Negative Effects Of Technology

Due to humans always using technology it has caused humans to become lazy. For example, rather than people using their prior knowledge or brain power to solve simple math problems, people have become dependant on calculators. The invention of the internet is also another huge root of this problem. There are approximately 1.2 trillion terabytes of data on the internet. When people have access to that much knowledge why would humans need to remember facts? People have become reliant on the internet and technology in general (“Modern Technology”).

The most noticeable effect of technology usage is a shortage of memory; not as in computer memory, but human memory. With Google constantly at people’s fingertips, it’s easy to look up information rather than memorize it. Carr cites in his article that tech users "cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful," instead of relying on the internet to quickly search for facts without having to commit them to memory (7). He also states that humans are losing the capacity to ‘deep read’ and cannot unearth meaning in articles the way that they used to in the time of the printing press and less evolved pieces of technology (3). In Gigi and Small’s article, they mention that the prefrontal cortex, or the area in the brain that handles short-term memory, could be altered by technology usage (4). However, Kristina Konidaris, a student who uses multiple technological devices daily, states that the technology does not have a profound impact on her memory. Instead, she states that her memory is more affected by her interest in the subject and her feelings rather than the technology used, although sometimes it may be easier to remember things she has handwritten rather than typed. Also included in Gigi and Small’s

Another study by Mr. Merzenich, Professor of University of California in San Francisco found out that the brain is adaptable to whatever situation it is put in, therefore it can adapt to our technology habit which could be deadly to our intellectual lives. In other words, the individual “become signal processing units, quickly shepherding disjointed bits of info and then out of short term memory (Nicholas Carr).” Patricia Greenfield, a leading developmental psychologist, discovered that the “internet strengthened visual-spatial intelligence”. But for what cost, but a “new weakness in higher-order cognitive processes,” which included critical thinking, imagination and abstract vocabulary (Nicholas Carr).

Ever wonder why you wake up grumpy in the morning and can’t remember that one thing? Take this into account: Technology is changing our brains. The loss of sleep and reduction of memory are all symptoms of technology transforming your brain.

Today, about 9 in 10 Americans use the Internet and 77% of Americans own a smartphone. Compare these statistics to the early 2000s when 5 in 10 Americans were online and in 2011, when only 35% of Americans owned a smartphone. Just a few decades ago, the technology we have today were merely ideas in science fiction novels or gadgets seen in a futuristic movie. There is no doubt that technology use has increased dramatically within this decade and these numbers may continue to rise as technology becomes more available to the public. Technology is slowly taking over our life and so many people have grown up surrounded by technology that a life without it is pretty much unimaginable. As technology becomes a bigger part of our daily lives, we

Technology has greatly impacted today’s society. Through technology, we can have the entire world at our finger tips; but is this new and evolving way of life negatively impacting society? Traditional family foundations are rotting away due to modern use of technology. Children, instead of playing outside, riding bikes, or using their imagination, are increasingly depending on technology; and in the future, technology will have damaging effects.

From the telegram to the cell phone, technology has been vital in keeping communication alive and efficient in the world. It no longer takes days for an important message to reach someone because it was sent by pigeon or in the mail. Apps like Skype even allow for people to see each other face to face who otherwise may not have a chance to. Yet even with these advantages, it is still argued that technology has decreased social tendencies of teenagers. This isn’t necessarily true though and some may instead say that social interactions have just taken a new form. Teenagers today are just as social today as they were years ago and maybe a little more due to technology because of convenience, the efficiency of sending messages, and natural protection making it easier to spread views on a topic.

“For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three,” said Alice Kahn. Walking down the hall at school, most students are on their phones because they just got out of class and have not had it for forty minutes. Technology has overtaken most of the lives of teenagers. It can be used for the good of the people or tear people down. Technology often makes people more alone due to the fact that it has overtaken some people’s lives, people spend more time on their phones than being productive, source of cyberbullying, people care more about how they look online rather than in person, use it as a replacement for interactions, and some schools want to revamp learning to online.

