If you’ve ever taken a history class, then you’ve probably heard of all the different types of ages, named after what they were most famous for. Examples are, but not limited to: the Stone Age, the Dark Ages, the Space Age, the Golden Age, etc. Now, if you’ve ever taken a history class, then you’ve most likely asked or heard someone ask what our age will be known as, and chances are that the majority of responses are that this will be known as the “Age of Technology” since there have arguably been more significant technological breakthroughs in the first 15 years of this century than the entire timespan of any century in history.

All this new technology comes with downsides, que the age old saying, “With great power comes great responsibilities.” Responsibilities which we, society, have greatly abused. The leaps and bounds made in the world have introduced miracles such as texting and email, which have rendered even the simplest of human interactions completely impersonal. These days it is more unusual to have a full conversation with someone in person rather than over the phone or computer, which has actually hindered communication as we know it. When people talk over these inventions they cannot see the subconscious cues of the other person, nor can they hear the tone of their voices, making it very hard to have full-engaging conversations. The lack of personal interaction also lets miscommunication run rampant, leading to people becoming offended easier than in previous generations.

When a person becomes offended it is often times custom for them to tell another person, and without seeing each other in person, exaggerations can grow immensely. The second person tells a third with even more exaggerations and eventually the true situation is buried in a sea of exaggerations which, once reaching this far almost become lies. Eventually people talk about the offense so much that it catches the eyes of the media who will turn it into a quick and easy story to fill up the remainder of their time slot. The thing about the media is that they love to blow up any story they can find in order to get easy views and ratings. The story that originated in a small part of the world becomes broadcast across the world and people who wouldn’t have normally heard about the story, now have their own opinions on a story that may no longer even be true. Once stories reach the media, there is almost no hope for the truth to be discovered, or actual justice to be delivered. When this same domino effect gets applied to people trying to do their jobs, and companies trying to create those jobs, a sense of fear gets instilled in these people and exceptional power is granted to society as a whole. Even if a majority of people may not feel the same way as the media says, the media can actually make the majority feel like a minority and nobody speaks up for the truth and justice.

These situations happen in an unprecedented rate everyday, leading to companies too afraid to endorse anything and even police officers who are afraid of doing their job correctly and upholding the law. When even the defenders of our lives are too afraid to do their jobs because of public outlash or physical repercussions brought upon by the whole of society and fueled abhorrently by the media, we must stop and ask ourselves why we continue to let something like this happen because if we are the ones that allowed it to start in the first place, we are the ones who can bring the waves of offense to an end. The only thing that is preventing society from changing, is fear of backlash from society itself. That’s why I believe we will be known not as the age of technology, but the age of senseless fear, and the only way this can change is if people  say what they think is true, and to actually search for the truth and stop being afraid of each other, but most importantly stop being afraid of themselves.