Are We Too Dependent on Computers? Free Essay Example

Is our society too dependent on computers? I, like many Americans today, have become reliant on the usage of computers. It influences all aspects of my life by bringing about a new level of convenience. Computers are a part of our everyday lives whether we like it or not. They make simple tasks much easier and allow us to strive to our full potential.However over the years, computers have become much more than a tool but necessary part of our lives.

They have replaced almost every important contrivance humans have. Today computers replace the way we conduct our academic research, supply our food, keep businesses competitive and maintain our military superiority. Computers are not being used as convenience, but as a necessary part of our modern and materialist society . Humans have always looked for the easy way out. Computers are society’s new way of achieving the easy way out. Computers give us a quick fix. This is creating a society that is accustomed to instant gratification.

Lee Meserve from ohio state university believes that we rely on technology too much in todays society. In the journal, “The Problem with Relying on Technology” Meserve states, “ We learn things that work perfectly well every time; then we find an easier way that has flaws and we forget the time-tested mechanism.”

What Lee is saying is that we abandon all old forms of getting what we want. It is very hard to return to these old ways however. With the implication of the computer into society, most believe that pursuing old fashioned techniques is redundant.

Computers are not become a quick fix anymore, they are becoming necessary because people do not see the value in implementing old techniques. First, computers have changed the way society conducts important academic research. Our society often views a computer as the only way to get some information. It has become such a convenience that to utilize other outlets of information seems redundant. I the article,” Is society dependent on computers?” www.liutilities.com says, “If only we know when to stop emailing our friends, and meet them for a cofffee, write the occasional letter, and bear in mind that libraries are there for a purpose.” www.liutilities.com explains that that we need to know the limitations of the computer. They are trying to explain that there are other ways to find out information that we need. he gives library’s as an example of a long forgot source of information. The current generation has become so accustomed to simplicity of the computer for research purposes.

Children no longer have to find the answer they just have to just have to type it in on the google search bar and get the answer. Now computers are not used as a helpful search tool but as a requirement to certain information. You used to be able to find all the information that you need in a local newspaper but now the only way to get unbiased professional information is your computer. This lack of information shows that computers are not being used as a convenience to find out information but as a necessary tool to find information that cannot be found elsewhere. Computers have changed the education system as a whole. They have given the advantage to the kid who has the better technology. For example, if a kid has a personal computer and another kid has to go to the library the kid with the personal computer has much easier access to necessary information. Not only does the kid with the personal computer have access to convenient information, he has access to more information.

This convenience creates a biased learning situation that is mainly based off wealth. Computers are not the sole purpose of this bias situation but are one of the main contributors. Schools have been working hard to supply kids with the same materials but the evolution of personal computers is growing at a rapid rate. Now it is considered not normal to own your own laptop during high school. Teacher use stereotype to their advantage requiring that children printout and type their work. Less fortunate children can still meet these requirements but it is a much more difficult task. To compete with your classmates having a personal computer is not a convenience, but a requirement.

Next, computers change the way we supply our food.With the population growing at such a rapid rate researchers are experimenting with new ways to supply mass amounts of food. Food is becoming more and more scarce but with the implication of genetically modifying foods through the use of computers gives hope to supplying more than enough food. In the debate, “Are We Too Dependent On Computers?”, Debate.org states that “50% farming in US will stop without computers.” What Debate.org is trying to explain is that our society would fall apart without the use of computers. They explain that the farmers have had to adopt new ways and leave their old traditional ways in order to supply the amount of food that the population needs.

This dependence on new technology creates a population reliant on computers for research purposes and yielding large amounts of crops. Soon farming will need computers and the traditional ways of farming will be lost forever. Computers used to be used to research how to grow large amounts of crops but now they used as a necessary part to control and research huge agriculture businesses. The reliance on computers to generate our food shows that we have abused the computer instead of finding new ways to feed our rapid growing population.

Over the years genetically modified foods (GMO) has become more and more predominant in American society. In the article Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? ,Deborah B. Whitman describes that “The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come.” The convenience and available nature of the computer have turned researchers and scientist to it as the only way to meet these requirements. GMOs which derived from computers have already begun to replace the massive amounts of food we eat.

Regulations on genetically modified foods is still at a low rate intern increasing the amount of modified food we see. These limited regulations also show that big companies don’t care about the future, all they care about is maximizing their profits. By the time regulations have reached their proper amount of farmers will have forgot about traditional ways to supply food and intern collapse as an agricultural business. The reliance on computers to increase profits shows that farmers have abused their right to computers to create genetically modified food instead of using them as a tool to help them yield large amounts of crops.

