The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Technology

The Good

We started talking about technology, discussing some good and bad things about it. It’s wonderful that the internet allows us to connect with people in ways that would never have been possible before. Technology is a double-edged sword in so many ways, though.

My favorite thing about technology? I can learn about anything I want (and things I didn’t even know I needed or wanted to learn). It’s such an amazing tool for growing knowledge, as long as you know how to use it to get facts, not just hearsay. I literally had to take a college class that taught us how to find the correct information online. We learned what to look for and where to go. It’s great when people come at me with their social media-gained knowledge, and I can show them what’s actually true. Not that most people want to hear that, especially depending on the subject.

I love that I can keep in touch with all those I love who live far away. It’s tough when so many people you care about are scattered all over the globe. Technology helps keep us all tied together in a way that we never could have before. Even if we don’t talk, I love knowing I can hop on Facebook and get updates on their lives.

Technology has also advanced many fields, medicine being one of them. It’s changed the quality of life for people in a good way.

Just like how hatred can spread quickly on social media, so can love if done right. Unfortunately, unless you’re already well-known or have a ton of money, nobody really cares about your opinion. I have so much I want to say to the world, but nobody listens. I can start with what I can change, though. I can spread love and positivity to everyone I meet online. I can show people that there are still good, honest, and loving folks out there. I can change their perspective on self-change. Most people think they could never change who they are. We’re always told, “We are who we are; we can’t change that.” Yes, we actually can! With that kind of outlook, it’s no wonder nothing ever changes. You can change who you are. The internet is going to help me get the word out.

I love connecting with others on a deeper level that I didn’t even know existed my whole life. When 99.99% of the people you know don’t understand your ways of thinking and feeling, it’s hard to connect meaningfully. I recently found a website with like-minded individuals. My whole life, I honestly didn’t think I’d find others like me. Yet technology allowed me to do that, and it’s wonderful finally connecting with people who understand me. So refreshing!

If more people used technology to spread love and acceptance, we could fill the internet abyss with it, pushing out negativity bit by bit. I’m seeing it happen. Slowly, it’s building up. More celebrities are advocating for what’s right. Celebrities have a big impact on the world and how people see things. So if they used that kind of influence for good, more people would get the message. Not just celebrities, but anyone who can influence the world. If more of them spread positivity and love instead of negativity and hatefulness, this world would change for the better a lot faster.

The Bad

That leads me to the negativity and hatefulness spreading through the internet like wildfire. This website I started going to is like a breath of fresh air. It’s the only place online where I can read positive messages and things of substance—not lies, hatefulness, selfishness, and all the other bad stuff out there. It’s unfortunate that when you look online (or watch the news/talk shows), the majority is negative and hateful. It’s a shame, really. It’s sad that our children are learning such hatefulness and negativity because of it, which continues to breed it. It will never stop unless people take a stand and change it. Just watch that documentary "Adolescence" if you don’t believe me. It’s really sick stuff. But that’s what technology bred and continues to breed. Most movies that are negative are the most popular. Rarely do you see those with positive messages become super big.

When we rely too much on technology and not enough on humans, we start forgetting how to do certain things. For example, a surgeon performing surgeries through a robot. Over time, they become so accustomed to using the robot that when it malfunctions, they won’t know how to do it themselves anymore because they’ve relied too long on the robot.

I went to a grocery store once, and their card machine went down. I had spent hours in the store and had a cart full to the brim. No, I definitely didn’t have hundreds of dollars in cash on me. Most people don’t even carry cash anymore, and a lot of companies don’t take it. What happens when things like that occur? Trust me, it wasn’t good for most people in the store trying to buy their food. Most literally left their carts full of food for the workers to put back.

Technology is addictive. We all know that we wouldn’t even know what to do with ourselves if we didn’t have it anymore. I think most people would struggle because they wouldn’t know how to take care of themselves without it. People are glued to their digital devices constantly (I admit to being one of them at times). We rely on it so much that we literally couldn’t live without it. That’s sad. I hate that for us.

