How Technology Affects Modern America

The microeconomic picture of the U. S. has changed immensely since 1973, and the trends atomic number 18 proving to be consistently downward for the nations naughty school graduates and high school drop-outs. Of all the reasons abandoned for the w era squeeze international competition, technology, deregulation, the decline of unions and defense cuts technology is believably the most critical. It has favored the educate and the experienced, says M. B. Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U. S. News & World Report (7/31/95).Since 1973, reward adjusted for inflation require declined by about a quarter for high school dropouts, by a sixth for high school graduates, and by about 7% for those with some college education. Only the wages of college graduates are up. Of the fastest growing skillful jobs, software engineering excel the list. Carnegie Mellon University reports, recruitment of its software engineering students is up this year by everywhere 20%. All engineering jobs are pay ing well, proving that highly skilled labor is what employers want There is clear evidence that the supply of workers in the unskilled labor categories already exceeds the demand for their services, says L. Mishel, Research Director of Welfare Reform Network. In view of these facts, I wonder if these trends are good or unwholesome for nightspot. The danger of the information age is that while in the short obtain it may be cheaper to replace workers with technology, in the long run it is potentially self- soul-destroying because thither will not be enough acquire power to grow the economy, M. B. Zuckerman.My feeling is that the trend from unskilled labor to highly technical, skilled labor is a good one But, semi g everyplacenmental natural process moldiness be taken to ensure that this societal evolution is safe to all of us. Back in 1970, a high school sheepskin could still be a ticket to the gist income bracket, a small car in the driveway and a house in the suburbs. str aightaway all it gets is a clunker parked on the street, and a dingy flatcar in a low rent building, says Time Magazine (Jan 30, 1995 issue).However, in 1970, our government provided our children with a free education, allowing the vast majority of our population to hold a high school diploma. This means that anyone, regardless of family income, could be educated to a level that would allow them a comfortable place in the middle relegate. Even restrictions upon child labor hours kept children in school, since they are not allowed to work full time while under the age of 18. This government policy was conducive to our economic markets, and allowed our country to prosper from 1950 by dint of 1970.Now, our own prosperity has moved us into a highly technical world, that requires highly skilled labor. The natural answer to this problem, is that the U. S. Governments education policy must keep pace with the demands of the highly technical job market. If a middle class income of 1970 r equired a high school diploma, and the middle class income of 1990 requires a college diploma, then it should be as easy for the children of the 90s to get a college diploma, as it was for the children of the 70s to get a high school diploma.This brings me to the issue of our countrys political process, in a technologically fired world. Voting & Poisoned Political butt against in The U. S. The advance of mass communication is natural in a technologically advanced society. In our countrys short history, we have seen the development of the belief press, the wireless, the tv set, and now the Internet all of these, able to reach millions of raft.Equally natural, is the inebriety and corruption of these medias, to benefit a few. From the 1950s until today, television has been the like media. Because it captures the minds of most Ameri preempts, it is the preferred method of persuasion by political figures, multinational corporate advertising, and the f number 2% of the elite, who have an interest in controlling public idea. Newspapers and radio experienced this same history, but are now somewhat old in the science of changing public opinion.Though I do not suspect television to become completely obsolete within the next 20 years, I do see the Internet macrocosm used by the same political figures, multinational corporations, and upper 2% elite, for the same purposes. At this time, in the Internets young history, it is largely un puzzled, and can be accessed and changed by any person with a computer and a modem no license required, and no need for millions of dollars of equipment. But, in reviewing our history, we find that newspaper, radio and television were once unregulated too.It is easy to see why government has such(prenominal) an interest in regulating the Internet these days. Though public opinion supports regulating sexual material on the Internet, it is just the first yard in total regulation, as experienced by every another(prenominal) popula r mass media in our history. This is why it is imperative to educate people about the Internet, and make it be known that any regulation of it is destructive to us, not constructive I have been a daily exploiter of the Internet for 5 years (and a daily user of bulletin board system communications for 4 years), which makes me a senior among us.I have seen the moves to regulate this type of communication, and have always openly opposed it. My feelings about technology, the Internet, and political process are simple. In light of the history of mass communication, there is nothing we can do to protect any media from the sound byte or any other form of commercial poisoning. But, our countrys public opinion doesnt have to fall into a nose-dive of lies and corruption, because of it The first experience I had in a course on Critical Thinking came when I entered college.As many good things as I have learned in college, I found this course to be most valuable to my basic education. I was an gry that I hadnt had access to the power of critical thought over my twelve years of basic education. Simple forms of critical thinking can be taught as early as kindergarten. It isnt hard to teach a young person to understand the patterns of persuasion, and be able to defend themselves against them. tv set doesnt have to be a weapon against us, used to sway our opinions to adapt to people who care about their own prosperity, not ours.With the power of a critical thinking education, we can stop being motivated by the sound byte and, instead we can laugh at it as a cheap attempt to persuade us. In conclusion, I feel that the advance of technology is a good trend for our society however, it must be in conjunction with advance in education so that society is able to master and understand technology. I think technology has an all important(predicate) effect on us, the way we act, react, and take actions in society. We can be the masters of technology, and not let it be the masters of us.