Technology has helped to shape everything in the world around us. Most of the events that have occurred in our recent history would not have happened if it were not for the rise of technology and how those advancements affected the human race. Both positive and negative, technology has put humans in situations that have changed our lives. Humans went from caring about getting the Sunday paper every week to focussing on what the newest trending celebrity is posting on Twitter. Everything is so much quicker now and as humans, we are being forced to keep up with all of these new changes.
Now, it seems like new devices or updates are being released weekly, if not daily. Twenty or thirty years ago we were hoping for technology that would shift the way our everyday lives progressed: handheld phones, self-driving cars, televisions, virtual reality. Now that we have all of those advancements, is it too late to take back that desire everyone once had? Has technology become too destructive to society? Possibly too detrimental to mental health? At what point does technology outsmart everything we have ever known?
Generation Z has been placed in a very interesting era when it comes to the evolution of technology. Specifically those born in 2001-2004 grew up with both traditional and technological aspects in their day to day lives. Children born in the early 2000's differ from those who grew up within the last five to seven years. It is safe to say this is because of the lack of technology involved in their childhood development. The 2000's kids were not eating breakfast every morning watching their morning cartoons on an iPad. Instead, they played outside with their neighbors and did not have to worry about things kids nowadays have to unfortunately worried about, due to modern technology.
This could also help to define the difference in maturity from those born in the early 2000's versus those born in the mid 2010's. Whether this is more of a parenting/household issue or more of a societal issue as the world continues down this technological path, either way there needs to be a significant change. The behavioral characteristics between the two eras is very intriguing and it is not a coincidence that technology was only involved in one of these era's childhoods.
Specifically surrounding the technology involved in the education system, the difference is immaculate between generations. My parents went to school with very minimum technology; nothing more than the massive, non-portable, computers in labs. My generation hopped from chalk boards/white boards to SMART boards extremely quickly. I am sure that the teachers who have worked at these institutions for a long time, are mind-blown and overwhelmed by all the changes that have been made over the years. Soon everything went from written to typed and quick to immediate. By the time I was a freshman in high school, everything I was doing was fully electronic and the only time I used paper and pencil was for standardized testing. There are definitely both benefits and problems with the way technology was integrated into the education system, but the scariest part is that technology is being introduced to students earlier and earlier in their academic careers. I think part of this is because parents are introducing their children to technology earlier in their lives, therefore, teachers are able to rely on it knowing parents, for the most part, have already started to introduce the idea of technology to their children. 
My personal relationship with technology is quite complicated. Since I am one of those individuals who was born in the early 2000's that spent half their childhood without technology and half of it fully immersed in it, technology has become a neutral aspect in my life. Sure, there are several beneficial effects of technology like how it has the incredible ability of connecting people from all over the world. Social media specifically has completely changed my life, in both good and bad ways. I have met some of my closest friends through social media and knowing that I can communicate with them at any time thanks to these platforms is very comforting. Especially during the pandemic, I feel grateful that I was given the ability and opportunity to talk to my friends, virtually, in the most isolating period of many of our lives.
But do the negatives outweigh the positives? My mental health journey would not be the same if it wasn't for technology. The constant comparison that social media throws at teenage girls is extremely toxic and harmful to their minds. It makes young females second guess their worth and their personal choices. Nobody deserves to be constantly reminded about their insecurities while looking at an unrealistic image. That conversation continues to be avoided and until it is addressed properly, neither side of the matter can grow. It is often that, because of all of the technological advancements that are constantly being released, the minds of humans are not prioritized as much as they should be.
Nobody takes a step back to observe the real effects or consequences of this technological evolution. This is an extremely overwhelming time to live in, so in order to progress successfully, taking care of ourselves needs to be prioritized.
As technology continues to progress, it is important that humans understand that we matter more than the newest model of a device. Throughout our recent history, technology has been prioritized over everything else in society. As long as our focus is all on this, we need to make sure that we do not abuse the power technology has. As artificial intelligence gets more and more precise, many of our jobs as humans will become less and less important.
Technology's impact will continue to soar and be extremely effective. It is interesting to think about where the world will be in another twenty years. Even another five years. At this point in history, technology has been able to outsmart humans so how long until it takes over humans? That scary reality may be closer than we all expect. When is it too much? When is it helpful? When does it hurt? When does/Will its intelligence overcome humans? When does the impact become less impactful and more ineffective?
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