Ipods

Technology is continually advancing, and each new improvement has an effect on our lives. The invention of the radio connected people from all across the country by allowing them to hear about news simultaneously. But even though the speed and immediacy of the radio was beneficial, it is also speculated as a cause for a decrease in news consumption. Along with the invention of the radio came suburbia. Instead of people reading the newspaper on the train to work, commuters would drive in their cars and listen to the radio. The radio has the ability to provide people with news, but mostly, especially in the younger generations, the radio is used to listen to music. People would use radio stations to personalize the music they listened to and the limited amount of news they received on their way to work. Technological advancements have always had an influence on our lives, and recently it seems as though each new technology has led to an increase of individuation in society. People personalize their media whether its by listening to a select amount of songs on their iPod or only receiving their news from certain blogs. There are pros and cons to the occurring individuation, and I believe that the best way to maintain a healthy relation with the technology we use is to use everything in balance.
I think that personalization of technology is a benefit to people because it allows them to express themselves while making life more convenient. The iPod, or more specifically the iPhone, is a perfect example of how technology allows people to personalize their lives.



This commercial demonstrates how the iPhone allows people to bring all different parts of their world together into one, small piece of technology. A person can have their music, movies, photos, and contacts all in one place. Because of this all iPhones are different just like all people are different. The iPhone is essentially wrapping up some of the most important interests in a person's life into a single device. I think that this is phenomenal because it allows people to express themselves by displaying their photos and music which are things that people often identify themselves with. But it is also convenient because it allows people to watch movies on their cell phone that they can use to call someone over 3,000 miles away.

Personalization of technology does have some negative influences on individuals and society as a whole. Because people can individualize their technology to cater to their specific interests, they may be closed off to new information and ideas. I think that people may become to absorbed in their own technology that they might not notice things that are happening around them. If someone receives all their news from one source they may have a biased perception on issues or may be closed off to the importance of different issues. The personalization of technology is also consuming, which may explain why people text other people constantly instead of talking to the people around them. One of my greatest concerns is that the personalization of technology will lead to close minded people that lack the social interaction that is necessary for a functioning society.

Therefore, I believe that personalization in technology must be used in moderation. It is impossible to halt technological improvements, but it is possible to use personalized technology in balance with other sources of media that promote a sense of social integration, such as newspapers, television news, etc. Personalized news is a good tool to filter out some information, but it is also important to tune into other mediums so that we can receive a well-rounded idea of what is happening in the world outside of our iPhone.