Devon looked at the judges a bit indignantly and said aloud, "How many of you plan to make more than five friends in this life? To be honest, for many, friends don't exist, and that's okay."
"I can't understand the drama of the absence of people when many will end up filled with hatred... As individuals, we'll know when we need someone else, and that's when that person will seek interaction in one way or another. Long-distance relationships through the internet are more common than you think and have been a little-known trend for a long time."
Devon adjusted the microphone and said, "And to be honest, the digital universe affects us all, whether personally or professionally. New technologies and their applications have evolved at lightning speed. They have allowed progress in fields as important as education, science, or medicine. And they have come into our lives to solve many problems but also to create others, and that's true."
"But the positive things outweigh the negatives, and one of them is easy access to information." Devon took a deep breath and asked, "How many times a day do you access a browser to solve your doubts? Nowadays, libraries are less frequented, and the positive side of this is that we don't need books to access knowledge."
"Thanks to the reach of technology, information processes are automated and accelerated, all thanks to innovative technologies like broadband internet or user-generated information access applications on social networks, as in the case of YouTube, one of Google's most popular services."
"The amount of information circulating on the web is easily accessible to users looking for entertainment, analysts, or researchers. Mobile devices facilitate access to the network."
Devon smiled a bit and pointed out, "Let me read you some positive points... Thanks to the advancement of technology, the use of free software programs and systems is facilitated. Thus, we can choose between free or private software."
"We have the ease of collaborating with communities, greater ease of response, or advances in science and medicine."
After saying that, Devon looked at Kim and said,
"Technological advances have allowed solutions in crucial fields such as health, science, or education."
"Technological advances today overwhelm us with the speed at which they occur. They are essential to make our lives easier, work more productively, and generally improve the quality of life wherever technology reaches."
"If we take a look at advances in the engineering and industry world and go, for example, to the year 1903, we will discover that it is at this moment when an airplane with stable flight is first achieved. Yes, just 120 years ago, and since then, advances have occurred to allow thousands of daily flights between all countries in the world."
"In the transport industry, innovation is daily. It is enough to visit the page of any provider in the automotive or railway industry sector, for example, to see the variety of solutions that exist today to solve similar problems. If we visit this page dedicated to train impact protection, we will see different train stops, which have nothing to do with those installed 100 years ago in the USA, at the time when the railway industry was at its peak."
Looking intimidatingly at everyone, Devon said, "I yield the rest of my time."
Everyone fell silent as Devon returned to her seat, and Kim, who still had a minute to try to gain a bit more advantage, also fell silent.
"I can't deny that everything you've heard so far is very attractive, but excessive dependence on electronic devices will eventually turn everyone into brainless monkeys," Kim said, trying the last thing that came to her mind at that moment.
After a pause, Kim adjusted her voice, and she said, "This misuse and excessive use of technology are causing significant health problems such as addiction, depression, social isolation, anxiety, hearing damage, or eye diseases."
"This dependence on digital devices means that we don't work as much with our heads. An example of this is the use of the calculator; no one does mathematical calculations to solve a simple operation anymore but instead relies on this tool."
"Your time is up. Please, let the last participants go to the podium and explain the closing of this debate," one of the judges said, stopping Kim's explanations, who seemed very focused.
Dash didn't speak with Devon and looked at Liam, who seemed very nervous. "Until the closing, don't fall into repetitive topics, and this belongs to us."
"Yes." Liam stood up and walked to the podium to begin his debate.