The Dark Side of Us

The+Dark+Side+of+Us

Caleb Pendleton, Op-Ed Editor

People tend to misunderstand the actual term of “technology” which means something that is invented by someone, but we humans tend to hear the word and think of electronics: Phones, Laptops, Computers, Games, etc… Of course there are benefits to all these kinds of electronics, but there really is a darker, more sinister side that will eventually take over.

You may argue that these electronics are helping our society by making life easier, like ordering groceries online to looking something up on Google, but who is really in control? People are actually very consumed with these devices, almost making them paralyzed to the outside world. How many people do you see consumed with their phones, sitting together at a restaurant, but having their heads buried in their phones rather than having a conversation? All of these real life situations are being affected by our every day use of electronics. What happened to our lives actually being easier? Are we helping ourselves or making ourselves less social? How will we, as a society, improve in social activities when we would much rather sit behind a screen?

Many things have become CORRUPT in our society that are caused from electronics. Sadly, some examples include cyber bullying, online predators, secret organizations, The Black Market, deep fake videos, fake news, and much more. The real question is, are we benefiting from technology or making ourselves more vulnerable by making us think that we are so safe behind a screen? Imagine the power someone could have while everyone else is distracted by technology. It would be simple to slip around and do something terrible to their distracted victim. In the movie The Incredible’s 2, which I really love, there is a scene where the Screen Slaver (an evil character) is talking about how people would much rather watch superheroes fight on TV while they sit inside and be safe rather than being that person.  This is similar to people in real life watching other people do activities on T.V. like going on trips, skydiving, or even cooking while they sit back and watch at home.

One of my favorite shows on Netflix is called Black Mirror and this is a comprehensive show about what technology does to us, humans, and if you haven’t got the chance to watch it yet, you definitely should. No wonder it is called Black Mirror… you are always looking at a black screen which is also a mirror. There is one episode where a girl can obtain different objects and property only based on how popular she is through a phone and ratings. This sort of shows how everyone wants to be the top person on Instagram or YouTube, and while they wish that, they are only hurting themselves by watching the big people instead of taking that time and becoming big themselves. People really need to detach themselves from the corrupt technology we have, take a look around and realize that we are better off without it. I mean come on, I’m on a computer right now typing, and who knows how bad this could be for my eyes…