[토픽] [7/16 Debate Topic] Does technology make people happier?

[Ben Goodboy]

Does technology make people happier?

You couldn't imagine living without the Internet. But would you actually be happier in a less connected world?

Fully 90 percent of people say the Internet has been a good thing for them personally. But the answer to whether or not that means they're happier, healthier or more satisfied with their lives takes a little more untangling.

The folks over at Happify, an app that features games and activities geared toward improving emotional wellbeing, compiled some of the best recent data on how technology can boost or challenge our happiness.

Consider, for example, that while most people report being treated kindly online, a quarter of people say they have been attacked or bullied. And that 74 percent of couples say that the Internet has had a positive effect on their marriages, but 38 percent report that (for better or worse) online communication makes them less likely to rely exclusively on their partners as confidants.

When it comes to bringing people together, though, the web gets mostly good reviews. Sixty-seven percent of Internet users say that email, texting and social networking has strengthened their relationships with family and friends. And 56 percent say they have borne witness to people rallying together online to help someone else, as exemplified by such touching stories as the movement to "wear yellow for Seth," the boy with no immune system, the $100,ooo raised to buy a car for a Detroit man who walked 21 miles to work, and the viral photo that got Chester the dog adopted after five harsh years in a shelter.

How does social media affect the 74 percent of adults who use it? As you'd guess, it's complicated. Social media users are, not surprisingly, less likely to be socially isolated. They're also more likely to feel a sense of support and are more trusting (which might help explain the preponderance of Facebook hoaxes). On the flip side, social networking is linked to feelings of envy, lower self-esteem and an overall decrease in life satisfaction.

As Happify's infographic below shows, little tweaks in how you use it can make a big difference.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/does-technology-make-people-happier/

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5 reasons why quitting Facebook might make you happier

A study was conducted that forced people to quit Facebook to see if it made them happier.
 

As ridiculous as that sounds, the results showed that after a single week, the people forced to quit Facebook felt more contented with their life than before.

In fact, between the group forced to quit Facebook and the control group, the group that had quit Facebook reported enjoying life more, feeling less angry and more enthusiastic, and were more active and satisfied with their social life.

On the other hand, those regularly using Facebook were more likely to feel stressed.

The correlation isn't concrete, but there could be something to it.

Here are five reasons why quitting Facebook might make you happier:

1. Everyone else seems happier than you are

From the study, researchers suggest that we may feel less happy using Facebook because Facebook regularly highlights the best of everyone's life (unless all your friends are moping around most of the time for some reason), therefore causing us to focus on what other people have and leading to our own insecurity.

A quick glance at Facebook might show you how your friends are travelling the world, or visiting charming 'hipster' cafes, or celebrating blissful relationships. As the saying goes, "the grass is always greener on the other side".

Sure, you could curate your news feed, but that's more of a stop-gap measure and can only take you so far.

2. Decrease in face-to-face interaction

Social media can sometimes eliminate the need to establish the kind of deeper interactions you would get in person with your friends.

Facebook makes it really easy to maintain a passing connection by writing on walls and birthday reminders and the such.

Facebook is on track to take over your life with the chat and social apps under its umbrella.

And its focus on live events may eventually remove the need to to get out of your house and go to events in person.

Not to mention that with their acquisition of Oculus, and the Gear VR developed with Samsung, Facebook is primed to bring social interaction to virtual reality.

In the near future we'll be interacting in virtual spaces instead of real life.

3. Do you really know your "friends"?

Speaking of friends, just how well do you know your friends on Facebook?

Chances are you have friends on Facebook you aren't really close with, or may have never even met before in real life.

Whether it's friends of friends, old secondary school mates that you never really interacted with, or cyber friends.

Some of these "friends" might even be game companies trying to spy on you!

4. No more privacy

Whether you're the one being stalked or if you're the one doing the stalking, Facebook is one of the easiest and most common ways to find out more about someone.

But it's not just friends and acquaintances looking you up.

