Joel Achenbach
Joel Achenbach is an American writer for the Washington Post and the author of many books. Achenbach often writes about modern and relatable issues. Many of his blogs are about technology and the affects of it on society. Achenbach is a supporter of new technology today, but has encountered a few problems with technology that he is not in favor of. Achenbach is a biased writer because he has strong opinions about the topics he writes about. Achenbach’s writing style for the most part is relaxed and laid-back. He makes many of the topics more interesting by including examples and short stories that tie into the overall topic. One of Achenbach’s most recent blogs was about how people have become too addicted to their phones, himself included. Achenbach mentioned, “The tools are becoming the masters of those who own them.” He is saying that even though humans are the ones controlling the phones, it seems as if nowadays phone control humans. He called attention to the fact that most humans don’t realize they are helpless without their phones, and that they have the power to put their phone away. We wouldn’t know how to get places, find phone numbers, or take pictures. Achenbach used the example of how most people use thier phones to avoid awkwardness in elevators and so that they don’t have to talk to the other person. He believes it’s a shame that so many people are like this and that it wouldn’t hurt them to just talk to the other person rather than going on their phone. He concluded that phones have just become too important in everyday life.
Do you agree with Achenbach, that even though phones are very useful and necessary, they have become too overriding and significant in our lives? Are phone making people become less social and less focused on more important things? Have people become too dependant on their phones for getting information?
I totally agree with Achenbach on his opinion as a whole, Im right there with him. Even though I do use my phone quite a bit, and I always do have it with me, I could go without it for aslong as possible if it came down to it. We have all treated technology as a part of our bodies at one point or another in our lives. Technology and advancements in the field are extremely important and Im quite thankful for them, but I dont understand the need to use them just about 24/7. Phones are totally and completely making us all less face to face sociable and does indeed draw our focus away from the truly important things in life. One thing I agree with over all is people are way too dependent on their phones and need to put down the electronics, lock their screens and open their eyes to the real world.
Since the advent of phones, and more relevantly smart phones, information has never been able to travel faster. From a technological development and scientific standpoint, phones have sparked a new age of discovery and invention due to how readily available information is to everybody. However, I do feel that it has hindered social development and social skills of our generation and the younger generations. Too many times I see families and groups of friends at a restaurant not talking and building relationships, but on their phones. I’ve also noticed lately that it is becoming harder and harder to hold a conversation with people and that people have trouble keeping good eye-contact. People are always focusing on their phone which can cause them to miss important things in their life. For example, I’ve missed my little brother make an amazing catch in baseball because I was on my phone snapchatting a girl (my grandma). It’s little moments like this that you regret missing for something so trivial and meaningless. Phones are incredibly useful however but you need to know when to put it down and focus on what’s important.
I totally agree with Joel. Over the past century, phones have advanced tremendously. The attributes on modern phones now a days is mind boggling. It just leaves me in a state of disappointment when I see five year olds walking around with the iPhone 6. I’m one to admit, I love my phone and I use it most of the time. But it’s sickening to know that an extensive amount of people are better at socializing through text and snapchat, than through a face to face conversation. As time moves on, the generations of kids gets more and more infected with this cellular catastrophe. Even the elderly have fallen impotent to modern technology. My grandmother made a Facebook about a month ago! Although it’s great to have all these handy devices suit most of our needs, the purpose of having a phone should be more than playing Candy Crush. People can’t be living their lives through a camera lens, but by experiencing great moments without their phones.
I agree that phones are very useful and necessary to get into contact with someone if needed but phones are controlling so many lives. All I see out in public is people on their phones and not communicating with anyone, most of the time, and it’s really sad. In my personal experience, I’ve been out at a friend’s house and all they’re doing is texting other people or using social media. I’m also guilty of it. I just find it really hard to create personal connections with someone if all they do is go on their phone. People may miss someone doing an extraordinary thing because they’re too busy with something “important” on their phone. For some, phones cause people to focus solely on what’s happening on the phone rather than what’s happening right in front of you. It happens in school, at home, or out in public. I don’t believe that phones are a bad way of getting information, they can be very useful. I think that if you’re looking up the date of an event or you’re curious about what your plans are, then it’s a good way to get information from your phone. If you’re using your phone all the time on social media or you are texting someone all the time, then the information may not be as important.
