For my signifigant writing project I chose to use My 3rd paper I wrote in this class. I chose this paper as my example because I felt most prepared writing this paper with having a very strong start with the outline and I was able to put all of that information into my essay with ease. There were many quotations that I added into the essay that are all formated to MLA and all of my citations are cited in MLA. I struggled in one of my other papers to create citations correctly, but on this paper it was done very well. I also feel I did a very good job with sentence control and did not add in to much fluff. I also really focused on my grammer during this essay and tried my hardest to make it flow well.

Learning Outcomes 1,2,5, and 6

1: Demonstrate the ability to approach writing as a recursive process that requires
substantial revision of drafts for content , organization, and clarity (global revision), as
well as editing and proofreading (local revision).

2: Be able to integrate their ideas with those of others using summary, paraphrase,
quotation, analysis, and synthesis of relevant sources.

5: Document their work using appropriate conventions (MLA).

6: Control sentence-level error (grammar, punctuation, spelling).

Outline:

Thesis: Older generations and people who haven’t grown up with technology may find it hard and confusing to use when in reality technology has helped propel humanity into the future in many ways, it allows people to communicate around the world and creates opportunities for innovation and advancements, but it should have some restrictions. 

I. Technology helps open a world of communication and allows you to talk to anyone.     

A. “For example, there are emails, social networking, you can Facetime a person that lives on the other side of the world, and here’s video conferencing where you can have conferences electronically.”

1. People created technology to help broaden their reach and connect people all over the world.

2. It is a great thing that we now have the ability to connect with anyone in the world at any time we like. 

            B. “studies show that mobile communication affects people in a negative way when it comes to being sociable and making face-to-face contact.”

1. Being able to communicate with people from anywhere, allows you never to have to talk to someone face to face.

2. It is a good thing that we have the technology, and it is extremely helpful, but it does cause some issues with being social and having social skills. 

II. We are just going to keep seeing more and more technology in our lives. 

            A. “The trend of drones used by government security forces is only likely to increase.”

1. The government is starting to use drones all over the world to help monitor and watch over people. 

2. I think it is a little invasive but if they are used in the right ways then they could truly be a very helpful tool. 

            B. “Graduate students at MIT are experimenting with drones which automatically adapt to studio lighting for portraits.”

1. People are starting to program drones to help assist with taking portraits of people and they are starting to help take pictures of important events. 

2. I think this is very interesting, but I like human-taken pictures because humans see other things that a drone would never.

III. The military has started to become very reliant on technology.

            A. “That the newest weapons systems could decide when to fire or not based on algorithms and lightning-fast calculations, eliminating human will-and judgment- from the battlefield.”

1. The military is using technology to help remove humans from the battlefield and they are using it to try and keep people safer. 

2. I think having humans on the battlefield is better than having just technology. Technology can be hacked or just simply malfunction. While humans are better at making rational decisions. 

            B. “Tent City” jail in Maricopa County, Arizona announced in 2013 that they planned to purchase two surveillance drones for the facility. 

                        1. They plan on using drones to help aid in surveillance and keep prisoners at bay. 

                        2. I think this is a great use of technology and drones. They aren’t using them in an Invasive way they are using them to help keep other people safe. Follow this pattern (or similar) for as many body paragraphs as you need. Lay the basic foundation of ideas at first, then layer more reasons as you 

Effects of Technology Today

By: Finn McCoy

Older generations and people who haven’t grown up with technology may find it hard and confusing to use when in reality technology has helped propel humanity into the future in many ways, it allows people to communicate around the world and creates opportunities for innovation and advancements, but it should have some restrictions. Ever since humans have been on this earth they have been advancing in technology and creating improvements. Nowadays people have become so reliant on technology that society would not be able to function without it. A lot of the older generations have trouble navigating the sea of technology and often complain and dislike it but in the long run, it has the opposite effect. When it comes to younger generations, they have been raised alongside technology and they have a much better understanding of it. But because of this, it has led to younger people having slight issues in social situations and functioning in the real world. Once again older generations and people who haven’t grown up with technology may find it hard and confusing to use when in reality technology has helped propel humanity into the future in many ways, it allows people to communicate around the world and creates opportunities for innovation and advancements, but it should have some restrictions.

            There are many positives that come from technology, for example, it helps open a world of communication and allows you to talk and reach out to anyone around the world. Humanity is completely connected through technology and without it, society would struggle with thriving today. Say you haven’t seen a family member in years because they live across the country or they just simply live in a different country, you can send them an email and communicate with them in that way, or you can reach out and call them through a facetime call and in that case, you would be able to see their face. You can even work for a company that you are not anywhere near nowadays. During the Covid pandemic, people were not able to go into their workplaces because everything was locked down. This forced companies and businesses to open and try different options. One of the options that were available was to have meetings over Zoom with coworkers and bosses.  It wasn’t the best way to go about things, but it was one of the only options. It was good that people were able to connect in this way and without technology, humanity would not have made it through the pandemic. This did have a lot of effects on people as well. Studies have shown that because people did not have to communicate face to face that it made some individuals very socially anxious because they forgot how to communicate with someone who was right in front of them. Having all this technology really does affect people in many different ways, it can help with communicating around the world, but it also has negative effects in social situations. 

