Assignment 15: About Computing
HW: Write on this blog two paragraphs about what computing means to you at this point. Is it adding something to your life? Is it helping you become a better person? What are you getting out of it, and what do others get from it? Use the word “computing” as broadly or narrowly as you wish.
According to the BusinessDictionary.com, computing means “The process of utilizing computer technology to complete a task. Computing may involve computer hardware and/or software, but must involve some form of a computer system. Most individuals use some form of computing every day whether they realize it or not. Swiping a debit card, sending an email, or using a cell phone can all be considered forms of computing.”
I cannot deny the fact that computing has made our lives convenient. The majority of the current world is digitized, even now as I type these words onto the blog post because we, humans, used to write everything with pen and paper, which has evolved into typewriters, and now, the majority (or all) of the essays I write for classes are typed on my computer. However, I do not know if computing has made me become a better person. First of all, how do we define a “better” person? A person who is friendly? A person who has a social impact? Or a person who types codes and creates his own website? As for me, I would define a better person as someone who can bring good to the society, whether that is in a form of taking leadership positions or creating innovative products to increase the efficiency of one’s performance. Although I am still at the baby stage of learning the mechanisms behind computing, computing, indeed, has opened so many doors of opportunities.
As much as I feel that I am getting benefits out of computing, there are some drawbacks that are inherent in the nature of the effects of computing. My distractions come from the constant messages from friends on Messenger, posts on Facebook, and the live stories on Snapchat. When I was a child and when I did not possess an iPhone or a computer, I would directly interact with real people more, instead of checking what was happening or talking to people through a screen. Even on this campus, I see students and faculty walking while looking at something on their phone. When people are on their phones, I feel reluctant in bringing up a conversation with them because I would assume that they are occupied. So, by nature, I think that it decreases the number of abrupt conversations that arises when, for example, one meets another on the elevator and begins talking, which could potentially develop into a friendship because of computing.