Society vs. Social Media

Technology has a significant impact on society. Whether it is the social media one uses to express his/her feelings or the electronic gadgets for entertainment, technology is important. Peggy Orenstein, a journalist and author, explains how countless individuals use the social media, such as Facebook or MySpace, to communicate what they are doing or feeling to others. Orenstein continues to clarify the idea that individuals are too informative on their lives. People are too revealing on certain topics, such as their love lives or actions they might have committed. All of this makes Orenstein question the difference between private and public life styles.

However, Steven Pinker, a psychology professor, has a different view on the use of technology. Although the use of technology might have a negative effect on one's attention span, it can be useful in other fields of work. Scientists need technology to progress forward in their line of work. Using the media is not as bad as it is criticized to be, if individuals are able to have self-control. The use of the media is good every once in awhile for work or for relaxation, but too much use of it could be unhealthy. Society can be too dependent on technology and the media, where if the world somehow lost its ability to retain this technology and media, society will collapse.

In Peggy Orenstein's reading, her use of Ethos and Pathos is clear. Orenstein is able to connect to the readers by using an anecdote in the beginning on her reading. In addition, Orenstein uses outside sources to support her argument from Sherry Turkle, a professor from M.I.T., and Erving Goffman, a sociologist. In Steven Pinker's reading, his use of Logos is clear. Pinker explains how the use of technology and the media helps scientists progress forward with science. However, unlike Orenstein, Pinker lacks the use of Ethos and Pathos, which could have made the readers more interested in his reading.

In my perspective, the use of technology is a love and hate situation. I love using the social media from time to time as well as playing my games on several game consoles. On the other hand, I have been too dependent on these medias and technologies to the point where if I am unable to use them, I will go crazy. When it comes to work and school, society should focus more on doing things the old fashioned way, which is the basic pen and pencil. If we continue the path on depending on technology and the media for everything, we will soon be in the same position from the movie "Terminators 2: Judgment Day", where technology has overrun everything and everyone.