Achenbach seems to be a very relatable columnist who writes about topics that interest the modern day person, like technology. Indeed, I do agree with Achenbach that phones are useful and necessary in life today and also that they have taken over our lives not only positively, but also very negatively. Phones are really making people become less social and focused on important things. For example, instead of getting to know a person by talking in person or even through a phone call, often times people today will use text messaging to avoid this. Also, instead of going outside when bored, people go to their phones and social media for entertainment. Yes, people have become too dependent on phones for everyday living. But, on the contrary phones are a convenience, they can be used to look something up within seconds on the internet or to easily get in contact with another person. I believe that people should stop using their phones every second of the day on social media, etc. but use them for necessary things, such as getting in contact with a person or the convenience of having a camera on hand all the time.
I completely agree with Achenbach. Phones are very useful, especially in this generation, but too many people consider their phones to be their whole life. Phones are making people less social, especially kids. Kids growing up in this generation would rather play on their phone then go outside and enjoy a nice day. Over the years kids owning cell phones are getting younger and younger and it’s making them less social. Also their distracting too many people from whats really important. Most people would rather sit on their phones then go out and enjoy a nice time with their friends and family. I also think that too many people rely on their phones for social media. People find posting on social media a better way to communicate with other people then picking up a phone and calling them. I believe people have become so dependent on getting information from their phones that they wouldn’t know how to get it withouth their phones. I think phones are necessary in this generation, but I also think people depend on their phones too much.
I don’t agree with Achenbach. There are people that are obsessed with their phones that don’t have to be, but I think the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes having a phone is a good security blanket for those with anxiety. Phones allow people to access voice and also text suicide hotlines when they need them. Not having phones does not put people closer to friends if they have friends or family who live far away. They also allow people to play any song they want to. If you’re with your friends you aren’t just going to say, “One sec guys, I gotta pull my guitar out of my pocket. Not sure how I was able to fit that in there.” Also, the ability to dial for help (911) is also an important aspect of phones. If you fall down the stairs or break a leg, the paramedics aren’t going to use their Spidey-senses to find you. They can also act as a decent weapon in case you want to hit that person who didn’t text you back. (That was a joke. Ha. Please don’t start whipping your overpriced iPhones at people without the use of an Otterbox.)
With technology seemingly getting better with every new phone, I think that many people, mainly teens, are too interested in their phones. For the examples brought up about directions and those kind off things, I think it is a major help to have it all in one, it helps with organization so you always know where to find the things you are looking for. Teens now-a-days, however, are turning to phones as the first option for everything, instead of talking face to face, they would rather text because that is what is easiest. You go back 10-15 years and it is the opposite, people were always talking, manners were at a higher level, and social interactions were genuine. For the current generation, you could go out to eat with people and they would rather be on their phones than talk. So I do agree with Achenbach, phones and other technology has significantly lowered the level of social interaction and changed the focus from the people around you to social media, and I believe that it has made our generation more lazy. We are too dependent on our phones rather than getting up and out to go do certain things, instead of going to the library or the bank, we just use an app, all because that is what it easiest and it is what we have come to know.
I do think phones are a necessity, but they are overused extremely. Phones are making us less social and less focused on important things. As a whole we are constantly on them. There are ways we can live life without as much technology, we just choose to not live like that. Before technology and cell phones people lived just fine, life is just “enhanced” now that we have it.
I agree with Achenbach, that although phones are very useful they still have negative outcome especially to teens. Phones were primarily used to just call one another, now everything can be done on a phone. It is very convenient that one can call, take pictures, and go on the internet on their phone but because of this many people have become distracted and dependent of their phone. Phones have become an distraction to teens in school because they have become so attached to it to the point where they cannot put it down. Many teens also question why we need to learn certain things in school when we can easily obtain the answer using our phones. This goes to show that people are becoming overly dependent of their phones.
I agree with Achenbach. I think that phones have become a very prominent necessity in our everyday lives. We cannot go short periods of time without them, whether it be to send a text or to look at social media. Social skills have greatly declined since technology has advanced. Phones allow you to hide and avoid confrontation. This results in the inability to handle situations in person. Like Achenbach said, people use their phones to avoid awkwardness. This is solely because they are unsure of how to handle themselves in a social situation. Our generation is better equipped to handle things through text message or direct messages on social media. In the real world, our phones aren’t going to be able to help us get through an interview or have a face to face conversation with our boss. Lastly, I do believe that people are too dependent on their phones for information. We don’t care to obtain new knowledge when the same information can easily be found on the internet whenever it’s convenient. Since smart phones give us easy access to the internet, we take advantage of that and look up anything we need to know and don’t actually take the time to learn the information. However, I do think that phones can be a good resource when you need a single fact or need immediate information. We just should’t continually rely on our phones for research, it may not always be accurate and it’s not the best way to learn.
