online than in real life. This
can lead to dangerous situations if the two parties plan to meet up.
Information about everything is truly everywhere on
the internet, but it is not always the correct information. For example, Wikipedia, is infamous for having improper information because
people edit it constantly. Also, with
each generation becoming more tech savvy than the prior generation, young kids
are experiencing things on the internet which are not meant for them, whether
it be on accident or not.
Being able to access information whenever you want can
be great, but it also has many disadvantages.
Information is like a drug, once you have some, you will want more and
more, shortly time will not become a factor, you will find yourself on the
internet in the wee hours of the night searching useless things, which interrupts
your sleep cycle, which can lead to health problems.
As you can see, while having technology at your
fingertips at any moment can be advantageous, there are also many risks that
you must be aware of, if not you will find yourself in some sticky situations.
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