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I was
sitting reading the newspaper when I came across an article concerning
Digital Distress Syndrome. It's a form of stress caused by being
unable to understand technology.
It
reminded me of a mate of mine; she'd rather hand write a 5,000 word
essay than go through the trauma (as she'd put it) of typing it.
As I read on I came to realise that this was a genuinely large problem
for people.
We
all know the feeling when an entire essay gets mysteriously deleted
or corrupted beyond recognition but imagine having this feeling
of bewilderment every time you turned on your machine.
Pressure
The
pressure there is on students (be they in primary, secondary, college
or uni) to use technology becomes greater with every update of the
respective syllabi.
There
doesn't seem to be much consideration for people who either do not
like using various technology or that find it makes their task more
complicated than is necessary.
We
are 'strongly encouraged' to type almost all essays, projects and
coursework. This can mean that students find it very difficult to
write legibly at speed during exams as they simply haven't had the
practice.
In
the worst cases, students may find writing a logical exam essay
difficult as they cannot cut and paste like you can on a PC or laptop
and so have to plan more thoroughly before they start writing -
a skill which does not come naturally.
Student
loans
Upon
turning the page of my newspaper I discovered an article concerning
student loans. Due to software problems about 400,000 students could
start uni in the autumn without their student loans.
This
means that either a family member will have to bail them out or
they will have to live on the breadline until their loans come through.
Not an ideal start to your first year!
As
you may remember, this has not been the only major problem in Britain
concerning technology. Some of you may have been unfortunate enough
to get caught up in the havoc that ensued after Heathrow's air traffic
control software failed.
There
have also been problems related to the Child Support Agency and
some of the recent mishaps over exam grades have also been blamed
on poor technology.
Is
this really an ideal way for the country to operate?
Final
thought
My
final thought I put to you is this: an IT teacher once told me that
"the computer will only do what you tell it; despite appearances
they can't think for themselves". This
can be applied to all technological devices. Going by this logic,
we rule over technology.
Whether
you love it, hate it or like me just use it, don't let it rule over
you. It is not human, you are, let's keep it that way.
Article
by Lou Parkinson
This
article contains user-generated content (i.e. external contribution)
expressing a personal opinion, not the views of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Gloucestershire.
If
you would like to comment on this story get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
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17-year-old
Lou Parkinson wonders whether we are becoming too dependent on computer
technology...