I evidently agree with Achenbach and think this article is very important. Technology is more than useful but it is getting to the point where five year olds are getting IPads for their birthdays and don’t understand the importance of going outside and building a fort. The meaning of the very word “kid” in my opinion is being altered by the overbearing social media and new addicting apps. Kids just dont seem to be kids anymore. Not only is it affecting their play time, it is affecting thier ability to be humans. Social interactions seem to be only for job interveiws and drive in’s. Not only is this technology obsessed epidemic affecting the kids of todays society, its affecting the adults. As mentioned in the article, people would rather go on their phones in the elevator than talk to avoid the awkward small talk. I mean look around next time you go to eat. Phones will be more than abundant. The dependency is baffling. I say its time to put the phones down and go out and smell the roses.
I agree with Achenbach when he says that phones are very useful and necessary but they have become to overriding and significant in our lives. Phones are making people less social because these days no one can have a real face-to-face conversation without them looking at their phone or being on the phone. Also it definitely makes people less focused in school people always want to know what’s on their phone if someone texted them or updates on there social medias also people are becoming more focused to their phones and less on more important things such as family or friends and not spending time with them because they are on there phones. People have become too dependent on their phones for getting information and not just what day of the week not just the time but everything and in some cases it’s good but a lot of other cases it’s bad because our world is too much on their phones these days and not enough in the actual world.
I completely agree with what Achenbach is saying. Cell phones have completely taken over our society. Everybody, whether we like to actually believe it or not, has slowly become addicted to cell phones. We use it as a lifeline, to find directions, to take pictures, to communicate with people, and much more. Although those things can be useful in certain situations, nowadays it is as if people cannot be without their phones for more than a short period of time. In situations where your phone is not needed, people still feel the need to have it on them, or be doing something on them. It is a serious, escalating issue. People in our society are addicted to cell phones. By definition, addicted means “physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects.” People get awkward and uncomfortable and don’t feel safe if they do not have their phones in their hand. Sounds like an addiction to me. There is absolutely no development of social skills especially in young children and teens in our society. Everything can be typed and read, and it completely cuts off almost situations in which a face to face conversation is needed. Stuck in an elevator? God forbid you actually have may have to talk to the person you’re riding with, so you just whip out your phone and decide to read about what other people are eating or complaining about. A great conversation that could have happened was avoided because of someone feeling a little bit awkward talking to a stranger. Now, I am not going to disagree that phones are useful and have become necessary in the generation we live in, but it does not have to override our lives to the point where we start acting like robots rather than real people. Are phones great if you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire? Absolutely. Do we need to have them glued to our faces during times of the day such as school or family dinners? No. Phones are slowly taking over the world and the people that inhabit it. Achenbach wrote a great article, one that will hopefully open people in our society’s eyes.
I both agree and disagree with Mr. Achenbach’s opinion that phones can make people be less social and less focused on important things in their life. While I agree that many people use their phones to get most of their information and many people use their phones to avoid socially difficult situations, I don’t believe phones are the base problem. I think the phone is simply the delivery device that connects people to the internet. We are dependent on the internet for directions and getting information, not on the phone itself. It is often the social aspect of the internet that can cause people to be addicted to it’s use. If the phone is disconnected from the internet it loses much of it’s usefulness and appeal. The base problem is that society is still trying to figure out how to live with all the opportunities that the internet gives us. I do agree with Mr. Achenbach’s overriding point – that technology is
changing the way that people interact.
“phones are the social cigarettes of todays world”, this was a very interesting phrase I heard from a book. The man said yes we are addicted to our phones and when we go somewhere new and not sure what to do we pull out our “electric cigarettes” and not the ones with the water vapor. We do this because it’s easy and what we know, it relaxes us and makes us feel more comfortable. I agree with Joel Achenbach we are to reliant on our phones but why shouldn’t we be. It’s the fastest way to get information and it’s usually right in our pockets. If he thinks we should look at an address book or map instead, thats just him not adapting to toady’s world. But if Joel thinks we should find time to be without our phones for human interaction and not to use an older less affective method of doing something then I agree with him.
I very much agree with Joel Achenbach that phones consume much of our time. We go to our phones for everything now and some of us find it hard to get things done without them. This problem with being so addicted to our phones seems to occur more in teens and most people our age lack simple social skills because they simply do not get enough face to face time with people. I also do not think that we know when enough is enough when it comes to our phones we are so use to being on them and using them for everything we never know when to put them down.
I agree with Joel Achenbach. Phones are very useful and necessary yet they are starting to overpower some lives. Phones can be very helpful to communicate, use for directions and many more things. Many people are starting to become extremely addicted to their phones which I do not think is healthy. I also believe that phones are making people become socially awkward. People have become extremely dependent on their phones for getting information. I think that eventually people are not going to know how to function without a phone.