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Daniel Williams
English 111
9/10/2015
Pre-Assessment Essay (Prompt #2)
Our Future
Technology has always been a two edged sword, as depicted with C.P. Snows potent
proclamation that Technology is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it
stabs you in the back with the other. While technology has provided bountiful gifts such as
health, wealth, and happiness, the price for these gifts is as steep as their reward. Prices we have
to pay not only include nefarious crimes such as hacking and identity theft but also monstrosities
as awful as cyberbullying. I had welcomed the new opportunities that technology brought, but
upon careful reexamination I have lost my faith in it altogether.
Growing up with the influx of technology was quite exciting for the moment. The news
overflowed with stories of advancement to save lives, change lives, and entertain lives. The
times seemed like a golden age of invention, for any problem could be solved with technology.
Like a child dumbstruck by the brilliance of the New York City lights, I accepted these
advancements without question. What harm could new MRI machines do? How would
rekindling relationships with distant relatives on Facebook be disadvantageous? But while I was
dazed by all the pretty lights, I was unaware of the dangers that lurked in the darker recesses.
When I started to mature, I began to realize that everything has consequences. News
stations now broadcasted yet another stolen identity or hacked ATM, either of which left an

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innocent person penniless. Technology also scarred the soul of humanity as now children could
be cyberbullied and teased. Disturbed teens could now rehearse school shootings or harass
someone into committing suicide. Technology is no longer the miracle cure for the society of
today, but instead it is the toxin slowly infiltrating our population. With every advancement in
every age comes terrible consequences. At what point is the price we are paying too high for
what we receive in return?
Technology is an enigma. Whether or not it may be the saving grace people are counting
on or the reaper of hope I am expecting, we may never know. It may save lives, and it may
destroy lives. What only can be done is watch vicariously and wait to see what the foreboding
future may hold.