Problems with technology should not  be blamed on the product itself but on how its used.

By Jonathan Mapilisan | Artist

It seems technology these days is like the Antichrist; specifically phones, tablets and computers. People everywhere condemn it for poisoning the young and old alike with its infinite amount of mysteries, which seem as if they could only be the work of witchcraft; and there is still no end in sight to the technological advancements found within this day and age. In fact, technological production is on the rise now more than ever. According to the Pew Research Center, as of last year 44 percent of US adults owned smartphones, 29 percent had tablets and more than 75 percent owned a laptop or desktop computer. If there is so much technology around, why is it so bad?

Whether one likes to admit it or not, chances are they find technology fascinating. In truth, it really is. Technology allows us to do so much more than we have ever been able to before. Faster processors mean smoother and quicker interfaces. Better graphics mean crisper visuals, and anyone who has had the displeasure of wearing glasses, or at least tried on prescription lenses, knows clearer is better. More storage on smaller components allows for more room to store photos, videos, music and anything else one may hold dear.

I specifically remember looking at my portable CD player back in first grade and thinking about how cool it would be to wirelessly download new music onto it anytime, anywhere. Twelve years later, we have that and more. Instant-messaging, cloud-based storage, video-chatting; the list goes on. Everything is getting bigger, better and faster. So, what could possibly have gone wrong?

Did you hear that? I think it was your phone. Wait, maybe it was mine. Nope, it was definitely yours. Feel free to check that before reading on. How is your Facebook looking? You might as well check your Twitter while you are at it. Now, what were you doing again? Oh yeah, reading about why technology is potentially bad. Well, this is why. Technology is getting such a bad rep because it is not being used properly.

Let me explain. First off, what are social media sites for? The typical answer is to allow people to connect with one another nearly instantaneously without being able to interact face-to-face. A better question would be how are social media sites used? Despite being called social, these sites are far from it. People do not use these sites in order to actually connect with others. Some may use them to post photos in order to hoard compliments which somehow improve their overall self-worth. Others simply vent their emotions to people who honestly do not care about their problems. What makes this worse is the immediate access we have to networks with our technology. We are constantly connected with all of our gadgets 24/7, and this can be quite frustrating to some people.

In short, the problem is not technology, but rather how we use it. Constantly accessing popular sites can most certainly have a negative effect on the way people function. They can be distracting, overwhelming and downright irritating at times. It is no wonder so many people find technology to be evil when the content accessed is so undesirable. Don’t hate the cell phones; hate how people use them.