How would you feel if you went to a far away state and met someone who you really wanted to stay in touch with? Technology provides the link between you and your friends. Scientist are always developing technology for the public’s convenience. It has backfired a little with the texting while driving problem, but as a whole, it has made life better and easier. Technology can be good, but not if you are addicted to it.

Technology has made people more outgoing and confident. A person can see something on TV and they would apply it to life, whether it is a funny joke or information. Facebook can be a great source of making and keeping friends. “Ongoing online relationships can be formed. Consequently, one’s “social circle” can be considerably expanded”(Coget and Yutaka 1). There are those who have friends that could never have been made if they hadn’t kept up with them online or with their cell phone. Technology is also a good conversation starter. It gives people something to talk about, like what they saw on TV or what songs are really good on iTunes. They can relate to the things that they talk about if what they heard or saw has happened to them. It can make people believe that it happens to everybody, no matter what that something is, it has happened to somebody sometime before. These situations in the media can help people deal with their problems by explaining a decent way of fixing the problem. “There are those who claim that the iPod does more to unite people than it does to divide them” (Harris 1). This is true because people talk about what songs they like, what games are on their iPod Touch, or any other applications that can make life easier.

There are those who argue that “internet use leads to small but statistically significant increases in misery and loneliness and a decline in overall psychological well being”(Affonso 1). This is kind of a harsh statement and is an example of a lot logical fallacies. It is an example of hasty generalization because it generalizes everyone who uses technology and every type of technology. The majority of people that you ask about whether they are happy or not, will say that they are. Now there are the people who are so into their computer when you ask, that they automatically say yes to end the conversation so that they can get back to what they were doing. There are very few people like this so they can’t be a reliable source. As far a psychological well being, the Internet provides information that you would normally have to go to school to learn about. For instance, if there was a man who hated reading the newspaper and hated going to school and wanted to learn about treating an infection, he could go to the internet and research it. It just makes life easier. Plus is saves gas by not having to drive to a doctor to get a prescription or to another place to learn about something. “Interaction between individuals is slowly diminishing as people turn to their technological devices instead of attempting to make a new acquaintance or simply experience the “natural” sights and sounds around them”(Song 1). This is another example of hasty generalization because it’s not like the people who use technology are dropping off the face of the Earth. There will always be time to see the “natural” sights and sounds of the world, and people do make time for that. They spend more time working and doing stuff that they have to do than having fun, so technology provides an escape from the stress and dangers of the world. The chart in Source F by Nie and Hillygus is full of logical fallacies. They just portray everyone as having no life outside their iPods and cell phones, so it is hasty generalization. Sometimes people need their cell phones for their job. They need their job to pay the bills and stay off the streets. Selective sampling is also included. There is no telling how much information they are showing and how much that compares to the actual chart and statistics. That can also be charged as unreliable testimony because we have no idea where the information came from and can’t be certain if it isn’t biased or not.

If you are not addicted to technology, you can be comfortable while maintaining a social circle. There are people who refuse to use technology because they believe that it is corrupting society. They could potentially lose a good friend if they don’t keep in touch. Technology allows you to do that. Not to mention that it makes everything so much easier and stress free.