Technology has taken over our lives, how we live, and how we contribute to society. The growth of technology and its usage often provoke in depth arguments on either side of the issue. It is argued to be influential in good and effective ways, or bad and inefficient ways. Usually, people fall on either side of the spectrum, and being in the middle is sometimes rare to be found. Given the fact that the majority of people who talk about it are either millennial age or nearing their seniority, it’s a tough situation to find a common ground.  

As for high school students, technology is seen as a way to connect to friends, and make homework and classwork a little easier. It is also used as a way to get away from everyday problems. These school problems are more likely to involve excessive stress with homework or making important future decisions.

We do find ourselves struggling to put our smartphones aside and focus on the things happening around us, and this is why most teachers ask their students to avoid using their cell phones during class time.

Adults often wonder about what teenagers do with their cell phones all day; well, to be honest, most of the time we listen to our music instead of gossip, we go on social media because we can’t find anything else to do, and also, we use social media to communicate with our friends and entertain ourselves for a while.

Some students at Ipswich High School have moved due to their parent’s jobs or to try new programs. “For me, I can keep in touch with my old friends that I can no longer see anymore,” stated Brandan Brnada, a Senior at IHS.

If we look at this topic from a different lens, the increased usage of social media also increased the cases of cyberbullying. Although, most of the kids agree that cyberbullying is a way for other people to feel better about themselves by attacking and sometimes, shaming others. It does have a huge impact on teenagers and even adults, but the solution is pretty simple. The best way to deal with cyberbullying is to either end it by shutting down your laptop, computer or cellphone, or even, find a way to end it on the other side. Cyberbullying is an issue rapidly spreading across the internet.

In the area of business, technology obviously is very beneficial for the smooth operation of commerce. When asked “Is technology good or bad for business?” Bryanna Tebbetts of Ceia Kitchen and Bar answered with, “It definitely is good for business when used properly. Advertising, social media pages, transferable information and of course communication between employeesare all aided by technoloby.” That simply leads us to assume that in the real world outside of high school, technology has a lot of important attributes to business and work, essentially being a necessity for the world to flow evenly. When asked “How often do you find yourself on your phone for personal use at work?”, she responded with a short, “I don’t let it distract me from actual work.” It is clear that with the right mindset and personal responsibility, you can be surrounded by technology and not let it affect how you think, act, and behave.

We have to ask ourselves questions and understand the answers. How is this affecting me? Is this causing a problem in my life? We must moderate everything in our lives, including, technology, our own interests, substance use, and virtually anything we do throughout our lives. One must possess a smudge of personal responsibility or else not only technology, but the very essence of life will take over your life. Live in moderation; stop and assess your situation time to time, and be nice to your fellow man.