Final Post

 Final Post

What does technology mean to me? That's the question I've been facing recently. Over the last couple of months and even years my use in technology has began to grow as I have gotten older. As a game design major my use in technology has become very specific and niche. However I use it everyday and it would be an understatement to say that I could do what I do without technology. With this course I have begun to question a lot of things I took for granted or knew but tried to ignore. Various social media platforms being used to control what large groups of people consume is a scary thought and a harsh reality not many of us are ready to hear. With that being said I have changed a lot of my habits in technology because of what I have learned in recent months.

                                                                 

My Relationship With technology

My relationship with technology is odd because for a large portion of my developmental years I lived in the country side distant from the consumption of everyday media and everyday technologies. Going out and exploring the forest was a norm for me, and in later years I went hunting as a family activity. Of course we had TV and Movies and access to internet but many of these things were hard to access and so I learned to ignore much of what was happening online because I thought it didn't effect me. I just sat around playing video games with various family members and went to YouTube to watch funny videos online. Of course this lead to me not relying on technology as much as others, but as someone who wants to go into the game design industry that is quickly changing. I've always been considered the "tech savvy" member of my family because I understood computers just a bit better. I guess you could say I've always had a love for technology, the modern world has given me a purpose through technology and I'm glad we have it. With that being said I am by no means controlled by the technology I use because of my early years and the disconnection I had from it. I just see it as a tool for entertainment, convenience, and a career path. Which I think that's a more than healthy way to look at it.

My Personal Career and How Technology effects it

Over the years when I was younger I got to plan tons and tons of video games and it made a positive impact on my life. With that being said as I got older I began to look at video games as forms of art and I wanted in on it. So when I was in high school I began to work on learning how to make video games. I wouldn't be where I am today without technology and I'm glad its in my life. Technology has allowed me to live out my dream of making video game worlds and reaching people and giving them a form of entertainment.

                                             

Technologies Effects On Us

Its clear that technology is having an impactful effect, now whether its positive or negative is up for debate. It is my personal belief that we should change our consumption habits of technology otherwise we risk getting overtaken by it.

Many people have expressed their concerns in various ways. One example of the negative side effects of technology can be seen in a video created by a user name Moby. The video speaks a thousand words but has no clear distinct dialogue, it depicts a morbid misuse of technology and how we are all mindlessly walking through our lives just staring at our phones. Which I heavily agree to some extent but I believe are all like this.

I believe that as long as we are mindfully aware that if we misuse technology it can control us we can begin to use technology better because how we use technology like social media on average right now is not healthy. It has led to increase in depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

Final Thoughts

Overall I think that our current use of technology should be debated and discussed. Many of the tools we have developed within the last decade have taken over our lives and if we don't change something soon I feel that the depiction shown in Moby's video will be the least of our problems.

I like to think I have a healthy relationship the technology in my life but you often don't notice a problem until its right in your face. We must understand that we can always be better and strive for better things and our use in technology is no different.