Technology to the Heart (Blog Post #1)

Structural functionalism is "a theoretical orientation that views society as a system of interdependent parts whose functions contribute to the stability and survival of the system." A structural functionalist will often see society as a structure with interconnected parts, much like an organism. Often sociologists or students studying structural functionalism will associate this theory with a functioning organism and their respective systems. An example would be if a human has heart disease, the body will not be functioning correctly. The heart will have to work harder, breathing may become difficult and an individual may feel weak or nausea. We can apply this theory to many topics such as teen pregnancy, drug use and the use of technology.

I think we can all agree that technology plays a huge role in our everyday lives. Comparing technology to structural functionalism by saying that technology is the like the heart of the human body, with veins leading to the organ systems of the body. Once technology/the heart begins to fail (individuals become too dependent) things like the human voice becomes lost and the ability to function without technology becomes evident. Many will agree that the purpose of technology was to increase global communication, provide a place for individuals or groups to publish opinions and provide research articles/journals for students and professionals. Technology today has become even more efficient with video games becoming more realistic and a cell phone being the must have device. But has society created individuals young adults and teens of this generation to be too dependent on these readily available resources?

The result is that many individuals who use the Internet and other technologies lose a certain amount of ability to function in the real world. Many become too dependent upon the Internet, cellular devices and computers. When posed with a situation in which none of these are available, may not know how to resolve the situation. We are also becoming so used to being able to email, text or post comments around the world, teens and adults are losing the ability to communicate vocally.

Technology today is essential to students, professors and other professionals to continue to progress in society. Yet at times we have become to dependent upon it. Students should not forget the library as a source or the elderly because they are last true forms of auditory technology if you will. But lest we forgot that the most basic and fundamental thing we have as humans is our voice and we cannot let that be lost because of the accessibility and ease of technology.

References:

Reeley, Jr. , George Stanley. "The Impact of External, Socially Synthetic Forces, such as Mass Media, Video." Essays in Education. 19. (2007): 12-19. Web. 19 Sep. 2011. <http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol192007/reeley%20revised.pdf>.

"functionalism." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 19 Sep. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/functionalism>.