Is Technology Negatively Affecting Mankind?

“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 can be considered both beneficial and harmful to the people of the United States. It can help us connect with one other, find answers to mysterious questions, and entertain us in boring times. However, technology can also be addictive and interrupt our day to day lives. One of the biggest effects that technology has had one our country is the negative aspect.

In this era of technological excellence, people are continuously making this world more accessible. These developments are allowing us to connect and interact easily. Time and distance are not an obstacle in terms of exchanging information anymore. We are able to connect with anyone at anytime from a very long distance. This helps us maintaining our relations, communicate and gain information. Yet, many of these developments create stress, interruption, and isolation. While everyone is saying, this is a gift. In many cases, this is a malicious curse. Technology has its positive and negative impacts. There is no clear right or wrong side of this debate. But obviously, it has changed what used to mean appropriate social interaction.

People in Society nowadays spend most of their time using their smartphones to communicate, be entertained, and attain information in their daily life, texting and social media sites have become the means in which people communicate with others. When I was a kid I used a 3DS to be entertained, by these days entertainment comes by using a phone, personal device, or a console which can easily be transported. Information is spread within seconds by using social media. As you can see, society has become overly dependant in using technology in their daily lives for three reasons.

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 is the science or knowledge put into use to solve problems as well as invent useful tools. It is a necessity used in everyday lives because of its advancement, especially in today’s world, from curing illnesses to being able to talk to someone across the country with one single electronic device. Although technology may look as if it’s beneficial to our society, it will ruin the future of the human race. We live in a place with hate all around that can be the cause to an atrocious downfall. Countries use this power to overthrow each other with the use of weapons such as nuclear bombs that can easily wipe out a city with one single button. Similarly, the novel Level 7, by Mordecai Roshwald, gives a great realistic outlook of what would happen if the government were to use a nuclear bomb to wipe out their enemies. Other novels such as The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells indicate the negative viewpoint, not only with death but what the future of technology will hold for the human race. Technology will eventually become so powerful that humans will no longer be able to control it causing their immense downfall.

“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.

Whether you are a geek buying the latest smartphone, game console, and latest apple products or you are just the minimalist who only has the necessary smart devices like your phone and maybe a laptop it is undeniable that technology is making it’s way into every nook and cranny of modern society. Owning your own car was treated as a freedom back in the eighties but now owning a car is starting to become a thing of the past as companies such as UBER and Lyft are replacing taxies but making a new form of public transportation constantly available almost everywhere around the world. Even though technology has basically taken over every aspect of our lives does not mean that every person has embraced it with open arms. These days we still have an ongoing debate about whether smart devices and the internet are helping or hurting society as a whole or not. Enthusiasts on this topic tend to look at a more optimistic view on this new technological age expressing how they think that robots and artificial intelligence will change our world for the better both Kevin Kelly’s “Better than Human”, Clive Thompson’s “Smarter than You Think”, as well as Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld’s “The Influencing Machines” explore. On the other hand, skeptics tend to write about how these new technologies are tainting our own capabilities and making us more dependent rather than relying on our own skills says Nicholas Carr in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”. Although technology has

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.

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.

Less than ten years ago it would have been a rarity to own a smartphone. Technology has advanced immensely over the years and completely changed the way we live today. Most people would argue that technology is beneficial and it helps make their lives much easier. Although these statements may be true, I could easily argue the contrary. Sometimes I think life would be simpler without it. Almost everything comes with its pros and cons, but this paper will soon persuade you that one outweighs the other. Technologies of all sorts have started to take over our lives; for some, such as the “Digital Natives,” technology is all we have ever known. I am dumbfounded when I see a seven year old with their own iPad; the dependency of technology is

Technology is everywhere. Technology makes learning in classrooms easier and more interactive, it also helps kids find creativity in making and designing things online. It helps enhance a students thinking too. Yet, several scientist have shown that technology is just as addictive as drugs and harming to your health, and not just your health, it breaks away relationships you have made with others.

A popular argument in today’s society is whether or not technology has a negative or positive effect. Whether it is something you see on TV or in one’s own everyday life, it is more popular to see someone’s face focused on a phone screen rather than buried in a book. Over the past few decades, technology has been getting more popular as new developments arise. Not only are cell phones a main priority, but also computers, the internet and video games. Ever since the invention of the first programmable computer in the 1937 which was the size of an entire computer lab today, advances have been being made rapidly and today there are computers as thin as a piece of paper.(When was the first computer invented?). As time goes on, technology only gets smarter but is it making humans less smart? Sever addiction to modern technology is allowing us to be dumbed down by technology that allows society to rely on it. Although there are positives of the rising popularity of modern technology, do the negatives outweigh the positives?

The use of technology has both positive and negative consequences. It is a positive that we can use technology to find people that we lost and bring them back into our lives. The positive aspects of technology are communication in business, communication for the disabled, online dating, online community. With technology, Social media became a tend and that’s how most billionaire got their fame. Social media allow people to connect with anyone in anyplace at any time and this is a true advancement in communication from technology. The negative aspects that will be addressed are losing face-to-face communication, theft through technology, decline in human labor.