Technology is not to blame for everything!

After reading about the "Incredible Shrinking Attention Span," I was really frustrated. I am so tired of all of these articles being so alarmist! Yes there is now more technology than in the past. Yes, your attention can easily be all over the place. Does that mean that it is impossible to NOT have that problem? No. You can choose whether or not you are bombarded by technology. You have the choice whether or not you need to have the TV on while you're writing a paper, checking Twitter while trying to study for a test, or checking email while sending a text message. I don't think that just because these technologies exist means that it is completely impossible for us to concentrate.

I was especially bothered by the part mentioning road rage, and our generation not being able to slow down. While sometimes I agree that some of us are way too on the go go go all the time, I don't think we have issues such as road rage simply because we are lucky enough to be living in an increasingly technological age. I will admit, I definitely suffer from a serious case of road rage. But I get annoyed with slow drivers in the fast lane, people who don't use their blinkers, and people who cut me off not because I don't have time for it or that I'm too rushed. I get annoyed with them because it's ANNOYING. Most of the time it's common courtesy. Or common sense. It's the same reasons I get annoyed with loud talkers in a quiet lecture hall while I'm trying to listen or waiters being obviously rude while I'm out to dinner. It just isn't right. But I do not for one second think it's okay to blame almost every problem on the ubiquity of technology.

Like so many issues we have discussed in this class, each and every person has a choice to do what they want to do, use technology the way they want to (or don't want to). It's up to you.