Archive for category Digital Divide
Our Society: Technology and Instant Gratification
Posted by admin in Digital Divide on May 27, 2011
“I hate traffic.” “What is the hold up, here?” “I know, but I just couldn’t wait.” “Don’t put me on hold!” Did any of those phrases seem familiar to you? No one likes to wait these days. No matter what it is that they have to wait for, it seems that people just can’t wait. The fact of the matter is that technology has spoiled us. Some of us are just spoiled rotten. The internet, microwaves, cell phones, fast food, EZ pass, drive-up atm, and credit cards have all provided wonderful conveniences, yet robbed us of the virtue of patience.
As the human race, we are always looking to better ourselves to make things easier and faster, so we eventually have to do less on our own. Over the passed couple hundreds of years we have developed several new ways to travel, communicate, and entertain ourselves. It is both a fantastic and terrible thing that technology has brought us such conveniences.
What is so wrong with technology?
We have become a lazy society. We don’t have to cook because we can grab food from a restaurant, or better yet have it delivered. If not, we can always heat up a frozen meal in the microwave. Some people use their cars to travel a total of two blocks so that they don’t have to walk. The television is often the babysitter. There are too many people who can’t cook, don’t get any exercise, and don’t take the time to teach and discipline their children.
We have also become an unhealthy society. While we might be one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, we did not rank high in health. The top five healthiest countries are Japan, France, Iceland, Sweden and Cuba. Heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are killing the health of our nation, and technology is a major contributor to our death.
It is not that there is a problem with technology itself, but it’s the abuse of that convenience.
The use of cell phones while driving has caused tons of accidents, yet so many continue to do it everyday. If many of those people are honest with themselves, it is not that they don’t have time to talk later, it’s that they just can’t wait. Read the rest of this entry »
Urban Myths
Posted by admin in Digital Divide on May 27, 2011
Have you ever experienced a situation like this? You are having lunch with a good friend, and he or she leans forward and whispers, “This weird thing happened to my sister-in-laws cousin’s son, and she wouldn’t lie to me so it has to be true. He was playing in the Garden behind Burger King and two snakes came out of nowhere and bit him.” Or, maybe you are at work and check you inbox and see a mail with a message that goes likes this, ‘Be Careful. Someone I know was driving through a deserted street in the middle of the night and was followed by a car that had no headlights on and there was no one sitting in the car.’
No, you are definitely not alone. There are millions of people out there who are either listening to or reading these same myths everyday. But doesn’t it ever confuse you? Because, these same stories are never displayed on the news, and you never get to read about them in the newspapers. Well, that is because these stories are all urban myths.
Urban myths or legends are those stories that have been developed over the years – their origins are unknown and they are usually unverifiable. Sometimes, these stories are just plain rubbish. They deal with a wide range of subjects and could involve children, women, men, companies, celebrities, famous places and even animals.
Yes, urban myths have been around for a long time now, but have increased over the years since the advent of the Internet. If you take the time to look beneath the surface of each of these myths, you’ll probably realize that these stories are all a lesson in moral science. Most legends warn foolish women about roaming the streets in the dead of the night, or reward those people who venture out to malls or parties with misfortune and death. Some stories tell people to be more careful while other myths take famous legends and add their own little ‘twist’ to it. Though it makes for some very good reading, unfortunately, these little ‘twists’ are all false. Urban myths are powerful, often times provocative and sometimes very dangerous.
However, there are many good websites on the Internet today that are devoted to exposing and disparaging these myths. On visiting these sites, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that so many of those stories that you heard when you were kid are all in fact nothing but urban myths. Most myths are altered to include the name of your town or the neighboring town, or a kid that once lived in your neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »