Negative Effects Of Technology On The Brain Essay

Kids, teens and adults are now constantly navigating the internet or using some sort of technology. In the article “Is the Onslaught Making Us Crazy” by Tony Dokoupil, different psychologist claim that technology has a bad influence on the human mind. Throughout the text, real life examples, showing psychological breakdowns, are used to support the statement.

Technology in today's world affect everyone about the same since we can not live without. The amount of different activities and possibilities to do on the internet using different devices is immense . Whatever you want if it is food,games, or researching something anyone can receive in a matter of seconds. Tammy Kennon who is the author of , “ 5 New Brain Disorders that Were Born Out of the Digital Age” states the negatives about the technology devices that run the world. She tells us about how our patience, attention spans, and memory are all affected due to that fact that we are obsessed with electronics. In today’s world everyone relies on web searches like google to answer a question or do something for them. When a research was conducted by researchers they found out that”[O]ne -Third of them did not even try, reaching for google immediately” this shows how much people rely

Nicholas Carr, the author of the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” illustrates various ways that the internet is negatively affecting our brains. He explains how people are growing dependent on technology every day, and he claims that the internet is a resource that can be used for anything, including reading and learning. According to Carr, the internet distracts people from the real world and it is a waste of time. He writes that the media is a shortcut to information and it is making people get used to having information quickly and conveniently. The author states that Google and the internet are trying to replace our brains with an artificial brain that can be faster in some contexts. Moreover, Carr’s article sparked debate for others to research the topic, thus creating an ongoing debate whether we are weakening our brain when it comes to internet searches. Overall, Google and the internet in general are, for the most part, helpful with the information they offer, the communication they make possible, and the virtually limitless technology they provide.

In recent years, advances in technology have exploded. Almost every child has a tablet, middle schools are giving students laptops, and nearly every adult on the planet can be seen walking around with a smartphone. The internet is a huge part of today’s society. Information from all over the globe is just a few clicks away, but could that be a bad thing? Nicholas Carr thinks that the internet is making society stupid in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Steven Johnson says that the internet is a great thing in his essay “Everything Bad is Good for Us,” and Christine Rosen seems to think that everything digital is evil in her work “People on the Screen.” When used correctly, the internet has an overwhelmingly positive effect on the growth of the human brain. Technology provides people with more opportunities to read, a way for children to be stimulated, and simpler communication.

Around the world, the internet is a resource where individuals can meet new people, do research, or access entertainment. Although technology can do many different tasks, it also can alter child development. The effects of child development have become a main concern regarding the internet. In their separate articles, Genevieve Johnson and Nicholas Carr discuss how the technological world is becoming hazardous for the brains of adolescence. The articles mainly focuses on how a person can resort to their brain changing as they continue to use the Net and the effected social behaviors on child development.

In the world today, the predominant force in teen’s lives is the use of their mobile devices, computers, and other forms of electronics. As the use of technology increases, concerns are growing about the amount of screen time teens should be exposed to, and if the use of technology can affect a teen’s brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics, or the AAP, is considering raising the two hour screen time limit to four hours because of the growing use of electronics in our day and age. However, because teens’ brains develop differently than adults, parts of their brains are not mature enough. Some parts, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for thinking ahead and sizing up risk and reward, are not fully developed. Therefore, the use of technology can greatly impact a growing teen’s brain, and influence from mobile devices or electronics can have both a positive or negative effect on their brain. As a result, some people believe that the screen time limit shouldn’t be raised, however others believe the AAP should raise its standards. In the texts, “What’s Going on In Your Brain?” by Linda Bernstein, “Growing Up Digital” by Matt Richtel; “Attached to Technology and Paying the Price” by Matt Richtel, “AAP Policy Statement: ‘Children, Adolescents, and the Media’”, it has been delineated that the use of technology can have a negative influence on growing teens. Therefore, the AAP should not raise its recommended daily entertainment screen time from

Most of the teenagers present in the contemporary age own a myriad of different electronic items and gadgets. There is a theory that whenever a new gadget or item is used, the brain adapts and changes mental processes to accommodate to the new experiences. For example, when the internet began to become popular, the brain adapted by thinking faster. In addition, less and less teenagers enjoy reading lengthy novels, because they are used to the fast-paced browsing done on the internet. In the article, “Is Google Making us Stoopid?” author Nicholas Carr presents evidence to prove the internet has changed the way humans think.

I believe that this source plays an essential role in my project. This source explains to the reader as to why using excessive technologies are damaging our brain, and it also informs the reader to use websites such as google as rarely as possible because most people who are addicted to these websites are facing extremely difficult time with reading, writing, and intellectuality.

In the article "Does the Internet Make You Dumber?", Carr (2010) shows the drawbacks of the Internet. He states that people depend on the Internet. A long-term influence of the Internet can change continually the structure of the human brain. Carr explains that the Internet distracts or interrupts people‘s attention and may lead them to think shallowly. His purpose is to warn people to control themselves when using technology.

Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?,” informs younger, upcoming generations on how the internet may have negative effects on the human mind. As time goes on and technology advances humans are becoming more dependent on the resources it provides. The way in which people abuse the internet is causing them to lose valuable skills, skills that are necessary for humans to be able to interact with the world and the people who live in it. Rather than allowing our minds to explore thoughts and try to figure out the answer people go straight to the internet. Over the years people have become more and more reliant on the power of technology without even questioning whether or not it is a good benefit to have everything at a push of a button. The internet and how it surrounds every aspect of a person’s life is to blame for the issues that upcoming generations are experiencing. Without intervention the problems are only going to get worse and slow down the advancement of the human race. Having information a click away is causing these upcoming generations to lose tenacity, sense of wonder, to develop focus issues, and to develop both mental and physical health problems.

Technology is everywhere. Americans are surrounded by it on a daily basis. Although, we seem to be fully immersed in the technological world, we really aren’t. Most Americans believe that they are knowledgeable when their actual knowledge of technology is limited. Specifically, today’s youth, ages eight to eighteen, use technology a staggering eleven and a half hours a day, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Their brains have become ‘wired’ to use their tech gadgets effectively in order to multi-task. . .often exposing their brains to shocking and sensational images and videos. Many people are desensitizing their neural circuits to the horrors they see, while not getting much, if any, off-line training in empathic skills. And the effects may even reach young people,” says Dr. Gary Small. The effects of technology on the adolescent brain include a decrease in empathy; Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. A study done by the Harvard College of Education states that 80% of the youth surveyed stated that personal achievement and happiness was more important to them than caring for others. In the new age of technology empathy has taken a backseat to self-centeredness. The same survey by Harvard College of Education found that 30% of middle schoolers reported being bullied, more than 50% of girls between seventh and twelfth grade reported being sexually harassed, and more than 50% of high schoolers admitted to cheating. This

The problem for my topic proposal essay is “Exposure of technology to children at an early age is bad for brain development”. The problem is ultimately crucial for the entire world to fix as children who are the potential leaders are having a decline in brain development now due to early exposure to technology. More children age 3-5 are able play a computer game (66 percent) or navigate a smartphone (47 percent) than tie their shoes (14 percent) or swim unaided (23 percent) (AVG Technology, 2014). This statistics shows that children develop their basic cognitive skills slower than learning how to use a phone. The problem would only worsen if there is no limit or resolution to make children switch their focus to reality rather than hooked up

What effect does modern digital technology have on individuals who rely on it heavily in their everyday lives? Innovations such as video games, internet search engines, and online databases receive great praise as well as great criticism depending on who answers this question. Nicholas Carr and Steven Johnson have both written pieces stating their opinions on technology’s effect on the human brain. Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” explains how accessing information quickly and easily through search engines like Google negatively alters the way people seek and read information and think. Johnson’s book “Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter” covers the positive attributes of digital technology, video games in particular. He explains how video games are intellectually stimulating and help develop complex skills. Digital technology has interesting effects on the different processes of our mind.

People argue the average attention span has decreased over the year as technology increases. Brenner agrees, “According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the average attention span of a human being has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds” (Brenner 1). This statistical evidence connects to the issue of technology because this data was recorded from the National Center for Biotechnology. I think technology has had a toll on people today because of the instant feedback we can receive from the internet. This can connect when teenagers are texting and driving as we relate back to the information appetite Jacob Silverman discusses. We want the instant feedback and information as Silverman stated and that is why he named the chapter “Big Data and Informational Appetite,” to reflect the information we crave. The informational appetite connects to the attention span and multitasking phenomenon teenagers are witnessing on a daily basis because teenagers want the next update and

Each hour you spend on screens, thirty minutes is lost to face-to-face interactions. Screen time has been used for the wrong things. A synapse is the space between one neuron’s axons and the other neurons dendrite. In order for your brain to make a decision, tiny special cells “talk” with each other through a series of neurotransmitters, like a circuit in a computer. Then the whole network puts out a response which becomes your outward behavior. Information travels from neuron by way of their axons and dendrites. To make the connection better the axons wrap themselves in myelin through myelination (Scholastic). Kids spend over seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen, that means their brains will develop differently from other generations. The overuse of technology such as Google might cause us to synaptically prune our brains and our thinking will be negatively affected. People are getting a lot of information so that makes the attention span get worse (San Crooker). Finally, screen time has been used for the wrong things.