Persuasive Essay about Technology and Social Connectedness

Persuasive Essay about Technology and Social Connectedness

When I was younger, I used to come home and sink into my phone either watching videos or playing games on my phone. I was so lazy that I did nothing all day but stay inside. I relied on technology to entertain me instead of going outside, reading a book or even hanging out with some friends. Now there were many reasons why I may have been that type of child but the main point I want to discuss is the pros and cons of technology for adolescents. I will also explain how adolescents use technology, how it affects social connectedness, how it affects their health, and how it impacts their literacy. I will then add some of my points of view and compare them to what I have been through when I was an adolescent.

As an adolescent, you learn that having a phone is important not only because your friends may think it's cool but also because your parents want you to be safe and want to make sure that you or they may be able to contact one another. That is actually one of the main pros of having technology because you can connect with others through phone calls, texts, or social media apps. Another pro is that “technology provides a source of educational entertainment for children” (Regoli, 2018). It is important that adolescents know how to use technology because you have to know how to search for what is safe and what is not. Also, to help you with future endeavors such as doing a paper for school, help you do school online or even get a job. “Exposing children to tech concepts early on prepares them for a future where they can remain productive” and able to handle doing things independently without having to ask (Regoli, 2018). Another pro that I find very important is that technology helps those who have a disability like me. I am a visual person and sometimes need to hear things more than once. So, when I am able to record someone talking or when I need a visual of something that I am learning I may look it up online. Now there are also cons when it comes to technology. As an Optometric Technician working with an Optometrist, eye strain is a common issue that may be due to too much screen time. Staring at a phone, computer or Tv can cause your eyes to hurt that you either tend to tear or feel like your eyes are dry. From experience, there are ways to fix that with glasses or eye drops. Not only does technology strain your eyes but it also is distracting. Some adolescents are so focused on what’s on the internet and what notifications just popped up. It's like they always need to check or answer back immediately to a text message/notification. This also reduces more social time with friends outside and them to be less active. Another con is that it may cause adolescence to post things they don’t mean to, such as rumors or bullying others. Social media allows adolescence to speak freely about what they may like or post pictures or videos of others or things they have seen. Now since people may speak freely about what they like there are also people that may speak freely about what they don’t like. This can cause others to say mean things about the post you’ve put on social media. Social media is a way to interact with others, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. These apps are what make an adolescent life a bit harder based on the fact that everyone has their own opinion on different subjects. Most adolescents don’t tend to hold back anything they feel and don’t realize what they are saying till they realize the effect it has on that person.

Now that we know what the pros and cons are of technology against adolescence, which is very 50/50 in my opinion. I will now discuss how adolescence uses technology in a more in-depth explanation. During my research, I read that “Adolescents easily identify the technological tools and resources available to them, those that are the most appropriate for any given use, how to assemble and initiate them, and how to manage those technologies to support unique learning and engagement experiences” (Fitton, 2013, page 400). This means that technology is an important resource in an adolescent life because it allows them to learn and engage in new experiences. Between the ages of 10-14, it is important for adolescence to experience new things and to grow from those experiences. This allows them to get new ideas that are connected to what they believe in, as well as their “personal values, morals, ethics, philosophical principles, the validity of religion and spirituality and their own sense of direction in the world” (Fitton, 2013, page 400). All of these ideas come into play when they want to make sure they can be like other children, such as being normal. Adolescence also uses technology to be on top of the most popular social media sites. In Fitton’s Journal article she says that “Their online interaction also helps them to address developmental is