The Way Society Sees It

In today’s day and age, it almost seems impossible to leave the house without any sort of technological device on you, be it a cellphone, a tablet, a smartphone, any sort of wifi enabled appliance…..it’s just impossible. I have to be honest, I personally am not too addicted to technology myself, BUT I will say that, despite this, I do still use my smartphone outside for more important things such as receiving important calls, looking at the map, checking emails, the list goes on and on. My point is, even if someone isn’t addicted to the point where they’re constantly glued to the screen, technological devices have quite literally embedded themselves into our daily lives. This being said, this particular image stuck with me because of how unreasonable it is. These days I constantly see kids running around, with a smartphone or ipad in their hands and their eyes completed attached to the device. I disapprove of this entirely; I don’t feel that kids need to have any sort of that with them since they shouldn’t need it at all. This image shows a teacher, possibly a representation of the school system in general, being a little judgemental and up front to the parents about their child. It may also be that the parents want their child to know how to use a mobile device and maybe are shocked that their child can’t learn it. In any way, because schools are meant to teach us about the real world, this image is making the assumption that the real world requires children to become adults that should be able to use technology efficiently, and it hints that unfortunately, their child could have their success rate affected just because he isn’t tech savvy. In their eyes, the child is not as smart since he isn’t receiving the education as well as others. It almost seems as if knowing how to use technology becomes a factor in determining the capabilities of a single individual. This in itself is kinda funny, though may cause some angered arguments in the real world. I know that technology is also used as a way for kids to connect with one another these days, and thus becomes an important part in their social life; but I still feel that just because a child asks for something they want but can’t have, parents shouldn’t give in as quickly. It seems almost ridiculous that the society has come to view its people that way but unfortunately new times calls for new environments and thus, maybe this image isn’t as outrageous as it is.

From Past to Present: Why are we still here?

You Say You Want a Devolution?
http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2012/01/prisoners-of-style-201201

Kurt Anderson's stance in his article regarding the ever changing styles of cultures through the decades has me persuaded into agreeing with his statement. I wholeheartedly agree that the cause of all the idleness that has developed and settled into the new generation is caused by the constant exposure to new things that come across our paths daily. Because we, as a collective generation, are constantly experiencing new things that are thrown into our faces, it becomes relatively difficult to ascertain what it is we should be liking or rejecting. To be honest, I think most of the time we enjoy it for a split second, and then our attentions pan elsewhere.

The cause of this can be directly linked to multiple reasons. First, in my opinion, overpopulation is the leading cause of the declining of cultures within the United States. With a hodgepodge of cultures constantly flooding in, it's hard to find one specific thing that stands out. This pertains to all departments, whether in fashion, music, entertainment, food, whatever, you name it: there is simply too much. With crowdedness becoming too big of a problem, it's hard to find jobs and make money. I think most of the newer generation is stuck on finding ways to either repay their student debt or try to make it out in the real world to survive. I'd like to believe that change is provoked in two ways: either by prodigies who introduce "never before seen" ideas into the world OR by fostering and caring a singular idea that could have the potential to grow into be the ultimate "new and improved" of the generation. Now, when overpopulation becomes too common, it almost seems to cancel out any sort of possibility of either of these things from happening. Change is expected when life is stagnant for a while, and something drastic is brought in; but with the constant influx of the "new" pouring in, it's hard to take notice the things that seem more new and thus nothing feels like it ever changes. New and fresh ideas should come naturally, not by fostering and forcing it to squeeze out. Secondly, I would say that the new wave of technology that has bombarded our country for the past few decades would come only second to overpopulation. Anderson has even stated it in his article: "now that we have instant universal access to every old image and recorded sound, the future has arrived and it's all about dreaming of the past". Simply, it states that because of the introduction of technology into our lives, suddenly everything is possible at our fingertips. This leads to ideas that become unoriginal, taken, and not thought out. Even if someone had come up with something, it would most likely be labeled as stolen.

Everything has already been done.

I have generally come to believe that culture has essentially stopped changing because everyone is content with the way things are. Of course small attempts have been made to change or add to what society has become, though all has produced fruitless results. I've come to realize that culture doesn't change simply because the people aren't making an effort to bring upon change.