“Technology should improve you life, not become you life” - Billy Cox. These words from the legendary bassist have a powerful meaning which can relate to today's society. The fascination of new technology has stolen the eyes of the people worldwide. As more breakthroughs with technology occur, people will become more dependent on a resource that is not reliable. In other words, more people will start to depend on modern technology with all of their needs, which can lead to reducing of their creativity and own intelligence. The uprising of new technology may have its advantages, but on the other hand, it can cause cyberbullying, health issues, and a lack of social skills.

Technological advancements have made strides in cultural adaptation to successfully fabricate easements in life’s elaborate, intricate processes in the twenty-first Century. Business prospers with the use of e-mails to send notes within seconds of writing the thought rather than people having to engage in an hour-long conference, while the use of Skype has vastly increased how we interact with people from all over the world. The News was once posted once a day through tabloids or television, whereas today, the information would be missed and not updated with up-to-the-minute posts. Present-day children will be interacting with their friends in-real time and do not have to take time out of their schedule to form plans ahead of time. Consequently, people have abused how the internet was intended to be which has led to some undeniable, severe consequences. Technology, therefore, has negatively impacted how society’s simplistic, indispensable interactions through substitution of the human-connection experience, which affects people’s attention span shorter than it used to be, and providing a need for people to receive shallow and instant gratification about how people view the world.

Technology is one of the strongest and powerful tools people use today in the twenty-first century. “In the modern knowledge and information society, everyone can enjoy benefits from advanced information and communication technologies.” (Jun 1). When use technology they lose lack communication with other, they lack time, attitude change, and lastly lack of school work. Technology is a strong addition that can lead to children doing negativity things.

Technology is always continually advancing. The impact that technology has had on individuals and on society is negative. This negative impact is driven by technology’s ability to worsen social interaction and provide a source of constant distraction.

With human’s creating high technology we have forever transformed the way we live, even the way we feel. Technology has changed the way we think without us ever even realizing it. We have information at our fingertips making the way we receive information forever. No longer do we have to search the library's for our papers. Even the way we socialize has changed. We simply go on an app to look at others across the world or to communicate. But this doesn't mean it’s not having a negative effect on us. T.M Luhrmann states “Nobody thinks for themselves anymore.” We simply just take what other’s say and believe it’s real. In T.M Luhrmann article “ Is The World More Depressed” explains that it has been recently learned that Facebook leads people to feel less about themselves in a single moment with their lives. One of those reasons being because they see others post these most flattering, beautiful photo’s and funny comments when their lives feels so gray and dull. This leading to sadness which soon could lead to depression. With social media increasing we have become to have a greater awareness of other people and where we stand in social space.

Technology: the best thing to happen to humanity or the worst? Technology has revolutionized our generations and many to come: Over 90% of adults have their mobile device with reach of them at all times, 4 of the 7 billion people in the world has a mobile device, eBay makes on average 700$ per second, google receives over a billion searches on average per day (The Future of Technology and its Effects). Technology has helped save many people in fields like medicine and health care and in cancer alone has saved an estimated 14.5 million lives(News.” HealthCare Institute of New Jersey), but is indirectly responsible for nearly all deaths in our world. Although the negatives of all the deaths and social skills lost to technology, the good out ways the bad with advancements in medications, education, and communication.

Mr. Ray Kurzweil, renowned inventor and author of The Singularity is Near, wrote in 2001 that technological progress was increasing twofold every decade, “We won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century-it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today’s rate)” (qtd. in Berman and Dorrier). We are only in the beginning of the 21st century and yet technology is advancing faster than our ability to adapt! Technology has given society convenience and a higher standard of living with the creation of the internet, smartphones, increasingly useful robots, and artificial intelligence that learns (Rosoff). In the past couple of decades, continued integration of technology in society has dramatically increased, resulting in significant problems with respect to invasion of privacy and loss of basic freedoms. Technology has enabled governments and large corporations to collect personal data. Facial recognition and surveillance technology are being used for more than just “security.” Although this rise in technology has provided society with many different freedoms and benefits, technology will eventually lead to a society with little or no freedom.