Argumentative Essay: Screen Culture

Argumentative Essay: Screen Culture

According to Arceneaux (2020), screen culture refers to the idea that screens, such as televisions, cell phones, and laptops play a role in all aspects of our lives. We have witnessed the dramatic rise of screen culture in the last two decades. From computers to cell phones, televisions to smartwatches, screens are almost everywhere in modern life. People use screens for entertainment, work, socializing, and even to manage their finances. The ubiquity of screens has resulted in many positive changes in how we learn, communicate, and interact with one another. Nevertheless, many new media scholars are concerned that screen culture negatively impacts the way people think, behave, and form relationships. Screen culture encourages more passive forms of interaction that encourage people to disconnect from their physical surroundings. In this paper, you will assess what role screens play in our lives and whether or not they are beneficial.  While many people think that screen culture is detrimental to society because it causes addiction, I argue that some people use screens for positive reasons, such as communicating with friends and family who live far away from them or learning new things through educational programs such as Khan Academy, tourism, agriculture, entertainment, and transport industries.

The screen culture has replaced the print culture as the primary medium for accessing information. It is now easier to read something on a device than in print, which means we have to reconsider how much time we spend reading in our lives. It is better to understand the significance of this issue before it gets too late. One argument that promotes the significance of screens is that screens have always been around us and are a natural part of human evolution. Screens are nothing but technical tools that help us achieve our goals faster and more efficiently. People have indeed been using screens for centuries, but it is only recently that they have become so widespread. The screen culture is changing how we think, interact, and live our lives. The first area is where the screen culture plays an important role in education. Before the invention of television, teachers used blackboards to teach their subjects. Today, teachers use the internet to reach their students. They publish files and videos on the learning platform of their school or university to make it easier for students to study at home. Especially in technical subjects like maths or physics, these files contain useful tips and calculations that help students with difficult problems (Melro, Ana, and Lídia, 4255). Another example is distance learning, which uses modern technology to teach people who live too far away from a university to attend classes regularly. Many students also buy e-books instead of classic books because they are cheaper, and you can carry them around everywhere without having a heavy bag full of books. The use of the computer has altered the role of the teacher in the classroom. A teacher is no longer an all-knowing person who simply passes on knowledge to eager students. Instead, a teacher can now act as a facilitator and guide to students who can now look up items on the Internet and other sources using their computers. A computer can be set up with a database containing different topics that students can search through when they need to know something.

Communication is the exchanging of information and thoughts between individuals. In a screen culture, communication is mostly done through digital devices such as computers, laptops, and smartphones,  with the help of the internet. Screen culture has positively revolutionized the communication industry. The current world is largely dominated by screen culture as it has greatly transformed the way we communicate with each other. As communication technology evolves, new modes of communication such as e-mail, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) and video conferencing have become more popular than traditional face-to-face communication or phone calls. Screen culture has thus given birth to a new discourse that is evolving every day at a fast pace making it very difficult to keep up with the latest trends. Thirdly, screen culture plays a huge role in our everyday lives regarding entertainment (Ilchenko, 30). Entertainment has changed a lot due to technological advancements in screen culture. We have screens almost everywhere, from our smartphones to laptops and even televisions at home. Screens are now our main source of entertainment as they allow us to access various media content such as movies, television shows and music videos anytime, anywhere on demand. People spend hours in front of a screen every day, which can impact our health and social relationships.

 The impact of screen culture on transport is most apparent in road transport. There are many examples of how screen culture is used in transportation. For example, GPS software allows real-time tracking of vehicles and mobile phone apps such as Waze and Google Maps allows users to see live traffic conditions. Many vehicles also come with built-in satellite navigation systems that allow drivers to enter a destination and be guided directly to it by an electronic voice. While still being able to focus on the road, these systems provide directions information about points of interest along the way and even allow hands-free telephone conversations through Bluetooth integration (Kortti, 714) Furthermore, many public transport companies have introduced the use of smartcards so that passengers can swipe their card or card reader over a sensor, and their credit is automatically deducted from their account. Some credit cards are also programmed with a contactless payment system where users can simply wave their card over a payment terminal to pay for goods or services, and there is no need for physical contact. Some public transport companies have introduced mobile applications that allow passengers to purchase tickets via smartphone. Even if we do not wish to engage with screen culture while traveling (which would be difficult), we are constantly surrounded by it in our everyday lives. For example, airport check-in kiosks.

The screen culture has aided a lot in the healthcare sector as it helps to keep track of the patient's medical records and helps to share data with other medical institutions. Big Data Analytics can monitor patients' health history and keep track of the prescription given to them. For example, in the case of chronic diseases like diabetes, automated alerts can be generated to monitor a patient's health condition. The use of electronic health record (EHR) systems is growing rapidly, leading to an increase in the cases of data breaches and data theft. The apps like Babylon Health are being used for remote diagnostics developed by tech giants like Google DeepMind, Apple, and Amazon. These apps help patients get quick access to doctors and provide an easy solution for getting prescriptions based on blood tests or urine tests.  The technology used in the healthcare sector is limited to diagnosis and helps in providing surgical procedures remotely (McLoone, 240). This field is, known as telemedicine or telehealth, allows doctors to perform surgeries using robotic arms located in another city or country. Robotic surgeries are used in minimally invasive surgeries like bariatric surgery.

