The Control of Technology

 I anticipate that technology does not control our lives unless you allow it. I stated in my previous blog about how I am attached to my cell phone. Even though I have a clock in my room I still tend to look at my phone for the time sometimes. Whenever I am watching television I will grab my phone when a commercial comes on. I would not consider this to be controlling my life but I would have to agree that it is a start.

Years ago at the hospital and doctors offices all your paper work was hand written and then filed into your chart. Today some doctors offices still have you hand write your health history but then the majority of offices will type your information into the computer. Being in the healthcare field I also know that nurses in the hospitals use to write everything on paper for their shift about their patient. Now it is all computerized including how they give medications. The barcode on the armband of a patient is scanned for almost everything in the hospital. Before a nurse can give a patient medication they must scan their armband to make sure they have the correct patient and medication.

Ultimately in the healthcare setting technology is controlling but it is for the patients safety. The way we utilize other technology on our personal time should be controlled by you.

Technology and Thinking

         

         Technology is a great thing but yet can be a bad thing at the same time. I do believe that with all the advanced technology products that this has put peoples thinking to a minimum, at least it has mine.

          For example I would be so lost without my cell phone. I use it for everything such as a calculator, surfing the web, checking my email, and for a planner. Cell phones use to be just for making calls but now have almost any and everything possible on them that you would need. I also tend to do a lot of texting instead of calling someone. I think it’s much easier to send a message and get your answer instead of having to talk to the person.

          Also without Google I would be clueless about several things. Anytime I am in a conversation with someone and we need to know something or don’t know the meaning of a word, I always look to Google. I go to the extreme of googling words on my radiology reports whenever I have a test done. I always say, “Google never lets you down.”

          However with all of these social media sites available, such as Facebook, it gives people the opportunity to reconnect with old friends which is a good thing but sometimes can turn into something bad. I have a friend that is getting stalked by someone she doesn’t even know and has blocked him but he still finds a way to find her. 

The Alarming Effects of using the Internet

                I do not necessarily believe that I am in a filter bubble but I do rely on Google a lot. Once I search something I do not always choose the first or second option they give me. I very rarely click on anything they recommend according to my previous search results. However the statement that was expressed by Pariser about a filter bubble, “It’s a unique personal universe of info created just for you by this array of personalizing filters. It’s invisible and it’s becoming more and more difficult to escape” does alarm me. This statement makes me feel like I am being controlled by a stranger or strangers. 

              Therefore the internet is not private. I am concerned about trackers and how easily they can get access to my information. I do a lot of online shopping and know not to order from just any website. I do a lot of research before I order. After to listening to the video about trackers, I may have to stop shopping online. I like the idea about the Firefox add on to track who is watching me. It is my right to know what is being collected about.

                I do not think that I am “Alone Together.” I have a very supportive family system and would do anything for me.

Explanation of Assignment Three.

            For assignment three we will be choosing a topic that interests us and that we want to share with people who are unfamiliar with our topic but want to learn more about it in a much shorter, easier to read paper. We will then narrow it down to the most important information so that we don’t have a 50 page paper.  We will then put all the information together in a way that is easier for our audience to understand. This assignment is strictly to inform our audience and not to argue any portion of the topic. We will also have to find five or more sources on our topic and combine them into something new and of course we will have to cite each source.

            Also by doing a research paper this allows us to use different sources to find information that we may not be familiar with. Assignment three allows us to explore the internet or Kent Library to find relevant information and make our minds think harder by finding enormous amounts of information and combining it all into a 1500 word paper.

            Although it is true that I do not like writing papers, I am actually looking forward to writing this one, which I am very shocked about. I already have my topic picked out!