Prisoners of a High Tech Society

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Prisoners of a High-Tech Society “The Technology Slaves” was written by Robin Wheatley. The essay is a response to a selection from Clifford Stoll’s High Tech Heretic. In Stoll’s essay, he states that “using the Internet causes ‘serious negative long-term social effect, ranging from depression to loneliness’” (783). Stoll mentions that the line between play and work can easily become blurred. Wheatley agrees with Stoll’s claims except for his dismissal of the financial costs to maintain a technologically savvy lifestyle. The amount of money that it takes to keep up with all of the different types and forms of technology is overwhelming. Wheatley strongly argues this point as well as the dependency that society has on technology. However, he falls short in supporting his opinion on whether or not depression really affects a person’s mental state. He also supports the counterarguments of the affects of technology on too many occasions. Wheatley writes that people should be out playing various sports instead of spending hours on the internet therefore, avoiding social contact. Parents that use technology at work often bring their work home, thus blurring the line between play and work. Many parents only spend around seven minutes a day having conversations with their children. Wheatley mentions the counterargument that because parents are working so much more these days, they are spending less quality time with their children. Another negative effect of the technical world is money. The financial costs to maintain a life full of technological equipment puts a heavy strain on the pocket. Wheatley mentions that Americans “are not purchasing their cell phones for the long term” (784) because they know that soon enough a new version or upgrade will be available and want to purchase that one instead. Therefore, Americans will be spending even more money to keep up

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