Almost every app is linked with Facebook now.

The information you share on Facebook thus becomes publicly available and that information is monetized for advertising businesses.

5. It's a waste of time

Let's face it, Facebook is a waste of time.

Remember all the times you have an assignment to work on but you keep changing tabs to check back on Facebook?

You check your notifications, reply instant messages, scroll through your news feed and admire your friends' photos, and before you know it, hours have passed.

Do you know anyone who has quit Facebook that has you contemplating to do the same?

Don't take our word for it, try quitting Facebook for yourself and see how you feel.

Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.
Visit Vulcan Post for more stories.

http://digital.asiaone.com/digital/news/5-reasons-why-quitting-facebook-might-make-you-happier

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Fatal Tesla Crash Draws In Transportation Safety Board

By NEAL E. BOUDETTE JULY 10, 2016

 
The top of the Tesla Model S that Joshua Brown was driving in Williston, Fla., was sheared off in a collision with a tractor-trailer in May. Credit Reuters 
 
DETROIT — A second federal agency is investigating a fatal May 7 crash in Florida involving a Tesla automobile operating in Autopilot mode that failed to stop when a tractor-trailer turned in front of it.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which more typically looks into accidents involving trains, planes, buses and ships, confirmed on Sunday that it had sent a team to investigate the crash, which killed Joshua Brown, an entrepreneur from Ohio.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Florida Highway Patrol are already investigating the accident. The traffic safety agency, the nation’s main auto safety regulator, is trying to determine whether the car’s Autopilot system was at fault.

Mr. Brown, 40, was driving his 2015 Tesla Model S in Williston, Fla., when it hit a truck that had turned left and was crossing in front of the car. Tesla, whose vehicles have the ability to send the company data about their operating conditions, has said that the Autopilot was engaged at the time, and that neither Mr. Brown nor the system activated the brakes before impact.

The involvement of the transportation safety board signals even greater scrutiny of the accident and Tesla’s Autopilot technology. The agency specializes in determining the causes of crashes and is familiar with the self-driving technology used in trains and airplanes.

“I think it’s very appropriate that N.T.S.B. is doing this, and I welcome it,” said Joan Claybrook, a former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator who continues to advocate improved auto safety. “I think there’s an urgency to find out if these autonomous systems are at fault because companies continue to push hard to get the technology onto the road.”

 
The traffic safety agency has also sent investigators to Pennsylvania to examine a July 1 crash that involved a Tesla Model X sport utility vehicle that scraped a guardrail and a concrete barrier before rolling over. The driver, Albert Scaglione, an art gallery owner from Michigan, told the Pennsylvania State Police that the vehicle had Autopilot engaged at the time of the crash. Tesla has said it has no evidence that Autopilot was in use in that accident.

Tesla cars equipped with Autopilot can use a camera and radar to steer themselves for short periods of time, and can detect other moving vehicles and slow or even stop in traffic under certain conditions. But drivers are warned when they turn it on to keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain alert.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have some overlap in their responsibilities, but the safety board is primarily an investigative agency that determines the causes of accidents. The traffic safety agency regulates motor vehicle safety and investigates for defects that pose safety risks.

The agencies will share information about the fatal Florida crash, but “each will do its own investigation,” Christopher O’Neil, a safety board spokesman, said.

Neither the traffic safety agency nor Tesla responded to requests for comment.

Christopher A. Hart, chairman of the transportation safety board, said recently that self-driving cars had great potential to reduce highway fatalities, but had also raised concerns about the risks of systems that require drivers to intervene as dangerous situations develop.

Doing so may be “challenging” for drivers who are not highly trained and may be fatigued or distracted, he said in a speech in Washington before news of the fatal Florida crash.

“I think people are wildly underestimating the complexity of bringing automation into the system involving Joe Public,” Mr. Hart added.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/business/fatal-tesla-crash-draws-in-transportation-safety-board.html?_r=0