The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cites
Julia Kasper, Second Place
Grade 8, Judkins Middle School
Teacher: Ms. Richards
“When we finally slump down at the end of the day and wonder where the time went we scratch our heads wondering how checking a couple of emails ended up taking five hours.” (Freyda Tarak). The Four-Way Test is a way to determine if something you think, do, or say is the truth, fair to all concerned, will build good will and better friendship, and benefit all concerned. As technology grows, students decrease the amount of time they spend doing homework, and valuable technology begins to become a waste of time.
Is technology via the internet the truth? Technology contains gossip on famous celebrities that usually isn’t true. People spend much of their personal time reading what they think is true in gossip articles or blogs. People believe what they read and they allow that to take over their time and minds. Instead of reading all the fake rumors in the media, people could spend time with the ones who love them or advance their own education. Technology does benefit us by sharing facts, such as history of wars and definitions of words. People read informational articles and look up definitions of words to help them with their homework. One should advance their education online, but must be wary of the articles that could be lying. As a result, technology grasps the truth but also the gossip, so one should balance their time using it.
Is technology fair to all concerned? Technology isn’t always fair to everyone it involves. People sometimes write mean things about others and it can damage that person through cyber bullying or online articles. In the media there are definitely things that are false and wound reputations. Some people’s reputations are even hurt from gossip that floats around in the media. People write articles about things that are untrue, but the topics appeal to others reading it. People like to read embarrassing things about others for entertainment purposes. Therefore, technology isn’t always fair to all who is concerned.
Will technology build good will and better friendships? Technology like smart phones contain apps that can cause people to become gaming addicts. Games distract people, drawing them to play and play for hours at a time. It doesn’t create good will because it causes a person to lose focus on the important things in life like family, friends, true happiness, and love. Playing on your phone from time to time is okay, if it doesn’t take one away from families or jobs. Sometimes I play on my IPod for hours at a time, but I regret it afterwards because I have wasted a couple of perfectly good hours I could have spent outside or doing homework. Technology can actually build a better friendship, but also has the potential to break one. With email, you can stay in touch with someone, but on other forms such as Facebook, someone could post something very mean or inappropriate and the whole world could find out about it. As a result, technology can break good will, and tear or mend friendships. Users should be careful how they use current technology.
Will technology be beneficial to all concerned? Technology is beneficial to those who use it wisely. Some people use technology to help them define complicated words, figure out challenging math, or look up some history. Others might use computers to look up the latest gossip about a celebrity. Technology can hurt some while benefit others. Technology will be beneficial to some while others will waste their time looking up useless gossip that hurts people or posting it.
Technology contains some truth, but also gossip that distracts some. It isn’t fair to all who are concerned; people spread rumors about others, which hurts the one being spoken of. Technology will not build good will with gossip sites. Friendships are often torn from gossiping. It can allow some friends to stay in touch. People can benefit from cautious use of communication sites or email, but it is not the same as talking on the phone or getting together in person. It won’t be beneficial to all who are concerned because some will be hurt. In conclusion, technology doesn’t pass the Four-Way Test. Technology consumes humans.
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