Reflective Post for Week of 2/5

I can't believe how much I've already learned from this class in just the few weeks since it began. I think that, without a doubt, it will be one of the most useful courses I will take during college. I really enjoy our discussions about how dependent we are on technology, because it is very eye-opening. When we talk about how we couldn’t survive without our cell phones or computers, it makes me aware of just how dependent I am on these things. But then again, I went seventeen years of my life without a cell phone, so I’m pretty sure I could survive without it if I had to. I think the reason so many forms of technology have become so addicting is simply because everyone else has them. Our culture is one that says if you don’t have this cell phone, or this i-pod, you’re not cool. I think this is honestly the reason why people buy so much technology that they really don’t need—simply because they feel like since everyone else has it, they have to have it too. I remember being the last person out of my group of friends to get a cell phone, and how it seemed like the world would come to an end unless I got one too. In all honesty, I really didn’t need one in high school, because I saw everyone that I would talk to on a cell phone on a regular basis. Looking back, I think the only reason I wanted one was because everyone else had one, and I felt left out. Now, my fifteen-year-old sister is the only member of my family without one, and she is constantly begging my parents to get her one. I think it’s fascinating how widespread certain kinds of technology have become in just the past few years, because when I was fifteen, hardly anyone that age had cell phones. Now my sister always wails about how all her friends have cell phones, and I’m sure the only reason she wants one is because everyone else has one too. In a few years, will all seven-year-olds have cell phones? I think our society in general is becoming too dependent on technology, not even for its uses but just as symbols of social status in many cases. Although I like my technology, I know I could survive without it if I had to.