STUDENT CORNER
Young Minds and Their Creative Articulations
The New Leam organized a creative writing project involving the students of Jesus and Mary college, University of Delhi. We are happy to publish these pieces that indicate the potential these young minds are endowed with.
Human Relations in the Age of Technology and Information Revolution
Today technology is an integral part of human society. Its existence brought a broader questions about human living and relationships that needs a critical enquiry .
Jushya Kumar is studying at Jesus and Mary college, Delhi University.
When we were in school we used to be asked to write essays on the positive and negative effects of the internet or on topics like ‘Television: boon or bane’. Now more than half a decade down the line, these topics have evolved much more and brought into perspective larger questions surrounding human relations and how these are affected by technology and its advances. There are always two sides to an argument and various view points on every theme. In this essay I will try to argue both sides of the theme chosen for this essay. When I was growing up, it was just the beginning of the technological revolution. Cellular phones have just come into the market and smart phones, smart televisions etc. did not enter the imagination yet. I believe that my early years as a child and teenager were largely unaffected by technology.
I went to the park with my friends, made conversations with my family on the dinner table and if I had any doubts on my studies at school I had to wait until the next day to clarify with my teachers. In the contemporary situation children from an early age are familiar with the use of smartphones, are hooked on to their tablets and gadgets and find lesser time for face to face human interaction in the face of wide scale availability of techno resources. It might not be very apparent in the present but in the long run this gap in communication will lead to situations where a family or group of friends may have nothing to talk about since all of them may simultaneously be so engrossed in their gadgets, checking the latest updates on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook or browsing the net endlessly on their smartphones. Often, when I go out to a restraint for dinner I see families sitting at their table making small-talk and eventually resorting to look at their phones instead of sustaining long heart felt conversations. In this age of technology people have distanced themselves from each other in real life and find themselves engulfed in virtual communication.
However, it is also a fact that technology makes our lives a lot easier. In this day and age, what would we do without a laptop or desktop or a phone? Children are given phones so that the parents can be at ease about their whereabouts and I believe that this brings about a certain convenience in relationships. Also, today most occupations demand some basic level of technological efficiency without which performance is often hindered. We are expected to be reachable at all times of the day and remain updated about the latest happenings from around the world. The information revolution is a process where information and news from all over the world is just a click
away. As a result today students can remain well informed and aware as a large resource of knowledge is at their disposal. This helps in stimulating the mind and helps cultivate a broader awareness and interest among young learners. I believe that technology helps facilitate good human relations and helps people reach out to family and friends in times of need. Social media is another important dimension of the information age. Today most people are addicted to it and consider it an integral part of their lives. However I feel that all the information that is available on social media is also effective in raising public opinion and bringing about awareness through mass scale circulation. However a right balance must be struck, sometimes our personal and family lives tend to suffer because of the over indulgence in gadgets and technology. In conclusion, I would argue that technology and the information revolution have many effects while some are positive there are some that require our attention for change. As individuals we must use our intelligence and discretion. If we let this happen, then the cornerstone of our society will not crumble and we will be able to establish a sustainable relationship with advances in technology and information revolution.
This article is published in The New Leam, MAY 2017 Issue( Vol .3 No.24 ) and available in print version. To buy contact us or write at thenewleam@gmail.com
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