"Our" Technology

If your parents are anything like mine, they were initially afraid of anything that had to do with technology (and still are to some extent). We finally got a computer in 2000 and I was the only one who knew how to work it because I had been in computer classes in school for 2 years at that point. I remember that they were so afraid to type anything on the Internet because they didn't know who "might see it". All of this plays into human nature's fear of the unknown. Technology was still some big mystery to the adults while children were really interested in it.

Technology became "our" way of communicating with our peers. At my elementary school, girls would "IM" after school at the age of 9. But back to the point, as technology grew (and continues to grow), we grow with it. It has become something synonymous with our generation. The movie shown in class is a prime example of this fear. The parents do not fully understand what is going on online and therefore do not want their child to take part in it. Although there are valid points concerning child predators, etc, because we have grown up around technology, it has been drilled into our heads what to do and what not to do online. But parents and adults can't always control what their child does and some believe that technology is just another forum for trouble.

Technology has enabled people to communicate with people all over the world. I personally keep in touch with friends in India and Israel, so in a way, it has allowed us to experience other cultures. It allows us to access so much information in such a short amount of time. What I am trying to do is show how dependent we are on technology (our generation, at least). I know that when we are senior citizens, we will probably still be using technology while being criticized by other generations who still might not understand our fascination with technology.