Does technology make our lives better.

I believe that while technology can be useful and convenient it does not make our lives better, and is threatening to our society which ultimately impacts all of our lives. I will sum up my argument in three points: I. An addiction to technology II. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs III. The harms of technology To set a framework for this debate, if the con can prove that on a scale technology does equal to or as much damage as it does good in our lives then the con wins this debate. I. An addiction to technology Our society has become addicted to technology, and now we rely on it more than ever. Before this decade it would have been absurd to see a teenager with a cell phone, and now elementary schools are having to ban them. We have become so adapted to this technology that losing your cell phone or not having internet service for more than a couple of days becomes a crises. Could Y2k have been a serious threat thirty years ago? No. We didn't rely on computers to support our lives. II. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Just because we didn't have as much technology in the past does not mean that the quality of life was worse. I'm sure the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow would back me up on this fact. This is Maslow's Hierarchy of needs (from bottom of the pyramid to the top): Physiological Needs (food water and etc. ) Safety Needs (need to feel safe) Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. Needs for Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect. Needs for Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do. " Nowhere in Maslows Hierarchy of needs does it say that we need technology to live a happy and fulfilled life. Our lives being "better" as stated in the resolution rely on physiolgical needs, saftey needs, needs of love and acceptance, needs for esteem, and needs for self actualization. Technology cannot provide for any of these needs and is actually damaging to several of them. For example, technology takes away from our ability to socialize from person to person making it more difficult to be accepted in social settings. It has become more convient for us to communicate through texting and our relationships with people and our ability to communicate have diminished because of it, harming our need of esteem, and our need of love and acceptance, and if we cant fulfill those needs then we cant fulfill our need for self-actualization. III. The harms of technology Now days, we face serious threats such as cyber terrorists, viruses, and online predators, not to mention problems it has created with our personal relationships. Now, don't get me wrong, i am not saying that technology is always bad, but there is a such thing as too much of a good thing, and when you have become addicted to something it is too much. Technology may help for educational purposes and for convenience, but it has also created many problems in society. When was the last time you saw the streets filled with people going on walks, flying kites, and just playing outside. Now we would rather stay indoors and debate about it on the internet. In conclusion, I negate this resolution because we have become addicted to technology, it is not a necessity to our fulfillment and happiness in life, and it does more damage than it does good.