Technology And Technology : The Negative Effects Of Technology

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.

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.

Through the years technology has been evolving increasingly, from flip phones to smartphones to watches used as phones, type writers to laptops to touch screen laptops and radios to basic televisions to big screens to flat screens and on to smart screens. Growing up, I would often spend time watching many hours of television. As a teenager, I also would begin spending more time on phone; talking, texting and video chatting. In today the world, the internet is highly influential, and is filled with a plethora of information about many things. For a long time, phones and the internet have become very problematic because of the lack of communication. Because technology may have a negative effect, it can lead to an overload from the media, to phones hindering writing skills and online communication can affect face to face communication.

Technology has always been a controversial subject between conservative people and innovators. Some people believe that it is a great tool to connect cultures and improve education and innovation in our society today, but others view it as a menace in our lives. “Growing Up Tethered” by Sherry Turkle and “George Orwell...Meet Mark Zuckerberg” by Lori Andrews both view technology as a dangerous tool. They believe in the many drawbacks of technology and the harm it can do to our lives with no explanation of the positive effects it has had on our society. “Our Future Selves” by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen plays the role of a positive look at technology and its role in our lives today. It gives examples of how advancing technology helps us and improves so many peoples’s lives. We can use Schmidt and Cohen’s essay as a lens to view the other two texts and gain a different understanding of what they are writing about.

Technology is as much of a distraction as it is an asset. It took me 30 minutes to begin this essay because my phone is right next to me, and I got a text. A single message turned into a full conversation along with an update on multiple social media apps. I was annoyed with my phone because it distracted me from my essay, but how could I stay mad at something so important to me? Without my phone I doubt I could be a functioning adult. I couldn’t have bought my Starbucks this morning, I used the mobile app, and I couldn’t have boarded my plane, my boarding pass was sent to my email, and I couldn’t have called an Uber to get back to school.

As I said in my previous essay, not many people realize it, but the human race desperately depends on technology for existence. Although depending on things such as computers, cellular devices, and search engines comes with very helpful and developmental research, it has also come with many negative effects. Technology has literally affected all aspects of life for every living person. To the point where it has made people lazy, taken their jobs, and has even made people addicted to social networking. Some examples of problems are constant use of social media, texting and driving incidents, cyberbullying, and even cheating on tests or exams. I believe that we’ve become evermore negatively dependent on technology because humans now feel the need to socialize and connect with one another more frequently than they did before the turn of the 21st century.

Should parents be more aware of the technology their children are using? Children are learning to use technology at a younger age, and the younger they are the more adaptable their mind is. Technology forms the growing mind, but parents should be aware of what their child's mind is growing too. Teenagers use of technology and social media has been causing peer pressure, online violence, and cyberbullying, which are why some adults say it is ruining the childhood of many. The development of modern culture and technology is changing so rapidly that there are some disadvantages on childhood, although some people say it is a positive effect on children. So are the advancements of technology a positive or negative effect on children?

Young people spend 27 or more hours a week on the Internet (Anderson). As society moves on, technology will keep diffusing and changing drastically; opening more possibilities for newer and undiscovered innovations to take over. Technology can be found anywhere from phones to cars that people drive every day. As technology advances, scientists and doctors have started an altercation between those who believe new tech will teach communities and strengthen our knowledge and others who believe that inventing untested gadgets will only corrupt the nation and affect students at work. Although people view technology as an important tool of the future, technology can be more harmful to society as students become distracted, leading to health concerns, and influencing people to cyberbully.

Although technology can bring people together and has educational tools it can tear us away from what's real in life. Technology has become such a big part of our lives that people can now just look at a watch and check their emails or watch a video. People are being consumed by their own technology devices technological to the point that instead of spending actually face to face time with their family they are in their room and in their bed just watching youtube. There are many problems with the way technology negatively affects people. To name a few, people are constantly distracted, there are many individuals that are in social isolation because they are always on their device. Also, an individual can suffer from technology addiction which leads to having a warped sense of reality.

Technology has impacted and influenced how people function and devote their time immensely. With the creation of smartphones, computers, and social networks, people have adopted them into their lives and use them daily, which creates a dependence on these devices. An immoderate dependence upon technology is a state that humanity has come to in today’s age that permits people to believe that they essentially cannot function without it. The fear of not having one’s cellphone or being in a position where one’s cellphone cannot be used, whether it be because of a dead battery or having no signal, is known as nomophobia. This irrational phobia can be described as a cell phone separation anxiety. Even though technology is revolutionary, technology is addictive and has adverse effects on people’s lives when used excessively.

“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 is a prominent object in today's society and it has been for a while now. It is undeniable that our culture and way of living has progressed thanks to the advancements in mechanics. At the same time, it could be argued that technology is harming anyone who has an electronic at their disposable. This argument is usually made by adults and the elderly, however, are their claims really far from the truth? If we were to look into the problem, beyond the surface, we would come to the realization the technology honestly hurting people as well as making them lazy.

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.

Over the years, technology has been pushed into the spotlight and it affects almost everyone in the world in some way, shape, or form. Obviously, the influence of technology has evolved over time and will continue to be relevant in the future due to the progression of technology. How is technology actually affecting future generations? Sure, technology helps society in many different ways, such as reconnecting friends,providing support and spreading awareness for important issues. But, technology also accounts for brain and mental health damage, weight gain, and a negative impact on school grades. Is there a way to truly know the impact of technology and is it

Technology moves the world; it advances society. It lessens the workload of people and companies, and shapes the world into a more technologically dependent one. Is society becoming overly reliant upon the innovation that it has created? Humankind should be benefitted wholeheartedly through it, but what of those who are negatively affected by the tidal wave of technological advancement? Such innovation should not be swamped by government regulations, nor should the creativity bolstered through said innovation; if anything, more work and attention should be pressed towards the technological industry to a certain extent, to improve upon improvisations and work out the kinks and negative effects it may have.