Throughout the recent years of technology being introduced to society, there has been much debate on whether it benefits us or does the exact opposite to the brain. Technology, it is a key to instant access to everything, whether calling someone or receiving an email instantly, we see ourselves using phones, laptops, desktops, tablets and other sources to instantly obtain information on the news or your plans for the weekend. In the following essay I will discuss  with my own experience, the two individuals I interviewed, and all the research i’ve done why I believe technology can only benefit us, particularly the Internet web.
Technology surrounds us today, anywhere you may go technology is present. As i’m writing this essay i’m using a laptop to complete the assignment. As an individual who has been growing with this great asset of technology I have seen a positive outcome. I can use the Web for different reasons these include education and personal use. Ever since I could remember I have been using the web to obtain information for assignments. Whether itâs looking up a historical figure or researching a particular event, the web has been the key to access all the information. I also use the web for my personal use or in other words when I have nothing to do. I can search up music, play games, and buy anything I desire. Accoriding to gulfnews.com it can be used for entermainment purposes. Overall the internet has had a greater positive impact in me rather than a negative effect, I use it towards my advantage whether it is for a school assignment or just searching up song. The vast web has endless explorations that anyone can use for different reasons to better shape the brain.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, the two people I interviewed were my little sister age 12 and my father age 43. Firstly I asked my sister how often does she see herself using the web, she replied, âwhen I come home I usually do homework first but then go use the computer to play games or watch Youtube videosâ. Then I asked if she uses the Internet to search up anything regarding school, she said, â yeah to search up a word I donât know or when I have to type up a paper but while using the Internet I would open another page and go on Youtube to watch videosâ. When she told me this I thought about Nicholas Carr âThe Shallowsâ and how the web can be a distraction to the brain and have an effect on the individual. So lastly I asked her do you the Internet being a good or bad thing, she said, âboth I can use it to help me in homework but also see myself in the computer for a long time.â With that being said I can understand why my younger sister may feel this way towards the web. Secondly I interviewed my father, as a person who wasn’t used much of the technology we currently have let alone the Internet my dad tells me he is intrigued by what can be done within the web. I started off with the same question as my sister, how often do you see yourself using the web, he said, â not much, but that’s because I don’t know how to use it much.â Then I asked him if he would learn how to run the web, he told me, he knows what things can be done in the Internet such as shopping, watching videos, and even paying bills. Overall the two individuals I interviewed had different answer and what I also realized was they had different agendas, my younger sister may use the web for searching up information for homework while on the other hand my dad may want to learn how to operate the computer to pay some bills much faster rather than mailing it. This opened my eyes how vast the web truly is and how everyone has different uses for it.
Society may see the Internet as a positive or negative thing, according to Gabriela GonzĂĄlez a writer, he wrote an intreseting article on Blogthinkbig.com regarding how the Internet is âgood for youâ. He brings different studies on different aspects on how the internet can benefit the individual or even society. It states, â In one study it was demonstrated that people over 60 years old who spend most time online are more likely to be more mentally active and to suffer less depression. According to that study, social networks can enable people of any age to make decisions about their health, once they have gathered enough relevant information. In a survey, 42% said that they used social networks to find descriptions related to health services, 40% said that the information they got from social networks would help them to deal better with the effects of a chronic illness, while 45% said that depending on what they read on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, they might consider seeking a second opinion from another doctorâ.  In other words it may help your health, you may find information where you probably wouldn’t have found if it was not for the Internet. Surprising Gabriela GonzĂĄlez also brings up how the internet can be good for the economy, âThe internet creates jobs and for each job created in the technology industry, five more are created in other branches, jobs that are needed to support an entire company⊠The internet has made many things change, and in the search for a formula to reduce piracy, the âNetflixâ effect has come about, something so simple whereby if people have a legal place where they can pay to watch movies, view series and listen to music, piracy will fall. According to one study, 40% of people download less pirate copies if they can use a service such as Netflix and similar sitesâ. In addition to what he says I can relate to the last thing he refers, on how less people use pirated copies because of a service such as Netflix. In essence the web can improve in numerous different aspects in the human life.
There are those who argue that it the Internet impacts of lives in a negative way, that it is a distraction to the brain and that is a problem. Huffingtonpost.com, a blogging site wrote an article called â This Is How The Internet Is Rewiring Your Brainâ, in which they discuss how the internet is a negative thing for the human brain. They refer to many different readings to back up their thesis, for instance they refer to Dr. Anthony Wagner, an associate professor of psychology at Stanford, she said, “When they’re in situations where there are multiple sources of information coming from the external world or emerging out of memory, they’re not able to filter out what’s not relevant to their current goal,” or in other words due to the brain multitasking in the web and being distracted it becomes difficult to obtain and store the information being received. The article also refers to an author I have learned about, Â Nicholas Carr and his book âThe Shallowsâ they quote him saying, “The Internet is an interruption system. It seizes our attention only to scramble itâ. Â Just how Nicholas Carr wants society to be aware of how the internet is affecting the brain’s function on doing activities. Although many may argue that the internet may affect the human brain in a negative way it should not overshadow how great of an asset the internet can be.
The Internet, instant access on your finger tips, a great distraction or even a better asset. I believe it can only help the individual when searching up a word or an event that needs more research. While many may argue how it is too much of a distraction, the outcome is much more positive than negative. With that being said technology will continue to shape our brains in the future with many things to keep on changing.
Works cited
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/shocking-ways-internet-rewires-brain_n_4136942.html
