There were so many interesting subjects and concepts discussed in this class, and all of them were very intriguing. But one that really stands out is the internet and it's possible addiction epidemic. On the last day of poster presentations, one group talked about how YouTube and how it's grown in popularity over the past 13 years (I believe they said it came out in 2005). The example of that woman that shot up YouTube headquarters because she was unhappy with the website (over money...? Likes??) was ridiculous and so scary but it made this problem very real. A website, a non-human entity made up of pixels and other things I don't understand, caused a woman so much rage that she felt the need to shoot innocent people and commit suicide. This could become a problem. With all the new technology and websites popping up, there are many different platforms that people are a part of that dictate how people should look and behave. You can become famous from the internet and that seems to be what everyone wants, fame. People do outrageous things to gain attention and approval from strangers, people they will probably never even see in person.
This brings about the worry for future generations. I had to severely cut down the time my son spent watching TV and playing games on my phone because I believe he was becoming addicted. He couldn't go to bed without one or the other, and at that point he had only gotten it for an hour a day! Now he gets to either watch TV OR play on my phone, never both in one day and only for 30 minutes.
This has the potential to do some serious damage in the near future. The internet is addictive and we should be aware of this problem and try to get it under control before it's too late.
No comments:
Post a Comment