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Most of us aren’t reaching our minds full potential due to the fact that whenever we need answers we have access to it within seconds. Making us shorten our thinking. Kevin Kelly talks about how the internet is starting to become a part of who we are. And while I get it, being able to find any bit of information anytime you want is a game changer. But the truth is, the constant entertainment of the internet comes with some serious downsides. It’s starting to affect how deeply we focus and think about things. Being able to search anything up on the web and find any answers we need has made us lose the art of true reflection. Not only has it become a part of us it’s also distracting us from connecting with our own thoughts in a meaningful way. Carr states in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” he believes that we are starting to have a relationship with the internet, making it a negative impact for our brains. 

What bothers me even more is how technology is starting to limit our potential. It’s great that we can learn anything within a couple seconds, but I feel like it’s also making us lazy when it comes to thinking for ourselves. Instead of sitting with a problem and working through it, we just Google the answer or ask chat gpt for a solution. We’re getting everything handed to us so fast that we don’t take the time to really think or dig deeper into a topic. We expect instant answers for everything, and it’s like we’ve forgotten how to be patient or persistent. I wonder if, by constantly seeking the quickest way to get things done, we’re actually losing the ability to grow and challenge ourselves. I just don’t want to see us forget how to think critically or lose the drive to explore new ideas because we’ve gotten so used to everything being right in front of us. If we keep letting technology shape how we think, I’m afraid it might hold us back from reaching our true potential.

Nowadays everyone has their own type of technology which makes everyone, myself included more distracted. The constant notifications and temptation of wanting to scroll all day on social media, many others have the same struggles of spending too much time looking at their screens all day. With all this being said it’s starting to feel like our attention spans have gotten shorter, and tasks that require more focus can seem like they take forever. I think this issue on technology has a bigger impact on children than adults. Sherry Turkle touches on this, saying, “It is a struggle to get children to talk to each other in class. These students seem to understand each other less” (Turkle 344). Kids have been growing up with more and more technology making them have a connection with their device using it as their main way to connect with others. This is making it harder for them to have face to face conversation or even just being able to understand people’s feelings. But it’s not just children, we also have relied too much on technology. It has affected the way we communicate and empathize with others. 

I believe that the impact of all this screen time goes deeper than just communication issues, it’s actually changing the way our brains work. Studies show that the more time we spend on screens, the more likely it is that our brains will start to rewire. It’s starting to slow down our thinking and ability to focus for long periods of time. This issue is only becoming worse, making our brains think we need instant gratification making it harder for us to be patient and think deeply. For kids, who are still evolving and learning how to connect and understand others, having constant screen time is tending to be more damaging. Which is sad to see because technology is supposed to be there to make it easier for us to connect but instead it’s making us have a big socializing gap in between one another. The more and more we rely on technology, we lose the ability to really engage with one another and the world around us. There has to be some type of balance between us and technology so it doesn’t take a toll on our mental health.

 The balance of technology is very important for our mental health. Being so focused on all the trends on social media and even the informational ads that get thrown at you.  You can be so focused on the screen that time flies and you don’t even realize it, making it feel so easy to be disconnected from the world. That’s why it’s important to set limits on screen time or even just setting your own boundaries like going outside for a walk, maybe even a workout. Anything that gets you away from the screen is better for you.

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Technology and its effect on Human behavior 

Most of us aren’t really reaching our full potential because, honestly, whenever we need answers, we can find them in a few seconds. It’s like we’ve become used to having the world at our fingertips. I get it’s amazing that we can Google anything and get answers right away. Kevin Kelly talks about how the internet is basically becoming part of who we are, and while that’s true, I think it goes both ways. Having all this information so easily available is a game changer, but it also comes with some major downsides. We’re starting to lose the ability to focus deeply on things and think things through. Instead of sitting down and really reflecting on a topic, we can just search for the answers. We’ve kind of forgotten how to think deeply because we’ve gotten so used to everything being right in front of us. And like Nicholas Carr points out in his article Is Google Making Us Stupid, we’re starting to form a relationship with the internet, and it’s not exactly a good one. As he says, “The more we use the Web, the more we train our brain to be distracted, to give up on deep thinking.” That’s something I’ve really started noticing how we’re training ourselves to think short term instead of allowing our minds to really explore ideas.

