Stephanie Jay

Professor Lohmeyer

English 101

21 February 2018

Technology: Healthy or Toxic?

Has technology helped you? Have you ever wanted to know something about a subject and you

turned to technology to answer your question? Technology is a part of our everyday lives, and many

people believe that this is for the best, such as Clive Thompson. He is the author of Smarter than You

Think, an essay that contributes to the idea that technology is helping our society progress in ways many

of us do not even think about. He mentions how the computer and other technology has furthered

humanity in knowledge immensely, particularly chess players. The computer is much more advanced

than the human mind in a concept such as chess. We are only able to process a few different strategies

for an effective move, while the computer can go through endless possible moves to play. Computers

think in a way that is “fundamentally unhuman” (Thompson 343). I partially concede to Thompson’s

view that is saying technology is expanding our world in knowledge, I still insist that it can be a

detriment to society if used to counteract our cognition and thinking.

In Thompson’s essay, he starts off by mentioning the grand master chess players. He talks about

one in particular, Garry Kasparov, who played against a computer in a match and lost. The computer was

able to look ahead around seven to eight plays and made the move quickly by force to win the game.

“The fight between computers and humans in chess was, as Kasparov knew, ultimately about speed”

(Thompson 343). The author states that the human will read social and psychological cues from their

opponent to try and beat a fellow human in a match. When a player used a computer with an opponent

who also used a computer to practice, they found that the game took on a new level of being able to
play against an object that is not a human. They figured if the humans practiced against a computer that

they would benefit from both of the two: humans and computers. “Together they would form what

chess players later called a centaur: a hybrid beast endowed with the strengths of each” (Thompson

344). They tested this theory out in 1998, as Kasparov played against a fellow chess player. Ultimately

Kasparov thought it was disturbing and exciting. He found that instead of relying on memory exclusively

to make his play, he more focused on the creativeness of the play itself. Eventually the question was

raised: “Which is smarter at chess- humans or computers” (Thompson 347)? Thompson says it is not one

individually, it is both working together. He then goes on to mention how many things that we do not

think are technology, are. He mentions how pen and paper advanced society as well. “Our tools are

everywhere, linked with our minds, working in tandem” (Thompson 347). He makes a point that printed

books, paper and pens helped with our memory and writing our memories down as well. Thompson

states that there are so many upsides to how technology is progressing. The author wants us to realize

that technology is helping to further our society as a whole.

Thompson makes very important suggestions on how our world has changed drastically because

of technology. There are so many parts of technology that have been helpful in our world, from the pen

and paper to the computer. Chess players have progressed immensely by using a computer as an

opponent instead of a human. “A person might make a mistake, but a computer would not” (Thompson

343). This would mean that a human had no chance against a computer, but they could still compete

against it to gain experience and knowledge about moves to play in a match against a human. “Every

new tool shapes the way we think, as well as what we think about” (Thompson 348). He especially

mentions how a simple pen and paper, along with a printed book, have changed our minds entirely.

These tools are so important and will make you remember the past, as well as making memories with.

“The printed word helped make our cognition linear and abstract, along with vastly enlarging our stores

of knowledge” (Thompson 348), Thompson mentions. He sees three central biases of today’s digital
tools that have a huge impact on our cognition. The first is the allowance of prodigious external

memory. This would include hard drives, cameras, and smart phones. He thinks this is a very important

tool in remembering the past, without using our brains to remember it. The second central bias is

making it easier to find connections. There are so many platforms from phones to social media that

allow us to communicate in ways that were not possible before technology. Lastly, they encourage an

extra communication and publishing. Thompson makes it very clear that he is for technology’s

progression, and in many ways, I agree.

I think Thompson makes very important points on the way technology as a whole has changed

for the better. We are able to do so much more than we could even twenty years ago, which is very

intriguing. “At their best, today’s digital tools help us see more, retain more, communicate more”

(Thompson 347). This is very true and important to remember. Technology is able to be used to the best

of it’s ability, and helps us to do many things, especially gain knowledge. One very bright side to the

world of technology is the accessibility of researching anything and everything. Most anyone is able to

hop on the computer and look up anything they would like on a search engine. This can be very helpful,

especially if you would like to know an answer quickly. Although there are many upsides to how

technology has progressed, I also find many downsides that Thompson does not bring up in his essay.

