Make up class_1. Introduction to Sociology/Technology, the Internet, and Virtual Worlds

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay free image


1. Summary

In modern society, the Internet and the virtual world are important topics in sociology. Due to the development of technology, digital media technologies including smartphones, games, virtual world, and SNS have developed rapidly. To understand modern society, it is essential to understand and analyze these technologies.
Technology means to a method or process used to produce goods, create services, or conduct scientific research. In other words, technology means knowledge, and sometimes it can be embedded in a variety of products. It depends on how you define technology, but in the end, a considerable number of knowledge and products are made up of technology.

The representative work of modern technology is cell phone. Cell phones can be reached without being connected to telephone lines, and most people in the world now use cell phones. In the past, phone calls were made from public phone booths, and the other party also received phone calls from a wired phone (usually from home or office). But cell phones made it possible to talk anywhere on the move, and finally smartphones allowed us to use and access a lot of technology anywhere. 

SNS is the product of representative technology development. SNS has allowed us to connect anytime, anywhere with our friends and family, but sometimes it has created many side effects. Facebook, for example, always provides a sense of connectedness to the world, but it is also a medium of anxiety to some individuals. In fact, a study has shown that people have great anxiety when separated from smartphones.

In the United States, more than half enjoy PC games or video games. However, excessive gameplay has serious nagative effects. Games have the advantage of improving concentration, but there are many people who have problems controling game time. This creates problems such as lack of sleep time and poor academic performance among teenagers.

2. Interesting

Sociological analysis of modern technology is an interesting topic. Even at this moment, modern technology is developing rapidly. This could bring about a technological Anomie in the near future. Therefore, we will need to try sociological analysis with a wary attitude to the development of technology.

3. Discussion

What other examples of modern technology are important in sociology?



Written by Jaehoon Kim (김재훈)

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