Last week, we talked about the negative effects of new media technology. Clearly, technology has brought us distance from time to time. However, this week, I would like to highlight some ideas about the positive effect of new media.
Kraut’s 2002 reading involves two new studies. Study 1 is a follow-up study of Internet use. The study concluded that life stress has increased, but it has not increased loneliness, depression, or communication with friends and family. Study 2 compared TV and computer buyers, and studied the extroversion of consumers. Conclusions include positive factors for social participation and mental health, as well as negative factors for increased stress and decreased local knowledge.
In addition, the other reading I felt very interesting is “the massive work-rom-home covid-19 test was a great success”. The large-scale work-from-home COVID-19 test has achieved great success and will become the new norm. It examines JP Morgan’s Kennedy program, in which 25,000 workers are tested at home and then in family planning Large-scale work to reduce the coronavirus (Kelly, 2020). This is successful because new media tools make it more viable, without commuting, people can work more efficiently, and can take care of their families (Kelly, 2020).
I totally agree with Kelly’s idea. In the past few months, we have been working and studying from home. Because I went through the difficult moments of the epidemic, I recognized his views even more. The restriction of working at home is an advantage of improving office efficiency. People can freely choose their favorite way of working, and use their own time to do the most efficient work. Of course, this is also a challenge for companies. My team and I are also working on entrepreneurial projects recently. We abandoned the previous work system and replaced it with a task handover system. People can complete tasks according to their own schedule, and companies only need to control the final results. This is also an upgrade of corporate office efficiency.
Of course, these technologies have also brought a lot of help to the family environment. People no longer travel around the world every day, but spend more time with their families. This state has greatly improved the atmosphere of many families. International students like me also have more time to video with family members. In the past six months, the time I spent on phone calls with my family was longer than the total time of my entire university.
All in all, the changes in media technology have brought tremendous convenience to life. You can communicate with the whole world without leaving your house, which is impossible in any era in the history of human development. However, whether the development of science and technology brings more advantages or disadvantages, in my opinion, it is a game between privacy and convenience.
Reference:
Kraut, R. (2002, November 1). Internet Paradox Revisited. Retrieved from https://compass2g.illinois.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4618114-dt-content-rid-59369180_1/courses/jour_199_120208_192434/Kraut_2002_Internet%20Paradox%20Revisited.pdf
Kelly, J. (2020, May 12). The Massive Work-From-Home COVID-19 Test Was A Great Success And Will Be The New Norm. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/05/11/the-massive-work-from-home-covid-19-test-was-a-great-success-and-will-be-the-new-norm/
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