The Ugly

Technology, if used correctly, could significantly impact bringing this world toward a more positive setting. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case right now. It’s so easy for people to be hateful when they’re hiding behind a screen. I’m not sure if people realize the impact words can have on a person, or maybe they do and don’t care. Words can make people kill themselves. Words can make people want to commit a mass shooting. Words can cause people to murder others. Words can start wars. They have a MASSIVE impact on the outcome of this world. If we don’t start using more positive and loving words, we are doomed to fail, just like I talked about in some of my other blogs, such as “The Extinction of Mankind.”

How Can Little Ol' Me Fix Anything?

Honestly, it’s super simple. With Facebook, everyone is all about the number of followers you have, regardless of how you get them. Most people know that negativity drives engagement, so they post negative content after negative content, knowing they’ll get the interaction they want. It doesn’t matter that it’s not a good interaction. But to them, it’s money. What if we stopped doing that and started sending positive messages instead? What if we took the time we use to be hateful to others and spread love and positivity instead? Honestly, it’s not hard.

One thing I do that is impactful is scroll through Facebook posts. Each time I do this, I have specific messages I’m sending out. I know that the people who pop up on my timeline during that moment are the ones who are supposed to see this particular message. So, I go to each person’s page and, if I can, I post the positive message. More often than not, I get the response, “I needed that.” When I first started sending the messages out, did I know I would have any kind of impact? No, but I did it anyway, and it did have a positive impact. The only way to spread love and positivity is by actually doing it. So as often as I can, I go on and do that. Facebook limits me greatly on it, but I get to who I can—the ones who really need that particular message the most. For those people who are all about engagement so they can get money, then it’s a win for them as well. Because it allows for a lot of engagement.

We can do it in other ways too, like doing a kind thing for another person without expecting anything in return.

A Little Side Story

When my oldest son was about two years old, we stopped by a McDonald's. We were taking a multi-hour trip, and I had to stop and get him something. When I got my stuff and went to pay, I asked the person working there if they would please allow me to pay for the person in the car behind me. It wasn’t much; I think it was a sandwich and a coffee. Back then, they had the dollar menu, so it didn’t really cost me much extra anyway. Even if it did, who cares?

I pulled off into a parking space to get my son set up with his food and drink before taking off. The lady behind me pulled up right beside me, and my heart started racing. I really didn’t want a thank you for it. I know it sounds weird, but that’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted someone to see there is still kindness. I did it because maybe they were struggling financially, and even if it was a few dollars, sometimes every little bit counts. Instead, I looked over, and she had her head on the steering wheel, sobbing. My guess is that maybe nobody has ever shown such kindness to her without expecting something in return, especially from a stranger. Maybe she just hadn’t seen kindness in a long while. Whatever her reasoning was, I hope it was because of the kindness I showed. It literally only cost me a few dollars, but for her, it seemed like so much more.

Instead of going on people's posts and writing negative comments, how about writing positive ones instead? Even if you don’t agree with them, it’s okay. We don’t have to agree with everyone to be kind to them. I understand you may feel hurt and angry about something that happened to you, and now you just want to take it out on others who had nothing to do with it because it makes you feel better about yourself. But that’s not the way to go about it, I promise. Another promise I have for you is that when you start writing those positive posts (even though you don’t believe them now), eventually you’ll start believing them too. It won’t be overnight; it could take quite some time, but that doesn’t mean you should stop, because some of the best things take a long time to obtain. You’ll also feel better seeing the reactions you get from your kind words.

One thing that’s super easy to do is compliment someone offline. You’re standing in line, and the person behind you has a nice shirt—tell them! Or maybe their hair looks awesome—point that out! Notice the good things and highlight them. People are VERY quick to find the negative things and point them out; why can’t it be the same with the positive things? I think by now you may get the picture; if not, maybe you should go back and reread this. So I’ll leave you with this.

Or wrote!