Is Technology Making Us Lazy?

Is Technology Making Us Lazy?

By Christina Roman, Intern

In this day and age technology has made life easier for everyone in so many different ways. Everything is faster and easier to obtain. Why cook rice the old fashion way when you can throw it in the microwave? Why own a land line when you have a cell phone that does so much more than make phone calls? It’s amazing what technology does for us but is it good for us culturally? Or even health wise, mental and physical? Here are a few of the ways technology has made us all lazy.

 

1. Order Food. Why cook when at the tip of your fingers you can order all kinds of food and have it delivered to your home without so much as a phone call? Grubhub has made it so ordering food is faster and easier than ever before. The problem with this is it takes away all the fun of trying new restaurants, enjoying a nice meal with friends and family, or getting out of the house and enjoying the ambiance and different foods so many places have to offer.
2. Online Shopping. Don’t like the crowds that stores attract? Shop online! Order clothes, jewelry shoes, games, furniture or anything else your heart desires without ever leaving your bed. I’m guilty of this, shopping online is so much more convenient than going outside to hit the stores. Think about what you’re missing out on. You can’t touch the clothes to check out the material, you can’t try it on before you buy, and what about just shooting the breeze with a friend while comparing styles?
3. Being with people in general. Technology has even affected being with friends and family. Want to catch up? Facetime. Just moved and want to give a tour of your new place? Why not do a virtual tour of your place and blog it. Let’s face it, technology has made it easier to catch up with people while not even stopping your day. People need physical contact and technology gets in the way. Take the extra effort to have a coffee date or see a movie with those you love, the physical contact goes a long way.
4. Ebooks. So much for the printed word. Thanks to E-readers, tablets and even smartphones, going to the book store is out of the question. Now you can turn on one of your tech devices, peruse thousands of books and read it almost immediately. Technology has taken the joy of opening an actual book, touching it and enjoying print. Granted it makes it a lot easier for people to be avid readers and gain some culture but it’s taking away the experience that so many generations before us have enjoyed.
5. News by the second. Newspapers still exist? Does the news still air at 10’o clock? Why bother with these options when you can turn on your phone and learn everything that’s going on in the world with the swipe of your finger. There are so many apps and websites that post news stories the second they’re available without ever having to leave your home, office or bother to turn your TV on. This is the only option that technology offers that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Being able to read the news so quickly and easily is actually the best thing technology seems to offer.
6. Entertainment. Technology makes entertainment so simple that you’d never have to leave your home again. Games, apps, movie streaming, TV streaming and so much more is at your fingertips. One amazing tech device and you have endless entertainment. The problem with this is it takes the fun out of venturing into the world. There are so many other forms of entertainment that are neglected. Going to the movies, ice skating, boating, traveling, etc; these amazing things are overlooked because why leave home when you can do all this virtually?

Technology has helped pave the way for society to learn and grow. Like always with the good so must come the bad. We depend on technology for so many things that it can get in the way. Set aside a day to go off the grid, no cell-phones, no tablets, no TV and have a dinner date with friends or just get out there! No one is saying to permanently stop using all forms of technology because that would be impossible. There’s a whole world that has so much to offer. Instead of blogging pictures of things you want to do or want to look like on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter, shut it off, do it and blog the real thing. Take your own pictures and videos and share them with the world. The possibilities are endless.