Have you ever used technology – surfing the internet, playing a videogame, or scrolling through social media – as a way to escape reality for a little bit? Have you been guilty of ‘binge watching” a Netflix series, or two...or three in one weekend because you did not want to deal with your parents, family or friends for a while? At what point does technology become an addiction, especially for teenagers of today who will be the first generation who knows nothing different than life with technology? Being seventeen, I am apart of the generation labeled as “digital natives,” this means me and many other teens have been born into the technological world, and do not know a world without technology. We are allowing this technological world to consume who we are and what we do with our lives. Especially for the generation of teens today, technology will continue to be difficult to live without; but it also will become something very difficult to live with if we rely on it too much or feel like we can not live without it.
“Digital detox” expert and author Heidi Haiis claims that technology addiction is the “addiction of the 21st Century”, and will be a growing problem especially for teens of today. Kimberly Young, author of Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment, states that “technology addiction is defined as a habitual compulsion to engage in using technology instead of addressing life’s problems (Kimberly).” Some feel the use of technology
In an ever-changing society, there is always pressure to accomplish tasks faster. People every day seek to make their lives simpler, live more efficiently, and in turn get more out of the day. Such emerging technologies have helped us make things easier on us in everyday life. When is the last time you saw an infomercial and thought hey I could use that? Consequently, communication has changed and is constantly changing, accelerating the world around us. Just think about how far we have come, and has ever-changed our pace of life. Technology is fueling our way of life, making everyday tasks faster and easier to do. In turn, this gives us more time to do more with the time in the day.
Technology is defined as machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge. Its original use was meant solely for the service of humans, however overtime it has evolved into something much different. What was originally meant to be an assisting piece of machinery has changed almost every aspect of our culture. The way we think, communicate, lie, and even love has been impacted by the use of technology, and all of this is has made for interesting pieces of literature. In pieces such as Her and I, Robot, we see the evolution of robots and artificial intelligence into a more empathetic and humanlike creatures. This gradual change in our views of robots overtime speaks volumes to the evolution of technology. Technology in literature has become a reflection of human beings themselves, mirroring the very qualities of ourselves that make us human. By looking at the personality that technology takes on in literature, we can greater understand the aspects of ourselves that truly make us human.
Technology is a fun way to stay entertained, and can also be useful in completing many everyday tasks. It is most certainly something that has revolutionized the way we do many things, but has also taken over our everyday lives. Could this form of entertainment qualify as an addiction? If so, how similar is the addiction of technology to the addiction of drugs?
As technological advances are being made every day, the average adult has begun to increase their screen time daily. More people are spending time on their devices, than going out and interacting with others and their community. People also tend According to a study by David Greenfield, this addiction occurs to individuals who are unable to interact with others in real life and tend to be “socially reclusive” (Greenfield 1). This highlights how some individuals feel uncomfortable connecting in person, so they go to social media to assist them in mingling with other people who share similar problems. Unlike past generations, millenials have been using the internet much more as a platform to interact and this has caused several individuals to become addicted to their personal devices. This real life fear also causes many who attempt to withdraw from this addiction to have long term side effects. Some of these effects consist of “experience withdrawal including: anger, depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom, and restlessness” (Greenfield 1). As shown by the symptoms, internet addiction is a growing problem that current adolescents face. This fear is far more than justified as hundreds of studies have sampled and diagnosed individuals combatting this addiction. Another negative impact of internet addiction is that it can isolate one from the rest of the world and cause them to neglect things that are happening around them. Although everything may seem normal at first, as one grows older this can have long term effects on their social life. Internet addiction is one of many technological fears faced by the world
“How many teens are truly addicted to their devices and the internet? It is difficult to say,” says CNN’s recent article, “Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted to Their Cellphones”. Filled with absurdly ambiguous claims, the article gives a terminal diagnosis for the nation’s youth, painting satires of teens who are unable to walk from class to class without maintaining constant eye contact with their phones. At the same time, however, the author, Kelly Wallace, gives herself plenty of breathing room with statements similar to the above quote. Thus, the matter of tech addiction stands relatively untouched; the article did nothing to truly refute or support its own title claim. Such a statement cannot be truly supported because, like a multitude
The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks. Today, it is a public, cooperative and self-sustaining facility accessible to millions of people. This global access to a new world has its shortcomings. One of many that might be considered the most important is addiction; I can easily confess that I see myself as a cell phone addicted person. After reading the article “Half of Teens Think They” by Kelly Wallace, I came to a conclusion that I am not the only one who faces this impasse. However, the article also says that it is difficult to say how many teens are truly addicted to their devices and the Internet. Also it is found a problem, because parents feel their teens spend too much time on their mobile devices. Trying to solve this difficulty, some parents came up with solutions.
