Culture is the unique set of beliefs, behaviors, and ways of life of a group of people. Our culture, many believe, is experiencing an ever-increasing cultural divide and, for the most part, the main target when looking at who to blame is technology. Our culture pushes us to pursue success and pleasure, to perform our tasks efficiently, and to think about how to improve the lives of future generations and our own. These elements of our culture, these demands, for the most part, are met by technology. In Robert Solomon's essay, Culture Gives Us a Sense of Who We Are, he states: "We are becoming a culture without culture, lacking fixed points of reference and a shared vocabulary" and that "television culture" is not a culture at all. (Solomon 426). Solomon is among those who blame technology, but the reality is that everyone chooses what constitutes their unique culture. Most people, due to the competitiveness of today's education system, share the same culture of completing their duties quickly and efficiently, striving for success and thus living a better life, full of pleasures, all immensely helped by technology. Essentially, our culture affects technology, not the other way around as many tend to believe. The theory that culture affects technology and not the other way around applies not only to our culture, but also to other cultures, cultures that have their own beliefs. and ideas. Today's technology is a result of our culture's beliefs and way of life. Take for example the manufacturing of cell phones; there are some "cell phone manufacturers [who] have developed popular phones for Muslim users that support their religious practices by (1) reminding them when it is time to pray, (2) or...... in the middle paper. ....a spirit: culture as anesthesia. » Harper's Magazine, April 2002: n. page. California State University, Bakersfield. Internet. October 4, 2011. Erard, Michael. “For technology, the world is not small after all.” The New York Times. Np, May 6, 2004. Web. October 4, 2011. .Finin, Tim. “Does technology change culture or does culture change technology?” Ebiquity Blog. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, July 10, 2006. Web. October 4, 2011. .Solomon, Robert C. “Culture gives us a sense of who we are. » Read critically, write well: a reader and a guide. By Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper. 2nd ed. New York: Saint-Martin, 1990. 425-29. Print.