Yes and no.
Yes because people use it at inappropriate times and in inappropriate ways. You could argue that this is not caused by technology and it is people who are distracting or easily distracted, but to that I say technology is by nature distracting. Social networking and video-sharing sites, games, television shows and movies are made available on electronic devices and are designed to draw the attention of the user so that they will spend long periods of time using them. Since it has become so easy to communicate with large numbers of people at once, people tend to feel that they are out of the loop when they are engaged in a single activity with only a few individuals. I cannot count how many times I've picked up my phone to look at the time only to spend several minutes looking at Facebook status updates.
No because when used appropriately technology can be used to complete productive tasks in an efficient way. Papers, for example, take much less time than they did when they had to be handwritten or typed on a typewriter. Research can be done from anywhere and is not limited by library hours. Also, easy exposure to more people from more places can be a very enriching experience. Personal and business communications that used to take hours or days can now be completed in a matter of seconds. Many tasks can be accomplished at once. I have been able to take several classes online which would have otherwise conflicted with my schedule.
I believe that the pros outweigh the cons, but I also believe that the more efficient technology becomes, the more potential there will be for distractions.
Yes because people use it at inappropriate times and in inappropriate ways. You could argue that this is not caused by technology and it is people who are distracting or easily distracted, but to that I say technology is by nature distracting. Social networking and video-sharing sites, games, television shows and movies are made available on electronic devices and are designed to draw the attention of the user so that they will spend long periods of time using them. Since it has become so easy to communicate with large numbers of people at once, people tend to feel that they are out of the loop when they are engaged in a single activity with only a few individuals. I cannot count how many times I've picked up my phone to look at the time only to spend several minutes looking at Facebook status updates.
No because when used appropriately technology can be used to complete productive tasks in an efficient way. Papers, for example, take much less time than they did when they had to be handwritten or typed on a typewriter. Research can be done from anywhere and is not limited by library hours. Also, easy exposure to more people from more places can be a very enriching experience. Personal and business communications that used to take hours or days can now be completed in a matter of seconds. Many tasks can be accomplished at once. I have been able to take several classes online which would have otherwise conflicted with my schedule.
I believe that the pros outweigh the cons, but I also believe that the more efficient technology becomes, the more potential there will be for distractions.
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