Here, let me pop the cap open
Greetings, my name is Connor Fetzer. I am a current student at the University at Buffalo who is conducting research on the extreme dependability of society towards technology. This trend of increasing dependability on technology has grown to a certain point that we are starting to eliminate physical norms to life such as libraries, movie theatres, and in the business world, trips, negotiations in person, and other physical ways of conducting business activities in the workplace. So, the business trend I will be investigating in my blog is the exponential growth of companies adapting and relying on technology to be the center of life.
I am personally interested in this topic because I find it fascinating how one invention, like the phone, the computer, or even fax machine has diminished the actual physical contact/communication in the business world. My career interests are surrounded by the use of technology, as I wish to apply computing and mathematical skills to become a data/financial analyst to help make companies good decisions while increasing profits. This of course relates to technology, as it seems like my work will be all virtual, even presenting the analysis I made via zoom or sent videos. I am fascinated by this unbelievable shift from physical life to virtual reliability, as it will impact how I would complete work in my possible profession in the future.
I believe anyone would benefit from my findings, as everyone would have technology surrounding their life that is almost impossible to avoid. I think there is even more emphasis for employees in any field or company though because almost everything is going to be worked on, submitted, or received online. In addition, people will use the machinery and communication technology so often in the workplace that they will know what else could be improved on to make the uses of this technology even more helpful to the company.
What I already know about this topic is that everyone is starting to shift from physical lifestyles to more virtual ones. Just working from school right now, we are using zoom meetings instead of in-person classes, completing online homework and submitting it on a computer/mobile device, and I can’t even remember the last time I had to hand-write a full length essay. Not only that, but I see my parents and other adults doing more work from home on their computer instead of going to their office across town as they have all the resources they need at home. Even in recreational activities, people are ordering food online or by calling ahead instead of sitting down to eat, abandoning movie theatres to watch movies at home, or even playing video games rather than play laser tag or sports with friends/teammates. The impact of technology has impacted all of our lives one way or another, as we keep drifting away from physically associating with others in the real world at the cost for our own ease and convenience.
There are three important questions I want to address in this blog during my research. One, I want to know what (psychologically) makes us humans so pleased with the use of technology, ranging from phones, to elevators, to the use of productive machinery rather than man-made labor. There has to be some reason in our minds as to why we act the way we do and why we want certain things in life, as it catches my attention when I see people have the same impression on upgrades to ideas already established and have stuck around for a while. Two, I want to know when the major shifts were from physical items in use to technological advances and which inventions of technology were established that may have caused such a shift. I want to investigate the history of technological development because I want to record and analyze certain trends in technology and which ones catch the public’s eye. Lastly, I would like to know more about the disadvantages of technology overriding our world. Using physical forms to meet, work, and socialize are still productive, useful, and more importantly healthy for our communicating skills. So, taking away such helpful ways of life would certainly raise some concerns that I would like to investigate and take caution as we grow a little too comfortable with technology.
A vital skill going forward with this trend is to be able to use computers, phones, and other software effectively on a normal basis. Regardless if it is not the right, healthy, or ethical choice to dismiss more and more physical ways of life, people need to adapt the changing world around us. Even if caution is taken, the technology is still there that we need to know. We don’t have to be experts, but we need to be able to use certain apps on our phones, certain software on our computers for work, as well as how to use new phones and other mobile devices/machinery to be more efficient. It is stunning to see society change so much in just a couple of decades for the sacrifice of our own convenience, as I hope to get a better understanding as to why we have sacrificed so much of our physical lives for items and ideas that keep getting replaced.
