By Chelsea Galvez |Staff Writer|
American spending is being compromised in order to keep up with the latest and greatest forms of technology.
A survey conducted by the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) showed that out of 805 Americans, 394 claimed to have economized or cut back spending on items such as food, healthcare, vacation and entertainment in order to keep up with advancing technology.
“Technology is important because it is constantly changing, and has become a way of life since you are able to do anything with technology; it keeps us connected, which is why people feel lost without it,” said CSUSB student Amy Szerlip.
The survey further revealed that in order to afford advancing technology, one third of those surveyed cut back on entertainment spending, 11 percent purchased less food, 20 percent cut back on clothing, and 10 percent reported to have cut back on overall healthcare spending.
The general effects of economizing for technology are still unclear, as the CNBC survey continues to be analyzed and studied for further information. Some feel that spending more on this new technology is justified.
“In a way, having the latest technology has become a fashion statement and it provides a source of entertainment on the go,” said student Brittney Carollo.
The survey also revealed that having a cell phone was the most important and popular choice of technology to the American people.
“The most important piece of technology to me is my cell phone. This is mainly because I use it all day to keep track of my schedule for my three jobs and school,” said student Kaytlin Gretzner.
Cell phones have evolved from being a luxury to being a necessity in our fast-paced society.
“Cellphones have quickly become the primary means of communication, and it’s not uncommon to find people using cellphones without using landline phones or computers for that matter. In short, the cellphone has quickly moved from being a luxury or fluff item to being a necessity,” said CSUSB Economics Professor and Chair Mayo Toruño.
While cell phones and other means of technology have grown to become a necessity in our society, it is no surprise that many fear the possible consequences of this trend.
“One of the biggest consequences of this trend is that people are going to lose the ability to have proper face to face conversation. Using technology to communicate is effortless and emotionless, and people are relying too much on technology to talk for them,” said Carollo.
Some believe that this new technology is worth economizing for because it helps us manage our daily lives efficiently, some believe that it is too consuming and will cause people to miss out on life.
“Technology is the greatest distraction and as this trend continues, people are never going to put their phones down and look up, they will miss out on life,” continued Szerlip.
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