What bothers me even more is how technology is starting to limit our potential. It’s great that we can learn anything within a couple seconds, but I feel like it’s also making us lazy when it comes to thinking for ourselves. Instead of sitting with a problem and working through it, we just Google the answer or ask chat gpt for a solution. We’re getting everything handed to us so fast that we don’t take the time to really think or dig deeper into a topic. We expect instant answers for everything, and it’s like we’ve forgotten how to be patient or persistent. I wonder if, by constantly seeking the quickest way to get things done, we’re actually losing the ability to grow and challenge ourselves. I just don’t want to see us forget how to think critically or lose the drive to explore new ideas because we’ve gotten so used to everything being right in front of us. If we keep letting technology shape how we think, I’m afraid it might hold us back from reaching our true potential.

Nowadays everyone has their own type of technology which makes everyone, myself included more distracted. The constant notifications and temptation of wanting to scroll all day on social media, many others have the same struggles of spending too much time looking at their screens all day. With all this being said it’s starting to feel like our attention spans have gotten shorter, and tasks that require more focus can seem like they take forever. I think this issue on technology has a bigger impact on children than adults. Sherry Turkle touches on this, saying, “It is a struggle to get children to talk to each other in class. These students seem to understand each other less” (Turkle 344). Kids have been growing up with more and more technology making them have a connection with their device using it as their main way to connect with others. This is making it harder for them to have face to face conversation or even just being able to understand people’s feelings. But it’s not just children, we also have relied too much on technology. It has affected the way we communicate and empathize with others. 

I believe that the impact of all this screen time goes deeper than just communication issues, it’s actually changing the way our brains work. Studies show that the more time we spend on screens, the more likely it is that our brains will start to rewire. “We are shaping our behavior in ways that undermine our abilities to learn and think deeply” As Nicholas Carr argues in Is Google Making Us Stupid, the more we use the internet, the more we train our brains to skim through our work rather than think deeply. This constant switch leaves little room for focused, meaningful thought. It’s like we’re conditioning ourselves to be distracted, which is making it harder to process complex ideas. This shows that It’s starting to slow down our thinking and ability to focus for long periods of time. This issue is only becoming worse, making our brains think we need instant gratification making it harder for us to be patient and think deeply. For kids, who are still evolving and learning how to connect and understand others, having constant screen time is tending to be more damaging. Which is sad to see because technology is supposed to be there to make it easier for us to connect but instead it’s making us have a big socializing gap in between one another. The more and more we rely on technology, we lose the ability to really engage with one another and the world around us. There has to be some type of balance between us and technology so it doesn’t take a toll on our mental health.

 The balance of technology is very important for our mental health. Being so focused on all the trends on social media and even the informational ads that get thrown at you. People tend to be so focused and distracted on their screen that time flies and you don’t even realize it, making it feel so easy to be disconnected from the world. That’s why it’s important to use screen time or even just setting your own limits like after an hour of being on your phone, going outside for a walk, maybe even a workout will benefit you more. Anything that gets you away from the screen is better for you. As Turkle says, “ We need to learn how to be alone with our thoughts”. Taking time away from technology allows us to reconnect with ourselves, helping us fall deeper into our thinking and more meaningful reflection on what’s around us. Finding the balance in the time you spend using technology is only gonna benefit you. It’s gonna help your ability to think, grow, and connect with others without the distraction of technology. 

We all understand that technology plays a huge role in our lives and honestly it has made things a lot easier. But like most things in life, it comes with its negatives too. The more we rely on it the less we use our own natural human behaviors like thinking, connecting with others, understanding feelings, etc. Don’t get me wrong technology definitely has its perks, but we also have to be aware of how it’s disconnecting us from the world around us. Making us more impatient and distracted to what’s around us. That’s why it’s important to keep that balance, because It’s not about getting completely rid of technology, but about using it in a way that works for us. Helping us grow, think deeper, and still keep meaningful connections with people. If we can figure out how to use it in a way to impact us in a good way, we can enjoy all the good things tech has to offer without letting it control how we live and think.