Technology is advancing at a faster pace than ever before and inevitably generations are turning to it for all matters. Although many people view the endless knowledge, communication, and shortcuts accessible at our fingertips as beneficial, they fail to recognize that technology is harming us in the process. It is as if people today have become blind to the negative effects that technology has on us while we are constricted in its grasp. In Nicholas Carr’s essay Is Google Making Us Stupid? and Sherry Turkle’s essay The Empathy Diaries, the negative attributes of technology are high on the topics of discussion. These negative effects are often considered to be attention deficit, and issues with recognizing emotions as well as declining mental health.

The attention spans of young minds are shortening by the second, it seems. As technology grows stronger it is as if humans are surrendering to its power. While completing a task, most are not able to get through it without checking their phone or notifications at least once and getting distracted. Within only a few minutes, most get bored and move onto something on their phone that will keep their attention until they lose track of time and no progress has been made within the hour. Sometimes I notice it takes until the last minute for my peers to put their heads into what they are working on and get the assignment finished by the due date. Carr puts this inability to focus in perspective by discussing the process of deep reading. Throughout the introduction to his essay, Carr deep-dives his inability to sit down and read. He mentions that he cannot focus on even a short paragraph and finds himself skimming much like most others can attest to, but will not admit to. Later in the essay on page 2 mentions,  “Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged.” In this paragraph of Carr’s essay on page 2, he provides the thought that individuals are unable to focus on deep reading. I believe that this is mostly to blame on the youth growing up in the age of technology and never being forced to go outside. They were given constant access to technology and would now rather spend their time online watching videos or playing a game. Carr and myself both agree that this has led to skimming and shortcuts rather than reading. I will admit that I find myself skimming often if I have no interest in the topic or I am simply trying to find an answer to my question quickly, yet I am still able to read deeply if the topic interests me. Turkle ties this thought of distraction with the act of multitasking. She believes that all this multitasking leads to further distraction and lack of communication. “In another company, a manager begins her team’s meetings by having all laptops and cell phones put into a basket at the door. She’s tired of meetings where people do their email.” Preventing distractions in meetings can make the conversation thrive and make the whole process more productive and open to conversation. When distractions are banished, everything is able to have higher productivity and opens the room to deep conversations and eye contact. I find that this is most noticeable in the classrooms where teachers do not enforce any sort of standard. Most of the students would much rather be on their phones or playing a game than listening to the lecture that they are sitting through. I find that the only students who are constantly listening 100% of the time are the students who stress about their grades constantly because that is how they have always been. Without setting a standard for the workplace or certain classrooms, the alternative is workers and students half listening, little to no eye contact, and empty conversations.

Due to cell phones and technology, people have become less able to express and understand emotions. It is almost as if technology has flipped a switch in our brain that turns off that ability and turns people emotionless. In Carr’s essay he expresses his thoughts regarding the effects of technology on human emotions. Carr states that, “people have become so machinelike that the most human character turns out to be a machine.” In this he is implying that humans have become emotionless, machinelike, and robotic because of technology’s effects. It is as if there humans no longer have personality, but are rather bland and numb. I find that on some occasions when I am having a conversation with a friend, even though they are listening it sounds like they are uninterested and their responses are monotone. Similarly, Trurkle talks about the effects technology has on our ability to feel and detect emotions. Turkle believes that when, “Fully present to one another, we learn to listen. It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy.” Later in her essay she states that, “in only five days at a summer camp that bans all electronic devices, children show an increased capacity for empathy as measured by their ability to identity feelings of others…” Turkle believes that technology is inactivating our ability to understand, feel, and detect emotions. She highlights that connecting with each other personally is how we better understand human emotions, most specifically, empathy. Both parties believe, much like myself, that cell phones make it difficult for today’s generations to connect with each other. They would rather stare at a screen then interact with each other and get to know each other. As someone who went to a camp where electronics of any kind were not allowed for many years of my life as a camper and as a councilor, I can attest that without technology bonds become stronger, connections became deeper, and no conversation was ever lacking substance. The thought may sound like torture to some, but as a kid who loved to play outside, I didn’t have to think twice about now having an electronic in my hand for a week at a time. I made some of my closest and longest friendships that carried out through being councilors and carry on to this day. I whole-heartedly believe that when technology is subtracted from the equation, human connection has the ability to grow stronger than ever and making friends would be infinitely easier.