Screen culture has become an important part of the tourism and agriculture industry. For example, farmers can use screens to learn about new cultivation methods, get more information about different types of crops, find out about the latest agricultural equipment, and even sell their products directly to buyers. Screens are also used in the agriculture industry to keep out harmful insects while allowing fresh air and sunlight into greenhouses. Screens may be used as curtains or applied directly to the greenhouse roof or walls. Nets are often used over greenhouses for shade, hail protection, windbreaks and bird control. Screening also provides airflow for temperature control and ventilation (Kortti, 713). Screen tourism is a type of film or location tourism that occurs when tourists visit locations seen in films, TV programs and music videos. Screen tourism is becoming an important economic driver for many destinations and results in economic, cultural and social impacts. The motivation behind screen tourism is similar to that of heritage tourism, where the ‘traveller’ is drawn to an area by its history. In the case of screen heritage, it is not the history of a place but rather how it has been presented on screen that attracts visitors to a destination. Similarly, tourism agencies that provide information through screens can appeal to a wider audience than they would if they relied on traditional communication methods. In many cases, screen culture has made it possible for rural communities to access technologies they previously didn't have access to. This is important because it means that people in rural areas can connect with people around the world via social media sites and educate themselves about the world around them.

However, some criticisms point out the negative influence of the screen culture today. The screen culture has become a significant part of contemporary society. This is because most people in the modern world are spending much time on the screens. Most developed countries have embraced this culture and have come up with new ways of using the screens to advertise their products and services. However, several problems have emerged that have resulted from the screen culture. For instance, most people are becoming addicted to various forms of screen entertainment such as games and social media. Moreover, there are other negative effects, such as increased cases of stress and depression, among other complications that arise from tablets and phones for long periods (Stroeva, 120). Critics suggest that it has encouraged increased hypochondria, where people believe they are suffering from illnesses when they are not. This creates unnecessary work for doctors who have to deal with these imaginary illnesses. Indeed, screen culture has created new jobs for healthcare professionals in online hospitals and online testing services for common ailments such as STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).

The use of screens by children, adolescents and young adults is rising. The way we interact with others and engage in daily activities has changed as a result of technological advancements, specifically in mobile phones, computers, television, and video games. Such technologies can be used for positive purposes (for communication and education), but there is increasing concern that an overreliance on technology may lead to increased isolation from others, less physical activity and weight gain, sleep disturbances, and increased risk-taking behaviors. Concerns have also been raised about the impact of screen time on children's development. Young children need opportunities to develop their gross and fine motor skills, problem-solve, learn creativity and self-regulation. Many parents are concerned that too much screen time will lead to poor school performance, behavioral problems or attention problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Szita, 40). People who spend too much time online may start to neglect their physical appearance. Spending hours sitting behind a computer screen day after day can cause them to gain weight or develop health problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Additionally, frequent computer users may develop back or neck problems from slouching while sitting or sleeping poorly due to waking up to check email or social networks during the night. The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. Thus, physicians need to discuss their child’s exposure to media and guide age-appropriate use of all media, including television, radio, music, video games, and the Internet. Research has shown that the average American child watches approximately 4 hours of television daily. Studies have linked excessive television viewing to obesity, lack of exercise, poor dietary habits, school failure and other negative health behaviors. Children who watch TV quickly learn that violence is a normal way of resolving conflict (Brown, 10). In a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, researchers found that nearly two-thirds of all TV programs contain physical violence. Most self-involving video games contain some violent content, even those for children.

In conclusion, this paper has assessed what role screens play in our lives and whether or not they are beneficial. Screen culture studies how we engage with screens in our everyday lives. Screens enable us to access information through different modes of communication, such as television, computers, smartphones, and tablets. Communication has eased in the modern world with new technological innovations such as video conferencing and chatting services. Screen culture has become a very important part of human life in the modern world. The primary source of information is the Internet. The vast majority of people use the Internet every day.  In a communication in social networks, people often do not realize that it can harm their health. For example, constant gadgets can lead to visual impairment, insomnia and other nervous disorders. Screen culture is a new phenomenon that has altered how we communicate, collaborate and seek entertainment. This is one of the most significant changes in human history. Screens have become our portals to other realms by providing access to information and allowing us to communicate with others all around the world instantaneously. With these screens comes the ability to be entertained on a level never seen before. Screens allow us to watch movies, listen to music, read books, play games and more all at our fingertips. Games are another aspect of screen culture that deserves special attention. In agriculture, the advantages of the screen culture are that it allows farmers to have access to a wide range of information about their crops. They can now access new farming methods and share ideas about growing crops. We have seen that the screen culture has both negative and positive aspects, although the positive aspects seem to outweigh the negative ones by far.

Works Cited

Arceneaux, Noah. "Screen Culture: A Global History by Richard Butsch." Technology and Culture 61.4 (2020): 1217-1219.

Brown, Kathryn. "Screen culture, online auctions, and art market spectacle." Visual Studies (2021): 1-12.

Ilchenko, Sergey N. "The Storming of the Winter Palace as a Mythmaking of National Screen Culture." Vestnik VGIK I Journal of Film Arts and Film Studies 9.4 (2017): 24-36.

Kortti, Jukka P. "Screen Culture: A Global History. By Richard Butsch." (2020): 713-714.

McLoone, Martin. "Irish Cinema and International Screen Culture." A Companion to British and Irish Cinema (2019): 234-259.

Melro, Ana, and Lídia Oliveira. "Screen Culture." Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition. IGI Global, 2018. 4255-4266.

Stroeva, Olesya V. "The ‘hero archetype’in the neo-mythological context of contemporary screen culture." Vestnik VGIK I Journal of Film Arts and Film Studies 11.2 (2019): 116-126.

Szita, Kata. "New perspectives on an imperfect cinema: Smartphones, spectatorship, and screen culture 2.0." NECSUS_European Journal of Media Studies 9.1 (2020): 31-52.