With the development of modern technology, our daily lives are filled with electronic products of all kinds; however, it is arguable that we can fully enjoy the convenience they are supposed to bring without paying a price for our excessively growing reliance on them.
To begin with, the money spent each year buying consumer electronic products, which include items such as personal computers, telephones, and televisions, is astonishing and has increased steadily in the last three years. Based on statistics from World Income Distribution, in 2003, the consumer electronics expenditure inTaiwan
Nevertheless, while they are expected to help improve people’s lives and enhance the quality of living, it is rather ironic to discover that as our dependence on these products has deepened, some unexpected troubles have taken place. For example, school teachers have noted that since the computer became an indispensable tool for communication and typing became a common means of doing homework and writing messages, students’ handwriting has worsened remarkably, overflowing with incorrect spellings, which some people interpret to be a side effect of the automatic proofreading features that Microsoft Word has provided. In addition to the computer, the cell phone seems to be another necessity for modern people. It is observed that people come to rely on the cell phone so much that they find it hard to turn it off even when they are driving or doing other activities that require intensive concentration. As a result, it has been proven that conversations on cell phones, even with hand-free kits, impair drivers’ reactions to vehicles braking in front of them (Strayer, Drews, and Johnston).[2] In addition, a recent poll conducted by NPR[3] reveals that as people’s reliance on cell phones grows, they have the tendency to not remember common information. According to the poll, a quarter of respondents said they couldn’t remember their landline telephone numbers, and two-thirds of those polled said that they couldn’t remember birthdays of more than three friends.
All in all, these examples show that we unknowingly spend more than we should on electronic products, and without appropriate utilization of these products, our over- dependence on them will produce even more problems than we can deal with.
To begin with, the money spent each year buying consumer electronic products, which include items such as personal computers, telephones, and televisions, is astonishing and has increased steadily in the last three years. Based on statistics from World Income Distribution, in 2003, the consumer electronics expenditure in
Nevertheless, while they are expected to help improve people’s lives and enhance the quality of living, it is rather ironic to discover that as our dependence on these products has deepened, some unexpected troubles have taken place. For example, school teachers have noted that since the computer became an indispensable tool for communication and typing became a common means of doing homework and writing messages, students’ handwriting has worsened remarkably, overflowing with incorrect spellings, which some people interpret to be a side effect of the automatic proofreading features that Microsoft Word has provided. In addition to the computer, the cell phone seems to be another necessity for modern people. It is observed that people come to rely on the cell phone so much that they find it hard to turn it off even when they are driving or doing other activities that require intensive concentration. As a result, it has been proven that conversations on cell phones, even with hand-free kits, impair drivers’ reactions to vehicles braking in front of them (Strayer, Drews, and Johnston).[2] In addition, a recent poll conducted by NPR[3] reveals that as people’s reliance on cell phones grows, they have the tendency to not remember common information. According to the poll, a quarter of respondents said they couldn’t remember their landline telephone numbers, and two-thirds of those polled said that they couldn’t remember birthdays of more than three friends.
All in all, these examples show that we unknowingly spend more than we should on electronic products, and without appropriate utilization of these products, our over- dependence on them will produce even more problems than we can deal with.
[1] “Life Style Indicator.” Table. July 12th, 2007. <http://www.euromonitor.com//factfile.aspx?country=TW>. As a reference, the consumer expenditure on food in 2003, and 2006 are $37.3 billion US dollars and $50.7 billion US dollars respectively.
[2] David L. Strayer, Frank A. Drews, and William A. Johnston. “Cell Phone-Induced Failures of Visual Attention During Simulated Driving.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 9 (2003): 23-32. http://www.mobilesociety.net/uploadi/editor/strayer.pdf.
[3] National Public Radio. “Poll: Cell Phone Users Recall Common Info Less” July 16th, 2007.
< http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12000058>.
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