Technology A Mixed Blessing

The New Home of Mind
Limitations
Have you ever imagined your life without using any kind of electronic? That was the question that I asked Alexa, a 10-year-old girl who I babysit every afternoon. “I don’t think it’s possible, I could not live without my iPhone” she replied. Nowadays it is very unlikely for people to put aside their phone, computer, internet, or any kind of technology.Definitely, it is very hard for human beings to divorce from them because of all the benefits they offer to us. As John Barlow in his writing A Declaration of the independence of cyberspace recognized, technology is the “the new home of mind” (Barlow). Therefore, nobody wants to leave home. Not many people are willing to live without using electronics or the internet. The benefits and costs thattechnology yields are a mixed blessing. However, the world should use it with certain boundaries.
One of the most notable benefits of technology is that it “disinhibits people” (Suler). According to Riders’ Professor John Suler, Being invisible behind a screen, allows people to take the courage to do things that they would not do face-to-face. For example, internet allows people to declare theirinconformity with entities that may inspire fear and intimidation, while still keeping their identity and safety. David Kirkpatrick in his book the Facebook effect narrated how this disinhibitory effect caused “one of the most extraordinary examples of digitally fueled activism the world has ever seen” (Kirkpatrick). Through a Facebook group called Millions of voices against FARC, many Colombians expressedtheir dislike and repudiation to this terrorist group. Being Colombian, I can assure that not many compatriots would express their inconformity to FARC members, if they were facing them.
Likewise, technology puts people in touch with each other, no matter the time or distance. Therefore, it enhances already existing relationships or allows individuals to make new connections. For example,through Facebook 600 million people in the world are able to maintain connection with family members, friends, and someone they studied with in elementary school, high school, or college. In an interview with David Kirkpatrick, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook’s purpose is to “make communication more efficient, cultivate familiarity, and enhance intimacy” (Kirkpatrick). Undoubtedly, anyone whouses this social network can experience this. From my personal experience, Facebook is a very efficient the media to liaise relationships with my family and friends in Colombia. Moreover, other kind of technological tools such as Skype, BlackBerrys or any kind of smart phone provide the same benefit. An entrepreneur can write and reply important emails from his or her black berry messenger tocustomers or associates from anywhere in the world as soon as possible.
According to Nicholas Carr, in his article Is Google making us stupid, another advantage of having access to technology is that it makes the information equally “accessible and useful to everyone” (Carr). Definitely, I agree with his perspective. From kids to grownups, everyone has access to data through the electronic devicesthey use at home, at Starbucks or in the subway, etc. This helps students to complement their research papers anywhere, any time. In addition, it makes the news, facts, and events of last minute instant to the public. Nowadays people do not expect to wait until 4 pm to watch the breaking news. We do not have to spend hours reading at the library to find the information we are looking for. People caninform themselves directly from the source of the news or from tools like twitter, Facebook, Google and any online database immediately. A couple of weeks ago, going through my Facebook news feed and I was suprised by a Shakira’s announcement. She explicitly wrote, “As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby!” (Shakira). It was surprising because...