Americans are
told technology is there for anyone who wants or needs it. We have computers in
almost every household, every school in the United States and cell phones in
most individuals’ pockets. But are these technologies affordable to everyone
who actually needs them? Are they used to better themselves or just used for
entertainment purposes, and why does this matter?
In a recent USA Today article, the
author suggests that Latinos and African Americans have “less access to the web
and slower online connections – placing them on the wrong side of the ‘digital
divide’,” (article, “For Minorities, New ‘Digital Divide’ Seen”). This may be
correct, but I believe it would change in some geographical locations within
the United States. Minorities in Chicago would probably have a different view
of how they use their cell phones than the minority in a small town. They would
probably have more knowledge of entertainment purposes within a large city. But
it would also depend on their values and beliefs and on their financial
background because technology isn’t cheap and the newer products are more
expensive each year than the last. Some individuals may have access and the
income to buy this technology and instead of using it to read the news; local,
national and international, or use it to make personal and professional
connections to widen their scope of knowledge, they may use it to play games or
for distractions from “social” sites.
As the saying
goes, “It’s how you use it that matters”. In this case, it’s how you use the
content within our technical devices that matters. Is it really better for all
Americans to have a computer at home; equipped with a browser and Microsoft
Word software and then only use it to play games on Facebook, or to watch
comedic YouTube videos? I don’t think so. I think this kind of access will only
dim individuals’ perspectives of world conflicts and international debate, only
decrease their reading and writing skills instead of challenging their thoughts
and beliefs to gain new insights. I have heard in the past few years that the
newer generations since the introduction of the cell phone on a large scale,
now in college or graduates of college, have trouble with their writing skills
because of texting. Theirs’ are the first generation to use texting on a cell
phone as a whole population and we can now see the damage it has caused. It has
weakened their ability to write well, which makes it much harder for them as
students in college to have the same expectations to write well as their
parents and grandparents were expected when they went to college and it makes
it more difficult to job search after college, to create appropriate resumes.
How does this affect minorities that speak English as their second language,
one they barely grew up with and still have trouble writing?
Techno-utopian
was a phrase formed in response to earlier generations belief that computers
and technology would one day create a paradise; where individuals would not
need to work as hard or at all and our civilization would be condescending towards
its technological peak. Now it’s still a perspective future, but it’s also
become harder to see it since there are areas of our country that have fallen
behind in academics and our recent economical strife. Where do we go from here?
In the past
few short decades there have been incredible advances in technology within the
healthcare field and in “green” technology. They have created artificial organs
and limbs, solar power and “B” cycles- community bike share programs, they have
the same idea with smart cars. I believe these are the first steps to creating
that utopian paradise. We need to see our failures and probabilities of
disasters if we are to correct them.
The human
mind can be an extremely creative tool. Since the television set was first
created and science fiction became available for mass viewing, there have been
many television shows about possible technology. I remember watching episodes
of Star Trek where they used “communicators” to communicate with other
officers’, not unlike a cell phone, or they read staff reports on a technical
pad, reminding me of the Nook. All we have to do is imagine it and it is
possible.
Works Cited
Washington, James. "For Minorities, New 'Digital
Divide' Seen." USA Today 10 January 2011.
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