Negative Impact Of Technology

“THE MOST DISTURBING Stories about the future may be less about what could happen, …and more about what should happen given the way things are right now. The haunting visions of a sad tomorrow in Alexander Weinstein's excellent first collection, Children of the New World, fit that category. Inspired by the author's anxiety over our increasingly virtual lives, these 13 stories artfully slam an unchecked obsession with technology and affirm the beauty of reality's texture,” wrote John Wilwol in a book review published in the New York Times.

The effects of technology usage have long been a topic of debate, with the negative consequences often being brought up. Authors such as Robert Samuels, Alison Gopnik, Nicholas Carr, Gary Small and Vorgan Gigi have all addressed this topic in their own articles. In Samuels’ “Breaking Down Borders: How Technology Transforms the Private and Public Realms,” he discusses the creation of private bubbles in public spaces due to technology, and the consequent alienation of others. “Diagnosing the Digital Revolution” by Gopnik argues that the habits that tech users have today have always existed, while Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” states that technology is actively changing the way humans think. “Meet Your iBrain” by Gigi and Small covers how technology affects brains and alters them. This paper will use the articles and an interview with a peer to analyze the perceived negative effects of using technology, particularly worse memory, shorter attention span, exacerbation of bad habits, and shifting emotions.

Technology has taken over the lives of humans by rendering the way people think, say and do things. From role models and identities to communication and safety, nothing is what it used to be two decades ago and humans have technology to thank for that. The articles in unit three of Writing on the River, display and explain the negative impacts technology has on society. If technology had limitations, perhaps humans would reconvert back to reality after their long-spent time in the world of technology. Some people claim technology has only benefited the world, but these articles have the evidence to prove the cons outweigh the pros.

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

Imagine walking at a park on a nice sunny day with some kids and asking them to go play, five minutes later.. looking up, all their is a empty park because all of them have a technology in their hands and seeing how they are just tapping into those screens nonstop? That is what is happening today in society. Online and real life situations, adolescents behaviors are changing everyday because of these technology uses. The behaviors that the adolescent shows has changed rapidly as technology starts to become very high tech. Their behaviors are showing increasing numbers of cyber bullying, not being very active with other children's, or not going outdoors and more causes. Because of this, if children's behavior with technology is not monitored, it could lead to serious and dangerous consequences.

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.

Throughout all of its years, this world has become a birthplace to numerous technological breakthroughs. From the invention of the very first wheel to today’s quantum supercomputers, it’s obvious that this world has always been technology driven. These advances have aided in areas such as agriculture, communication, travel, and leisure. Leisure is defined as “time free from the demands of work or duty, when one can rest.” People go about various ways of filling their spare time, whether it be spending time with family or playing video games with friends. Handheld digital devices, like the Nintendo DS, have been around for years but the use of technology did not seem to present a problem until smartphones and tablets became popular in the early 2000’s. It is very likely that a teenager will come in contact with one, two, or maybe even three digital screens throughout the course of his or her day. Just like gamblers, users of this technology are on the search for instant gratification and immediate responses. Teens utilize computers to search for information and complete schoolwork, cell phones to communicate and engage in social media, and televisions to binge watch episodes of their favorite show on Netflix. While many argue that teens are not negatively impacted by the constant use of technology, detrimental effects of screen obsessiveness have become a concern in a teenager’s ability to focus as well as maintain social interactions.

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.

Society could not function the way it does without technology. The way humans rely on technology is incredible and the worst part is most of us don’t even know it. Younger generations worry more on what someone said about them on social media or how many likes they got on their photo rather than how they are doing in school and getting themselves out there in the world. Most elementary schools have stopped teaching cursive and correct spelling because we have these fancy things called computers with spellcheck. Technology needs to be limited to the amount of success a human can perceive on their own without the aid from artificial intelligence.

Steven Spielberg once said, “Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we are too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.” This is an example on how telecommunications affect social interaction between people. As technology evolves, so does its negative outcomes towards young children. One can see that technology in cell phones are more harmful than beneficial since it creates distractions, cyberbullying, and connectivity to harmful predators.

The use of technology varies amongst different age groups, often used for productive means, but there is also a negative side of technology usage. With the advancement of technology, technology is considered as survival tools for humans. These generally make life easier and helps humans be extra productive. Moreover, Adults harness the power of technology to solve complex problems. Usually, this can only be done with the aid of a computer. Another arena of technology use is for school, both, parents and teachers believe technology helps enhance learning. Although technology is meant to be useful in different scenarios, it does not always mean it is healthy. For example, as suggested in a study – “Students who use less technology, score higher on reading exam versus those who use technology above the average” (Bremmer, 2016). Society has evolved to misuse technology in many unhealthy ways; these ‘negative uses’ have many ramifications for individuals.

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.

Technology; the rise or fall of our existing generations? Research has shown that technology impacts our thinking and mental processes. Unfortunately, the impacts do not appear to be in our favor. There are four categories that the negative impacts from technology usage, on the human mind, divide into. The categories are memory loss, alterations in our learning styles, adverse impacts on focus, and a diminishing mental importance of the physical world around you.

Technology is a vital part of today’s society. People use everyday talking to friends, communicating for others, and more. Technology is mostly a negative influence on people’s identities because it grants power without responsibilities, promotes narcissism, and can be dangerous to others (misuse).

Technology has been one of mankind’s greatest achievements yet. It has made life easier and more enjoyable, but it has also presented many negative impacts. If not carefully observed and analyzed, it will become difficult to control uprising problems. Technology has created its negative impacts through health, social relationships, and ways of living; therefore, use of technology should be limited and controlled.