Author: Drilona Shehi
A virtual world!
We are all aware that technology is advancing each day, making it possible for it to be at the same time our friend and the greatest “enemy” that threatens our existence.
We live in the XXI century where technology is ruling the world, none of us thought that the whole life cycle would be suspended, a virus made us realise that life has much more value than we imagined. Each country woke up with new ideas, despite the technological advancements, we understood that everything has a limit, each country affected by the virus faced this pandemic, faced with the challenge of the role of technology in response to our needs. Through that time it was understood that technology is replacing the activities carried out by human beings and that it can be helpful in the response to complex problems worldwide.
Each of our activities has taken another dimension, for example, the educational system in our country was unprepared to respond to the challenges that arose by the pandemic. Regardless of the unexpected change, everything seemed to have twisted and adapted to the flow, the teaching went from physical to virtual, meetings, conferences, and decision-making processes were held virtually. The majority of our essential needs were met by technology where businesses took control of the situation and shifted the majority of their services online.
Technology became the biggest helper by reinforcing the various aspects of our lives in which we can incorporate technology, also by minimising physical contact, which might be a vital threat in cases of a pandemic.
Based on the perspective of my peers, I have identified some benefits and disadvantages while living in a virtual world.
The benefits of living in a virtual world:
- Avoiding physical contact in cases where it endangers the health;
- Meeting some needs without needing to be physically present, whether purchases, payments for family, and personal expenses;
- Continuing to do essential tasks such as working from home without needing to go to the office;
- Online learning;
- Communicating with people who live far away;
- Participating in training sessions regardless of the field of study;
- Having the opportunity to access a variety of information on any topic or issue of interest;
- Researching on various topics.
Disadvantages of a virtual world:
- It can lead to addiction, confusion, and loss of the sense of living in reality;
- Emotional distance and harm to relationships;
- Online learning will bring its flaws in the future, not every information that is given online has managed to penetrate beyond the small screen into the minds of individuals, and not everyone is capable of coping with such situations;
- Psychological consequences where we will always tend to find technological solutions for each problem that we encounter;
- High cost, shifting the majority of the activities online will certainly have a cost that will fall on someone’s back;
- Creating a dividing wall between people, because focusing on the virtual world might lead to forgetting the warmth of real connections;
- Expose our privacy and personal safety due to multiple systems and applications. Hackers may misuse the data and we are seriously threatened by this technological advancement.
By briefly summarising what has been mentioned above, I support the principle that we are living in a virtual world, which for some people might be considered a positive aspect. As a not big fan of technology, I believe that life needs to flow freely. The advancement of technology is an important step for humanity, but to a certain extent so that we do not lose our mission as human beings, and the instinct of reasoning to maintain human values and qualities.