Technology has progressed so much that it has become a detriment to some people and

affected their entire lives negatively, not to mention the numerous cases of child abduction,

harassment, and bullying from this large progression. From the online article The Four Negative Side

Effects of Technology, Pamela DeLoatch shows how technology has not just changed society for the

better, and it can strain your mind as well as expand your knowledge. This article gives four points,

which include facts, about how technology is doing a disservice to our world. Her first point is

“technology changes the way children think” (DeLoatch). “The time spent with technology doesn’t just

give kids newfangled ways of doing things, it changes the way their brains work” (DeLoatch). She
explains that as the children’s brains are growing, they also could be losing their memory quicker. These

children will not experience imagination the same as past generations, all because of an overuse of

technology. In DeLoatch’s next point, she tells how it can also change how the children feel. “A study on

two groups of sixth graders found that kids who had no access to electronic devices for five days were

better at picking up on emotions and nonverbal cues of photos of faces than the group that used their

devices during that time. The increased face-to-face interaction that the test group had made students

sensitive to nuances in expression” (DeLoatch). This shows how the excessive use of technology is not

helping the minds of the young, and not helping their safety either. The children are becoming detached

from the real world when they use technology, and this can definitely have physical effects along with

mental.

DeLoatch moves onto her third point of “Technology Can Put Privacy and Safety at Risk.” There

are so many ways a stranger is able to manipulate you through technology, more than they are able to

without it. “A quarter of teenagers say they have been bullied either by text or on the internet”

(DeLoatch). This statistic would not even exist without the use of technology, and makes you think that

many people are not using it for the better use. She finishes with a point on physical detriments due to

excessive technology use. “More Use of Technology with Less Physical Activity Leads to Obesity.” The

more children are using technology, the less they are being active and moving around. They are not

focusing on the outside world around them and becoming engrossed in their personal technology

devices. “With technology that includes cars, television, computers and mobile devices, the amount of

time we spend sedentary increased and our time in physical activity dropped” (DeLoatch). These points

that DeLoatch makes are very crucial to our next generation and seem to be a thought of concern.

Although, many people still believe technology is used for the better in many situations.

Some may say that technology is still able to be used for the greater good, and it outweighs the

cons. Bill Gates is obviously a big advocate for technology and built a whole empire around it. He states
that “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the

teacher is the most important.” He makes technology seem as a small fragment of a child’s mind. The

“tool,” in his eyes, could also be a huge part of a kid’s mind. They are fascinated with technology and

want to get their hands on all the new gadgets. If the parents and teachers allow these students and

children to overuse technology, it becomes more than a “tool.” It can become unhealthy if used too

often. Although Gates makes a point about technology in the classroom, Ariel Garten, a scientist, makes

a point about the medical field use. “Consumer technology and medical tools have been created to

benefit our daily lives” (Garten). Technology has tremendously helped the medical field and been able to

save so many people’s lives as well. I very much like Garten’s point about technology use in the medical

field.

I lean towards disagreeing with Gates and agreeing with Garten. I think technology is a tool, but

it can be used in many negative ways, even in the classroom. The children may get distracted or

confused by the technology if used too often. On the other hand, I think Garten brings up a great point

on how it has furthered the medical field immensely. Technology that is provided at hospitals and care

centers can help save someone’s life, and that is a great thing to have in our society. Technology is an

inevitable part of our lives, and I think there is room for use on both ends, good and bad. I believe the

argument is still valid that technology has the capability of ruining our society and slowly turn us into

antisocial and physically unfit humans. People are becoming so engrossed with their personal

technological devices that they forget about the world around them.

Thompson makes very good points about how technology has helped our world so much. We

have evolved in many areas such as chess matches, printed books, newspapers, communication, and

increasing our memory in some ways. Although there are ways that this has benefited us, DeLoatch

brings great points on how technology could possibly destroy us as a society. Technology is a very funny

thing by how it brings unbelievable discoveries and knowledge, while also hurting us by decreasing
physical activity and making us lose sight of reality. I definitely think that technology has helped our

world in ways unimaginable. It has changed our way of daily life and turned into a society that depends

on it. The question is how long are we going to depend on technology before it wrecks our society

altogether?
Works Cited:

Thompson, Clive. “They Say/I Say.” Smarter than You Think, edited by Cathy Birkenstein and Russel
Durst. Third Edition, New York, W.W. Norton and Company Inc. 2017, 340-360.

DeLoatch, Pamela. “The Four Negative Side Effects of Technology.” Connecting Education and
Technology.
May 5, 2015. http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/ Accessed
February 21st, 2018.

Quotes by Bill Gates and Ariel Garten:

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/bill_gates
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/ariel_garten