Technology In the U.S. and Throughout the World

How Technology Has Affected the U.S.

The United States of America is at a crossroads with the War on Terror in Iraq. The war has not only sparked debate in the U.S., but it has been criticized in other countries as well. To fully understand the situation, one needs to be familiar with the way the U.S. interacts with other countries. Over the past twenty years there have been numerous technological breakthroughs that have allowed people all over the world to find almost any type of information desired. The ease of accessing this information has affected the way United States is viewed by the rest of the world.

The average American watches four hours of television per day, and the average person in the United Kingdom watches three hours per day. That means the average person in the United States and the U.K. spends about one day every week watching television. Most of these hours are spent watching television shows or sports, but twenty-seven million people in the U.S. still watch the evening news each night. Thirty-five million people watched the evening news ten years ago, but many of those turning off the television are turning on the computer.

The internet has been growing exponentially since the beginning of the 1990’s. It has changed into something almost everybody has. In the U.S. 70% of households have access to the internet, in Australia 54% have access, and in Europe 40% have access. In 1990, there were 313,000 internet hosts (websites). Today there are around 350 million hosts and that number continues to rise each year. This has allowed people to know what is going on in any other part of the world. Thus, America’s news can be viewed almost anywhere and criticized instantly by countless people.

The internet contains nearly an infinite amount of content. This allows people to find information that is normally not given much acknowledgement by the media. Examples of this are foreign aid and charity donations. Many times the U.S. media reports that the United States is the most generous country in the world. This is true if one looks only at the amount of money donated, but if one looks at the dollar amount per capita, the United States ranks near the bottom of the list. This example shows how the media manipulates their data to get the result they want. When realizing they have been lied to by the press, people wonder what other lies the press, and many times the government, has told them. American citizens may react by electing someone they think will change the country’s wrongs, while another country’s leaders may debate whether to remain in alliance with America. The lies may fuel an enemy to act on their hatred towards America, causing the U.S. to react (i.e. September 11). Attacks like this happen and are highly publicized when they do, but this is usually the only time the United States’s news is regularly on other countries’s television stations.

Though our news is not broadcast everywhere, our music and movies are, allowing people of other countries to know and learn our culture. Many of the U.S.’s movies and television shows demonstrate violence. This can be dangerous because someone may interpret the actions of the U.S in an offensive manner. Misinterpretation hurts the United States’s image, and the violence depicted may sway someone to think that all American’s act the way an actor does in a movie. Obviously this is not true, but that is the stereotype many countries have associated with the U.S. Through globalization, people from one country will be more willing to interact with one another, and these interactions should help the world shape a more realistic view of the American population.

In conclusion, the amount of information available will continue to grow, and it will become easier and easier to obtain. The internet has made it easy for many people to find information about the U.S. that is normally not presented by the news media. Some of the information found has led people in other countries to view the United States as having too much money and too much power. Our interaction with other countries is essential for continuing progress in America, and the ease and availability of information will continue to help people view how positive or negative these interactions are.

Grade Received: B