TECHNOLOGY THAT CONTROLS HUMANS

ByBrandon Kraus

OBSERVATION Location: Glenbard North football game People: A group of about 6-8 high school

students consisting of both males and females Controlling Technology: Cell phones

HOW PEOPLE WERE CONTROLLEDPositive of the Control

(Manifest Function)Negative of the Control

(Dysfunction) The cell phones

allowed the students to communicate with other people who were not attending the football game.

The students were very focused on their phones and seemed almost obsessed with them, which caused them to ignore their friends who were at the game and isolate themselves from the rest of society.

WHO/WHAT WAS ACTUALLY IN CONTROL? The technology - Cell phones

The technology was definitely controlling the people in this situation. Although the students were using their cell phones for their benefit by communicating with others, they were becoming consumed with their phones and had little interaction with the people around them. Every time someone’s phone received a message, they immediately looked at their phone and completely forgot about their surroundings. The technology separated each person from the rest of the group and made it clear that the people were not in control.

BREAK FROM THE TECHNOLOGY Turning the technology (cell phones) off

Some of the students’ cell phones were not on during the football game, and this caused them not to be controlled by their phones. These students were able to break away from the technology, which then gave them the opportunity to socialize with their friends at the game. Turning the cell phones off was the simplest option that the students had in order to break from the control that the technology possessed on them.

WHAT I LEARNED Although technology is an important part of our society,

many types of technology can damage it by causing people to became more isolated and less involved with the rest of the people living in the society

Limiting the use of technology would benefit everyone in our society because it will cause people to be less dependent on technology and more dependent on their own knowledge. Also, it will increase the interactions between one another in person.