            As humanity grows and changes, the more technology we are going to see. It is obvious that technology has become a very important part of our daily lives, and this trend is only going to continue. With advancements in fields such as drones and the internet, we are likely to see even more incorporation of technology into our lives. From smartphones to smart homes and wearable devices, technology is becoming more accessible to people across the globe. As we continue to rely on technology to perform everyday tasks and solve problems, it is important that we remain mindful of its potential impact on society and work towards making sure it is used responsibly. (The trend of drones used by government security forces is only likely to increase. (Thomas Van Houtryve). In a reading by Houtryve, he explains how a San Jose prison is beginning to integrate drones into its security system to help them monitor and keep surveillance on inmates. Many are in support of ideas like this because it helps with keeping others safe. The drones are able to work around the clock and see much more than the human eye could see. But some individuals say that technology like this could end up in the wrong hands and be used for more sinister ideas. If people are responsible, then these bad things would not happen. People have seen how useful drones could possibly be and they are using them to make life a lot easier. For example (Graduate students at MIT are experimenting with drones which automatically adapt to studio lighting for portraits (Thomas Van Houtryve). Ever since drones started to fly around in the skies people have tried to think of innovative ways to transform and use them in interesting ways. A lot of the time people use drones in helpful positive ways instead of dangerous and sinister ways, and as humanity expands, the more and more we will see drones filling our skies. It used to be scary seeing a random drone flying through the sky, but younger people nowadays have begun to get used to seeing random drones fly by them or hovering near them. As long as people aren’t putting lives in danger with these drones then it should not be a serious problem in the world. Countries have been using drones for years to help with keeping up surveillance and keeping people safe so there shouldn’t be any problem with them now, they are just growing in numbers and are being used for more simpler tasks. 

            One thing that does scare society about technology is that it could become very invasive. In the movie “The Circle” starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, a very small camera is created, and people place them everywhere in the world. People are able to see whatever they want whenever they want. This is one of the growing fears in today’s society with the increase of cameras everywhere. People are observed and recorded 24/7 all around the world. On almost every street corner and in almost in every building, there are cameras watching people and what they are doing. These cameras are meant to monitor and watch the surroundings they are in, and they help with security and tracking people. A lot of people do not like having this much security and surveillance around them because it feels like their privacy is being taken away. In reality, the cameras are not a major invasion of privacy. They are not in places where they are “spying” on people, instead, they are placed to help with surveillance and keeping people safe. The more technology grows and becomes more relevant, the more cameras’ people are going to see but they will not be used in cruel ways. 

            Another very important role that technology has is the effects it has on war. Ever since the first wars technology has been advancing on the battlefield. Nowadays, people are working towards making only technology fight our wars and remove the human factor. This could lead to many problems, but it could also lead to saving countless lives that do not need to be spent. (That the newest weapons systems could decide when to fire or not based on algorithms and lightning-fast calculations, eliminating human will-and judgment- from the battlefield. (Thomas Van Houtryve). The military wants to try and eliminate the human factor of war because it would save lives and it would help with getting rid of poor decision-making. There are many different opinions on this cause, and they are all very mixed. Some people say that they want technology to take over in wars because it would save lives and help change how wars are fought. The other side of the argument is the idea that taking out the human aspect of war could make it more dangerous and more destructive. Not having a human aspect in war makes it more dangerous because machines and technology have no morals. Another problem with only having technology fight in wars could lead to it being hacked and taken over by foreign countries and then at that point people would not know what to do. Having the human aspect in war helps with making rational decisions that technology couldn’t make and it makes it so people could not take over an entire army by hacking it. It is good to have technology in war but there should definitely be limitations. 

            Technology plays many important roles in our society today. It helps people communicate around the world and reach out to people they would never normally talk to. It also helps with keeping people safe and making sure to keep watch over humanity. Having cameras in all different places around the world helps with always keeping surveillance around the world and monitoring people. Some may think this is invasive but in reality, it is for their own good. For example, having drones keep watch 24/7 over a prison in San Jose is not a bad idea. It helps with always keeping watch over the inmates and making sure they are doing the right things. One of the biggest roles technology plays is that of the military. They rely heavily on tech and use it to advance themselves in wars. As society continues to grow, the more we are going to see technology in our lives. It is a very helpful tool humanity has and it helps in tons of ways. Older generations and people who haven’t grown up with technology may find it hard and confusing to use when in reality technology has helped propel humanity into the future in many ways, it allows people to communicate around the world and creates opportunities for innovation and advancements, but it should have some restrictions. 

Citations: 

Houtryve, Thomas Van. “Empathy and the Image under Surveillance Capitalism.” Drone Imaginaries, 2021, pp. 395–394., https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526145949.00010. 

Ponsoldt, James, director. The Circle. The Circle , Tom Hanks, James Ponsoldt, Gary Goetzman, Anthony Bregman, 28 Apr. 2017, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4287320/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.