So far this year, especially during the current events presentations in class, we have talked a lot about how technology walks a fine line between helpful novelty and immoral invasion into many aspects of our lives with which many of us are simply uncomfortable. Things like robotic life guards and cars that drive themselves are exciting and make us hopeful for innovations to come, and yet even these seemingly uncontroversial technologies bring new issues to the table that need to be discussed. And these discussions often make people concerned about where technology is leading us and how it is affecting our lives. We've also heard this year about bionic professors and GPS chips that are embedded in children. Technologies like these make us fear technology.
However, the reality is that there are limitless technologies and innovations that we use every day to our benefit as Americans.
Mobile Information Apps: Poynt, Places - These apps are useful tools for smartphones of all kinds. They use the phone's built in GPS system to determine the location of the user and then provide information about the world in their immediate vicinity. For example, if a user were in New Brunswick and wanted to find the nearest Bank of America branch, sushi restaurant, hair salon, or anything else, he or she only has to launch the app and perform a search. The app then lists all its matches, usually beginning with the one closest geographically to the user. Apps like Four Square, while serving a different purpose, work in a very similar way.
Social Networking/Dating sites: E-Harmony, Facebook, J-Date - These websites all allow for some sort of online social networking. Sites like E-Harmony and Match.com pair singles who sign up with the site to make finding and meeting people to date much easier and less formal and pressure-ridden. J-Date is such a site tailored specifically for Jews interested in dating only other Jews. Facebook is the now-iconic social networking site that allows individuals to connect with anyone and everyone in their life with a Facebook profile through the sharing of stories, personal information, photos, and comments.
Travel Sites: Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Kayak - As travel becomes increasingly expensive, Americans turn to these websites to find the best prices on airfare, hotel rooms, car rentals, etc. They help users by saving them money while also increasing revenue for the airline and hotel companies.
Health/Medical Sites: Web MD, Exercise.com - These sites provide health tips and information for those who wish to lead a healthy lifestyle. Many of these sites even offer minor, non-professional diagnoses for those who are injured or feeling ill.
Pedophile/Sex-Offender Protection sites - These sites aim to identify and find sex-offenders and bring them to justice. Some of these sites act independently to identify these people, then turn over their evidence to the police who then handle the situation. Other times, a police officer will enter a chat room of some sort to try to lure the would-be sex-offender into blowing his or her cover for the cop.
Information Sharing: Wikipedia, Wiki Leaks, Urban Dictionary - These sites are unique because they are all feature user-generated content and rely on consensus to "edit" the information on the pages. On these sites, people can share whatever they wish on a given topic, and their contributions will be seen by all who visit the site. This affords them a practically unlimited audience and the unprecedented ability for the average person to connect with people they may have not even known existed. However, anything these people post is subject to the scrutiny of these same people, and anything that is not widely approved of is shoved aside and lost in the vastness of the internet.
These websites and applications are all available and utilized by many people every day, and represent the positive aspects of technology. These all enhance life for users, or at least make life a bit easier. There are some technological innovations that understandably raise red flags, but we can rest assured that technology, in general, will continue to benefit Americans for ages to come.