Third, the implication of computers is the only way to keep businesses competitive.Over the years more and more businesses are relying on computers as their main supply of income. Today, if you don’t have a computer or access to computers your business may fall behind. In the article, “Is dependence on technology the real threat?” Robert Talbert states, “One is if the technology we use is expensive or otherwise hard to access. This can be a real problem.” The author is saying hat some companies can’t compete because of this power gap.

Computers now can replaced the amount of work 10 workers could do and replace it with one man with a computer. This reliance on computers however can be negative. If a company such as the stock market relies on computers to calculate and store all of its profits then they are vulnerable to hackers. The multiscale use of computers to keep companies competitive shows that we have lost sight of what computers and technology is made to do. They are now used in every company as a necessary part to compete in the business world.

Computers have gotten out-of-control and businesses need to realize this. Once the computer is out of the equation some businesses will have no competition in the business world. Businesses however, will not turn to the old fashioned, proven to work ways. In the short run computers have deemed themselves productive, but how about the long run. They will have nothing to calculate their profits our distribute money out to their workers. This shows that the reliance on computers today is real. If a business does not have a computer it will fail. Not because it has lost its traditional ways but it is no longer competitive with other businesses that have computers. Computers have generated a very large gap in the success of businesses. This shows that we rely on computers for our income which means that we rely on computers for everything. This reliance is very unhealthy and is growing very rapidly. Soon people will not know how to conduct business without computers and if computers are wiped out businesses will collapse.

Finally, we rely on computers to maintain our military superiority. Our military has always been at the top of the food chain because of it it’s modernization. Now however, the military relies on technology and computers to stay ahead. In the Journal, “Are we too dependent on computer?” Desirenexus244 describes that “ We can only hope that the computer will always be there for us because the dependencies of us on the computer is dominant now.” What the author is trying to explain is that we as a society relies on computers to protect us. Computers are required now for implementing new technologies and aiding the military in supplying the mass amounts of weapons that we need. We no longer rely on big guns, we rely on superior technology to win our battles. This reliance can have both its positives and negatives however. A real threat is that we forget how to fight without the use of technology. This would mean without the implication of superior technology we would be left vulnerable to those who practice and compete without it.

The need for technology to stay superior shows that our military has deemed technology and computers as a necessity on the battlefield. What was once used to help us win battles is now needed to ensure our safety. One military strategy that is used is ODB strategy. The main idea behind this strategy is that by the implication of new technologies on the battlefield we will have the advantage. Technology isn’t cheap however, and any great idea takes time. If we continue to rely on this strategy ( based on technology ) we are bound to fail. In the Journal, “The Strategic Implications of Changes in Military Technology” Xu Jin states, “ Generally speaking, scientific advancements and large-scale investment are necessary to bring any new technology to fruition. Perhaps more important, significant breakthroughs require time.” What Xu is trying to explain is that relying on technology advancement takes time in order to be successful. Our military needs the newest technology to stay ahead. At the rate in which need of this new technology we cannot supply it.

This lack of new technology gives us the example that we rely on advancements in technology to protect and serve todays society. The real threat now is someone taking our access to computers away. We have relied on computers so much that if someone took them away our society would fall apart. For example during a power outage my neighborhood did not know what to do. Most were not prepared because they relied on their technology to always be present. The computer has replaced so many technologies that not having it seems impossible. This is a major problem in society today. People believe that their technology will be around forever.

The computer has replaced most of society’s resources that most people no longer plan or implement other ways of getting what they need. A prime example of this is our military. An EMP, (Electromagnetic pulse)can disable all nearby computers. This weapon would diminish most if not all advanced military tactics. This weapon however cannot only be used against military but used against today’s society. This lack of technology and computers is one of society’s greatest threats. This threat of manipulating computers is real and hackers and tourists understand it. Our society relies on computers too much that we have created a weapon. What started out as a convenience is now essential to most.

In conclusion computers are not used as simple tool but as a necessary part of our way of life. Our society now relies on computers to do most of our tasks for us. We rely on computers to conduct our research and to give us access to certain information. Our food supply relies on computers for research and control of major agricultural businesses. The only way businesses can stay competitive is through the use of computers and technology. The only way to maintain our military superiority this through the dependence of technology. In order to stop this dependence and vulnerability that computers generate we need to pursue other outlets. If these outlets are not explored and pursued then our very way of life is in jeopardy. So tell me, Is our society too dependent on computers?