Matthew McGovern's Final Blog Post

I believe that technology's role in society can be summed up into one statement. It's Here To Stay.

If we were to compare the daily lives of the average American in 2024, to someone in say, 1975. They are two completely different worlds. As discussed in class throughout the semester, we concluded that anything and everything comes with advantages and disadvantages. This revolution poses questions such as, Is technology really helping us? Does it make us smarter? Does it improve our life experience? What do you think?

I believe it's fair to say, that technology has definitely improved countless aspects of society and the people with whom it resides. For one, society has utilized technology to improve our healthcare. I found one example while researching that I would have never considered, but found very interesting. 

The fusion of technology and healthcare brought along the invention of Electronic Health Records. (EHR) This has made patient information instantly accessible and created efficient workflows and a stronger relationship between patient and provider. This level of organization is critical for a facility, like a hospital, to operate correctly.

Furthermore, technology has played a key role in addressing one of the biggest issues in healthcare: Chronic Illnesses. One of the more profound inventions that technology has introduced, is Teretinal Imaging. 

This allows providers to capture retinal images that can be instantly monitored and analyzed by board-certified eye care providers. These conveniences and new inventions represent the best in technology. Not only that, but they represent how I believe technology should be used - To help and serve civilization. 

This information is coming from RentinalScreeningsOnline.com

Advances in health care and the medical field, are certainly more than enough to prove the positives of technology in today's world. Lives can be saved and illnesses can be treated and addressed accordingly with superior processes than what was practiced say, 35 years ago. 

That said, is technology healthy? I can say from personal experience, as a student who stares at a screen(s) all day, it can definitely be a little draining as the hours go on and on. Digital eye strain is something that comes with constant technological use. Specifically with computers, phones, tablets, etc. 

Sometimes called, Computer vision syndrome ( CVS ) is one of the most commonly reported symptoms of too much screen time. 

An article written By Kaspersky.com included a study that suggests over 60% of Americans are or have been affected by computer vision syndrome. This includes headaches, blurred vision, and eye strain. This got me thinking not only about my life as a university student in 2024, who can definitely relate to this study but also about the workforce in 2020. Like many, COVID-19 greatly altered my Dad's professional environment.

Before the pandemic, he would leave the house every morning, and drive to his office. This changed when we were all forced to stay inside. Instead of driving to the office, my Dad set up an office in a room in our house and began working from there. He had a big monitor, a desk, and all of his office essentials.

What's interesting, is even though he has returned to the office pretty regularly in the past year or so, post-pandemic, on occasion he still works from his home office. ( In between his weekly commute to Philadelphia ) I have memories of him telling me that the number of people who returned to the office after COVID-19, had subsided.

This made me think about how, in that time frame and even after 2020, technology has transcended itself from just a tool used by people to a necessity of life. It has become a part of how we are as humans.

*Think about how much we use our phones.

Without the invention of online conference platforms, who knows what kind of post-2020 society we would be living in. Here is an interesting article from, Traning Mag, that talks about how technology refined the work-from-home, or remote, experience.

As a student, 100% of my responsibilities involve me to be on my computer in some capacity. It is essentially a desk job where I type away and surf the internet as I complete assignments, and papers and study for exams. This is not exclusively a negative mind you. The Internet provides quick access to resources such as Grammarly, Quizlet, Google Drive, etc. 

From an academic perspective, the internet and technology as a whole, has more than enough positives going for it. I like to read as much as the next guy, but using the gift of the internet sounds more appealing, than tierlessly flipping through books for hours on end for a research paper.

One caveat, however, is my appreciation for handwritten note-taking. Taking notes with a computer is no doubt more reliable and efficient than typing notes on a laptop. I have found that handwriting all of my notes results in enhanced literacy and comprehension. Executive Pens Direct, seems to agree with me.

They state that writing your class/study notes on paper leads to processing information much faster than typing them out. 

Reflecting on my habits as a student exemplifies both the best and worst of technology, as it does for millions of students in high school and college alike. This philosophy is identical to my stance on AI's relationship to screenwriting. ( Which I have written about in previous blogs ) 

AI or technological tools, in general, can not replace the imagination of the human mind. 

Furthermore, everyone's online footprint is different. Some people use social media, others do not, but everyone has a footprint of some size. Personally, I try to keep my footprint rather small. As I have written in the past, I do have an Instagram account, however, I do not post anything myself. I suppose I just never got into it. 

From a professional perspective, I think my approach has advantages. It's true, employers do in fact Google who they choose to hire. This has always been in the back of my mind. Granted, I wouldn't say that's the sole reason why I choose not to post, but I think it's a percentage. Career Builder posted an interesting report about how employers use social media networking to research potential candidates. 

Whether we like it or not, thanks to modern-day technology, what we choose to post online is etched in digital stone, and will follow us for years. 

As stated at the beginning of this blog, technology is here to stay. This statement is not meant to be taken negatively or positively. I am merely addressing it based on the psychology of the 21st century. Technology powers our world, and its integration, beyond American society, has cemented its face on Earth and will continue to further establish itself. 

Self-driving cars will be made, AI will become a mainstream commodity, and sometime in the future, the technological practices of 2024 will be seen as ancient. I believe that technology has its place in society, but it must exist to serve the people who use it. This may seem dramatic, but this discussion reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks" "  

-     Albert Einstein.