Negative Outcomes Of Our Dependance On Technology
There is a quote by Charles Percy Snow that says “Technology is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand and it stabs you in the back with the other. ” This truly sums up technology as a whole. Constantly using technology leaves a negative impact on how our brain develops and operates. It is a tool that undoubtedly changes the world and how it functions. Technology has become a big part of our daily lives into almost everything that we do throughout the day and because of this we are seeing a big difference on how our brain works. Although some might argue that technology is efficient and easy to access information, being overly connected can cause psychological and mental health issues such as distraction, depression, cause feelings of isolation and may also lead up to severe technology dependence.
Technology is literally everywhere, and we all know its not going away anytime soon. Teenagers, more than any other age group, stare down at their smartphones, or are stuck on their tablet or laptop throughout most of the day with any available chance they get rather than observing what’s around them or even having a decent conversation with someone. If you really think about it, it’s not unusual to see people waiting in line for whatever the reason is, texting speedy quick instead of talking to each other. Indeed, we do need this technology to survive in this modern society but a severe overuse can lead to negative consequences. Being dependent on smart devices can lead to extreme anxiety and major depression when away from technology. Although we might not see it, technology has an unbelievable impact, by pleasuring our brains in similar ways in taking substances. It can have the same rewarding effect as drugs and alcohol might have causing us to feel an escape from reality.
When it comes to gaming, it is no joke, people take gaming very seriously and spend most of their day on it. Most of the terrible effects of video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Multiple studies were tested on gamers whether or not high exposure to these games caused an increased aggression overtime. According to the article “Does playing violent video games cause aggression? A longitudinal intervention study”, the results showed that violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Hotline Miami, Splatterhouse, Thrill kill and Resident Evil have a significant risk factor of the child or teenager becoming physically aggressive or violent later on for boys and for girls as well. It’s been a major concern that violent video games reduce pro-socialization, promotes aggression and causes stress. There are hardly any positive effects on gaming due to most gamers forming an obsession with the game. It is confirmed with multiple studies that overusing technology devices for gaming causes aggressive thoughts and language and may lead up to the worse, mass shootings killing many innocent people and leaving multiple wounded.
Indeed, communication technology such as messaging, email and social media websites has helped society become more connected as a whole. Multiple organizations use electronic communication on a day to day basis to complete personal tasks and socialize. Most importantly, technology has made long distance relationships feel effortless and convenient for one another. To be specific, social networking websites has made the difficult process much easier for friends and family, you can easily stay in touch with loved ones regardless of your location. People can now interact having a near face to face conversation all with a click of a button.
Many people like myself, have described FaceTime as a relationship saving technology. It’s one thing to message and call loved ones in another country but its a different feeling when you can actually see them. Apart from this, technology has really stepped up their game for disabled people and made it possible to communicate where it previously was not. Several of us forget that even the oldest inventions like wheelchairs, canes, crutches and walkers has helped various people.
With that being said, people with physical disabilities can actually enjoy working like normal people because of technology advancements. Equally important, technology has become so advanced to the point that people can now work from home. There are multiple advantages from working at home such as saving money, spend less time commuting, not having to pay for office supplies, and last but not least you’ll be happier than ever staying in your cozy pajamas. Overall, technology has really improved over the years and will continue to advance helping life become much easier and efficient.
However, it seems as if there is a disconnect between people with all this connection through these devices. Clearly, one of the biggest problems with technology is the ability to communicate with one another. Yes, technology has given us the luxury to communicate with friends and family but it also has affected face to face time. Not only has it reduced face to face time, but multiple studies have also shown that constantly being on the internet can cause depression and feelings of loneliness. Especially with this generation, we live in a time where we are exposed to various types of technology devices but do not realize the negative impact it has on us. Due to the constant use of technology communication, this new generation is visibly lacking common social cues and the ability to correctly communicate in person.
Many of the aspects that are essential to have when having a conversation are not necessarily needed through online communication. Jean M. Twenge, the author of “Has The Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” highlighted multiple times that smartphones has changed today’s generation compared to previous generations. Over a phone call with a 13 year old, she claimed that “We didn’t have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people. ” Without a doubt, this generation has truly transformed into a group we no longer can recall. Also, when it comes to working at home there are plenty of disadvantages that one may face that may lead to a lack of community and differences in culture as well as feeling isolated and possibly depressed.
The use of technologies is an essential tool for communication in this universe as it provides fast connectivity and helps long distance relationships feel easy and effortless. But in spite of that, overuse can cause real damage to one’s health, mentally and physically. Whether if its going on social media or playing computer games, the internet offers multiple access points that leads us to have a dependence on technology. Nevertheless, its negatives obviously outweighs the positive in many aspects, yet it has brought so much development. These addictions are shockingly unhealthy for our overall health and we need to spread awareness to make this world a better place for our future generations.
