Media Article Response-“Fighting a Social Addiction”

It is amazing how the many forms of media technology greatly influence our lives and affect our actions and behavior. Television, iPods, cell phones, texting, internet, face book are all part of many people’s daily lives if not all. Without these forms of media many of us would feel lost and isolate din the world. This shows us how technological advancement has shaped the way we live to a great extent. Everywhere you go, you see people walking with cell phones or iPods and most of which have internet access on their phones. The responses from the students who went media free for only twenty four hours at the University of Maryland were quite shocking. During those twenty four hours students reported feeling miserable, crazy, in withdrawal, and overall in a very unpleasant mood and state of mind. This shows how much people and specifically teenagers and college students are dependent upon their technological sources of media to receive information, news, or simply just the feeling of comfort and happiness. Students mentioned being addicted to their technology and not being able to efficiently function as they used to without it. It was like they were dependent on drugs and are going through a withdrawal period because of their addiction. It is saddening to see how these current generations are functioning only with such devices and most likely cannot do much if not anything without them. Where as in the past these advanced pieces of technology were not available, yet people were still able to live and flourish. Nowadays connections are made through these sources of media and friendships do not seem as real and sincere because of this. All students do is text their friends or go on face book to chat or share and receive news about them rather than calling or meeting face to face more often. This is causing the students’ social communication to become less effective, for example in an interview, because the students are not used to such face to face confrontations and conversations. Without these devices the students report being totally secluded from their friends because they cannot text them, something which previously provided them with a sense of comfort and reassurance. Some students are only connected to their family and friends by phone whether by texting or calling. Some can’t live for even twenty four hours without media such as the student who had to open his laptop, because they need to gain information. Not only are students addicted to sources of media because it provides entertainment but also because it is their source of information and news from all around the world. They are able to learn about what happens in other countries around the world, such as natural disasters, and know any important facts or news that is happening around them, such as elections. These advanced devices of media are truly great in that they are helpful in such a way but when it comes to their addiction for joy through listening to music, and comfort through texting, then there is truly a problem in our generation where everyone’s life is dependent upon media for social connections.Basically, today's technology has all forms of media that society is interested in and can benefit from.