Extra Life

Get plugged in!

Everyone now-a-days are always referring to technology as the most negative thing that could've possibly happened to the human race. Does it have it's down sides? Of course, everything does! With every positive theres a negative, with every praise there's criticism. Don't let my post's title fool you. This post is about how everyone keeps viewing technology as negative but it's really positive. I will be mostly focusing on the outlets most known for criticism in my generation, social networks and video games and I will end this with scientific advancements in the lab and at home.

Can't handle this 90's swagger!

The most common form of criticism of technology is normally around the internet, mainly social networking and even texting. Does this new form of communication have negatives? Yes. A new breed of person is out there called a "Troll" and theres nothing really special about them. Most of them are kids who post discouraging and negative comments on any and all posts they can because theres little to no repercussions to these people, they can say whatever they want sitting in their bedroom and the only thing they get is either blocked or cussed out; and they enjoy it. 

Another common complaint about social media and the internet, which is also the most common and can apply to texting as well, is that it makes people "Anti-Social". For me, that is a load of crap. Yes, it makes people talk less in person, but now anyone can instantly talk to anyone around the world (it's like the world wide web has some meaning behind it's name, no way!). I have personally got in contact with old friends I probably will never see face to face again and catch up on how we have been as well as distant family members and making new friends online. I also personally remember when being able to do so was a human achievement, teachers in my elementary school classes blowing our young minds with that we can talk to a real person on the other side of the planet instantly. It's funny how it used to be considered an achievement and now it's considered terrible that it's the social norm.

All these social sources and it's still bad!

Next known for criticism is video games. Keep in mind, home video games started as a family event. You had Atari's in almost every house hold and families would play games together. Then they released the horrible E.T. video game that they produced way more than they could sell and the industry crashed. after that a company named Nintendo brought their Entertainment System over to the U.S. and kept it a family event and video games grew uncontrollably, creating a whole new market for fun. Yet, as the graphics got better the criticism grew. Now, video games look semi realistic, even having Virtual Reality now, and it's a social outing for kids. They can still talk over their games and be extremely creative in games such as 'Minecraft' and play the 21st Century's version of Laser Tag 'Call of Duty'. When I was a kid we played soldier and had toy guns and planes and if 10 year old me had Call of Duty I wouldn't leave my living room either. The kids didn't change, the outlets for playing just did, and it's not all that negative. Blood and gore is in almost every media outlet now, not just video games.

Then theres Pokemon...

This one I'll keep short with the final thing about technology that deserves a lot of credit, the science behind it. Technology didn't just appear from the heavens, it took a lot of time and dedication from people who wanted a better life, medical advancements, making ways to cure boredom, and many more reasons. Whats great is that now, anyone can invent and create advancements at their own time. Because of the internet, because of their technical skills gained from their love of video games; people learn to create and with technology they create great things.  

SCIENCE!