A new epidemic has fallen over America and is spreading like wild fire across the states as more and more fall victim to its claws. That epidemic is known as internet addiction which many of today’s youths are prone to due to the widespread usage of technology. Excessive use of the internet has proven hazardous to the generation because it decreases cognitive ability, impairs social development, and increases health problems. Since the current American society relies heavily on technology and web searches through google, the internet has become a necessary essential and making addiction almost inevitable.
In the article, “The Bad, the Ugly, and the Good of kids Use of Social Media,” Jim Taylor gives us a definition of the phrase internet addiction. He states, “Internet addiction is commonly characterized as excessive use of internet that interferes with daily functioning and that can lead to distress or harm,”. The addiction from the internet surely has a price to pay. Internet addiction is harmful psychologically, addictions to the internet shouldn’t be our only concern when it comes to social media, and internet addiction has no age limit.
Teenagers use this technology as a way to escape daily challenges as well as unwanted emotional problems, while constantly looking for excuses to not leave it alone. I believe that it takes determination and self-introspection to realize how much technology is taking over an individual life. In order to have a healthy life, balance is of essence and this is how computer use can be managed. According to the FCD Prevention Works, an international nonprofit provider of prevention for substance abuse, on the Hazelden Betty Ford foundation website, “once teenagers find something they are good at and want to do, they will naturally gravitate toward it. It is easier to create an Internet façade, but far more rewarding for teens to cultivate true purposes and genuine identities within their families, schools, and communities.” I believe this method can be effective when an individual finds their niche, their passionate drive and implements valuable time into it, rather than going on their phone. Addiotionally, with the support of family members anyone can minimize their use due to the constant supervision they are receiving. Technological usage can be a negative epidemic, but with the help of the individual’s environment it can solely be merged with
Vivek Agarwal and Sujit Kumar Kar in their editorial, “Technology Addiction in Adolescents”, profess that the technology and gadgets are utilized for communication and entertainment but that it leads to unhealthy addictions and behaviors. They support their claim by first stating that it is mainly affecting young population by how it is directed to make tasks easier, then by implying that cell phones are hand held devices that encourage internet addiction and that this leads to unhealthy isolation and low self esteem. Agarwal and Kar inform us about the people in our generation and they suggest that we need to bring about change in this addiction, and the use of technology could
In addition, many children are required to use technology while there are in school. There is also a plethora of other reasons in which someone must use technology or a mobile device. While although there are many instances in which both adults and youth must use technology, enough is enough. Technology addiction is causing numerous health issues, causing people to lose their identity and even causing people to harm their relationships in the real world. However, the use of technology is not the issue, the issue is the abuse of technology and as a result, becoming addicted to it. If both parents and children are able to recognize the problem and use the steps to change something in the way they use technology, then maybe there would not be so many individuals addicted. Agarwal finds that, “More than 60% of Americans said they were addicted to the internet” (171). However, this statistic only includes those who were able to admit they were addicted. There may be many more people who need help and are unwilling to admit it. Both parents and their children need to step up and face the outbreak with confidence. As Vince Lombardi says, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will”. What Lombardi was trying to say can apply directly so how to solve technology addiction. If people know about the issue, but are
10). Kids who use technology constantly can become addicted. According to Chakraborty, K., Basu, D., & Kumar, K. G. V. (2010), “Young (6) was one of the first to describe excessive and problematic Internet use as an addictive disorder” (p. 124). There have been many studies for how technology addiction can be compared to one 's addiction to drugs. If kids are addicted to the use of technology and become dependant upon it then it can have damaging affects on their health, socialization, and ability to focus.
Looking at 21st century digital culture, it is important to see that technology occurs as an essential part of social reality; in other words, one has to be conscious that the bulk of all people are currently addicted to
Technology has become the new way to communicate in today’s millennium generation. Individuals are using phones as a part of their everyday lives. Apps and online resources have been greatly used to communicate with others. According to the author’s, technology could be the reason for building or ruining relationships. Whether or not technology could be building relationships, I believe technology is destroying communication between friends and family. Due to technology, relationships are being negatively affected because it is causing individuals to lose physical communication skills and bonding time with friends and family.
There is an expression saying “man born not of his own time.” The basics of the quotes meaning is a persons mannerisms, thoughts, ideas, and dreams are based out of a different time frame then the individual is presently living in. Technology a defining feature to our time line in human evolution. Each major technological advancements introduces new opportunities, as well as obstacles, that aide mankind in advancing to the next step in their evolutionary chain. The 21st centuries latest technology is the 3D printer, a device capable of re-defining our lives to be more convenient by printing all of our needs. It is claimed 3D printing will be an absolute positive technology to benefit mankind, but we will soon encounter situations where uncontrolled, illegal substances will be produced because anyone can attain a printer and its materials, the simplicity of learning the machine makes it convenient for everyone, and there are no restrictions on content being printed.