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19 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, November 5, 2009 Student believes moderation is key to technological advances By Sarah Mirenzi GRADE 12, HOLY TRINITY H.S. s technology moves forward it drags society along for the ride. We live in a fast-paced world that adopts new beliefs rapidly. Technological forces corrupt our value system and brainwash us. We are programmed to believe life is a race; in order to win, we must rush through time-consuming tasks, like interacting with others. The communication technology industry continues to provide us with every shortcut possible and so we have allowed it to make a devastating mark on civilization. Society has become a slave to technology. We buy new gadgets of manipulation in fear of becoming disconnected. Our need for instant gratification has us in technological turmoil. The hidden impact we have allowed the cell phone and the Internet to have on our academic and social success illustrates a much darker future for generations to come. Society's abominable addiction to illegitimate forms of communication will be the downfall of civilization as intelligence and class are well on their way to extinction. A The advancement of communication technology has suffocated the creative mind. Though the Internet is an extremely useful tool, it has torn down the foundation of the education system and bombarded us with artificial intelligence. Visiting the library or conducting a science experiment is no longer necessary. We do not need to seek out knowledge as we can acquire information without knowing its origins with just a click. Some might argue technology does not dictate one's attitude towards learning and only the student is to blame for their academic sloth. I disagree. The habits one obtains during their early years of education shape their future work ethic. If stu- dents are given the easy way out, they will continue to take it especially as they enter adolescence and become consumed by their changing lives. The purpose of communication technology is to make interacting with others more convenient. Though advances in this industry satisfy our demand for instant communication, have we allowed it to destroy the quality of our relationships? We have forgotten what it means to have class. What we consider casual interactions today would be deemed as inappropriate 20 years ago. Why is it considered normal to apply for a job online or break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend via text message? If we continue to avoid face-toface interaction, how will we ever know the validity of human emotion? Social networking sites contort the meaning and importance of friendship and love. If the negative impacts technology has on our personal lives doesn't clearly indicate its misuse, imagine the world in 50 years. Time will continue to crave technology and therefore its flaws will continue to emerge as a cultural norm, if we do not put an end to it now. Society can still overcome this addiction and rebel against new innovations that stunt our personal growth and abolish tradition. We have dug ourselves into a deep hole, but that doesn't mean we have not seen any light. Recently, a law banning cell phone use in motorized vehicles was enforced in Ontario. This emphasizes that not all are blind to the dangers technology burdens us with and that there is hope the next generation will not be illiterate and lacking decency. Though the amplification of communication technology may be inevitable, our vulnerability to it doesn't have to be. It is time for us, as a union, to take a step back and make a change. Moderation is key. Four Floors of Furniture & Accessories Brand Name Furniture at Affordable Prices 217 Lakeshore Road East Downtown Oakville Since 1953 www.swissinteriors.com 905.844.3530