To the Editor:

Ever since computers have been invented, they have played a huge part in our lives. But are we too dependent on computers?

Many are dependent on computers for work or to keep record of their personal lives. Even students depend on computers to complete their schoolwork. If I did not have access to a computer, more than half my school work would not be completed.

Students as young as elementary school use the computer for a wide array of tasks in or for school. It is safe to assume society is as dependent on computers in this day and age, as people were dependent on letters for communication in the early centuries.

Computers can be used for many things. Much like the typewriters from what seems like decades before us, computers have the capability to type documents. They can also put together presentations or be used for games. Computers can be used for communication such as email or instant messaging. However, the most common thing it is used for is the Internet. There are endless applications to the Internet; they range from games, to dictionaries to social networking.

Society constantly uses the computers to advertise companies or new products, or to simply get in touch with the human population. One of the reasons it is safe to assume we are too dependent on computers, is the fact that in many ways, they have replaced the act of face to face interaction. A big percent of society, a large part of which are teenagers, use the computer to talk to people. They interact using things such as Facebook or instant messaging.

The invention of the smartphone certainly has not helped humanity's addiction to computers. The modern cell phone (a.k.a. smartphone) can do virtually anything a computer can. They can go on the Internet or contain applications that can allow you to write documents. You can contact people through text and email, or watch as many funny cat videos your heart desires. The same can easily be said about computers. In my opinion, cell phones are the miniature versions of personal computers.

Instead of engaging in personal interaction, many turn to their smartphones. For teenagers, it is very easy to walk around all day with our faces stuck in our phones (I know from personal experience). Doing this not only takes away from our face-to-face socialization, but also our school work and other priorities. Technology such as this is addictive, and the more we use it, the less time we have to complete our homework, or finish our work or other everyday priorities.

I am not insinuating computers are a bad thing. I am merely suggesting that we, as a society, are just too dependent on them. It is difficult to get through just one day without using a computer in any way, shape, or form, such as cellphones or the object itself. Everyday life now depends on how much access to a computer you have.

In my opinion, computers need to be made so they are not as imperative to living life as they are right now. After all, people lived life very successfully before the invention of computers.

Gillian Velarde

Emmaus High School