The Effects Of Excessive Time With Technology

The pressure and fear of what teenagers perceive to be the consequences of not staying connected only exacerbates their usage. On the average, teenagers send and receive up to 30 texts a day (Lenhart, 2015). The next age group, those between 19-26, who are balancing school with work have been shown to use the internet more frequently when compared to other age groups. Research shows, when comparing age groups from 16-74, that those between the ages of 19-25 were the most frequent users with over 90% saying they used, at a minimum, the internet on a daily basis (Thomée et al., 2012). Patterns have shown that those who use internet technology on a more frequent basis are more likely to use social media and texting applications at a high rate that is almost the equivalent of all day long (Thomée et al., 2012). Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are social media applications that both adolescents and young adults use as a high frequency throughout the day. For young adults between the ages of 20-24, their increased usage of internet technology has often been purveyed through the necessity of communication. In some studies, it shows a majority of young adults believe they are expected to be reachable 24 hours a day; hence they never turn off their smartphones (Thomée et al., 2011).

Kids may be online and not be as social. Children are not staying fit and active by not going outside and playing with friends. They rather sit inside and play on their phones. The author states in the article “ Two days without a cell phone” that some people worry that because teens and people text so much, they don’t spend enough time talking face to face with others.

A large majority of us teenagers today spend most of our time using social media like Instagram or Snapchat or texting our friends for hours at a time. Phones can become detrimental to our health and relationships if overused, but if used in moderate means, things may not become harmful. Because the proportion of cell phone usage to face to face communication our relationships have started to turn downhill and become shallower and meaningful. Today, when two friends hang out together they spend the majority of their time together scrolling through Instagram; they truly do not spend quality time together. We cannot have a relationship with our phone. If, on the other hand, we did not spend all of their time on our cell phones, we would develop deeper relationships, and create beautiful memories with our friends. To generate a richer environment in which we as teenagers live, we should take action to make society less inclined to see what Kim Kardashian will dress up as for Halloween, but more inclined to share our experiences and ideas while in the company of our friends.

Cell phones and the computers are similar to each other in many different ways. One of the most common similarities is the internet aspect. With everyone connected to the internet, the adverse effects can spread throughout like a virus. “A Nielsen study released in 2010 indicated that texting was the primary reason for purchasing mobile phones and that text communication had become a "’centerpiece of mobile teen behavior.’" The modern smartphone of the 2010s is a powerful computing device, and the rapid and ongoing development of new applications provides users with a growing number of ways to use mobile phones for recreation, productivity, and social communication” (Issitt 2016). In the following Issitt states, “however, as smartphones have become more common, concerns about the detrimental effects of smartphone use have also increased.” (Issitt 2016). Issitt expresses the large growth of people with smartphones has its positives and negatives. The positives being the ability to communicate, but the negative being the effects on relationships with one another. An example of the negative side of things is the lack of interaction with people. People are more likely to call or text instead of interacting with one another. The lack of interaction can ruin relationships, or make people feel unwanted. In the article “Eurasian Journal of Educational Research,” the writer states that the internet, “can transform into an addictive instrument in excessive usage situations.” (Gunduz 2017). The statement explains the issue of the unnecessary use of the internet as a growing addictive process that is taking over more and more

Cell phones are affecting the lives of people in a negative way. People have begun to rely solely on the technology that has been created rather than picking up a book or finding answers the old-fashioned way. A major issue that has occurred because of cell phones is the lack of social skills in most nearly all individuals. Cell phones have greatly shaped society and destroyed face to face social skills. People pick up their phones and send a text rather than going to speak to a person. “According to an article in the Huffington Post, children do not know how to handle face-to-face conflict because so much of their interactions occur through some sort of technology…. Cell phones are now preventing these social skills from being taught because children are too caught up in technology than the real world.”(Hyman) When growing up, most children are taught how to make friends, but now children are growing up with the access to technology which has a great impact in shaping the social skills of children. “Young adults also use text messaging as their primary method of contacting friends – over 80 percent report texting as their preferred method.”(Voegeli). Young adults and even older adults have developed an addiction to their cell phone. Cell phones do make it easier to contact people, but they make social skills in individuals dissipate. People are attached to their phones like it is a part of their body. Technology like the cell phone has taken a toll on everyday life events. People cannot even sit in a room with their family without being on their phones. In most cases, they would rather text one another instead of having a conversation. Society needs to

There is an ongoing curiosity about why electronic devices are so irresistible. It is flabbergasting and utterly disappointing that people of all ages, including hypocritical parents lecturing teens about their texting addiction, “would prefer to communicate over text rather than meeting face to face”(mobile commons). Although technology has its benefits of quick communication and always staying in touch with others, the amount of common sense lost to technology has a stronger and more detrimental effect on one 's future. As people become more dependent on the technology that sits in the palms of their hands, the social skills one

A teen sends 2,000 text messages a month and spends 44 hours per week in front of a screen. (Tarish, 18) 94% of teens who have smartphones use them daily. (Tarish, 19) To much online communication can get in your way of making deep friendships. (Tarish, 18)

Teens, and even adults develop a bad habit of being on technology 24/7, in which is hard to break, the article Health Experts Concerned Tech Habits May Threaten Speech, Language & Hearing as Communication ‘Time Bomb’ Looms by PR Newswire mentions this, saying, “New polling from ASHA finds that informing parents and teens of the potential risks that overuse of personal technology devices poses to speech and language development as well as to hearing health prompts an overwhelming unwillingness to change usage habits.” Our society has been so attached to technology that we can’t give it up, no matter what damage it causes. In fact, it is shown that technology has had a negative effect on relationships, the article Mobile Devices Are Detrimental to Personal Relationships states “While some analysts have argued that cell phones open up new possibilities of communication, fostering instant text messaging and social media connections that expand an individual’s personal relationships, some psychologists and sociologists have suggested that this type of communication and connectivity is both less meaningful and less developmentally beneficial than face-to-face and traditional communication.” People in relationships have relied too heavily on technology and consequently has torn their relationships apart. In addition, overuse of technology can affect your communication skills as well as speech. To demonstrate, in the article Overexposure to Media and Technology Deprives Children of Healthy Outdoor Recreation by Castaldy, Daniel, Collins, and Linda Rice, states, “Social interaction for adolescents is now largely achieved via text messages, Facebook posts, and tweets, while interpersonal interaction that typically accompanies outdoor recreation is on a decline… As a result, they don’t fully develop the interpersonal communication skills they need to interact successfully in

“According to a recent poll, 22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day.2 Seventy-five percent of teenagers now own cell phones, and 25% use them for social media, 54% use them for texting, and 24% use them for instant messaging.3 Thus, a large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones.” (O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin)

Everywhere I look, I see a person grasping onto their phone. Leaving the house in the morning with a cell phone has become as important as eating breakfast. The article, Half of Teens Think They’re Addicted to Their Smartphones, written by Kelly Wallace describes the feelings of teens and adults towards their cell phones. “Two-thirds of parents -- 66% -- feel their teens spend too much time on their mobile devices” (Wallace). Unfortunately, these teens would prefer to communicate through a screen rather than face-to-face.

Not only teenagers and middle-aged adults, but even young children are addicted to staring down at a blue screen. How many times during the past year have you walked by a playground and heard the contagious laughter of young children playing? I bet that this number is very small. When I was nine years old, I remember what my favorite thing to do after school was. It was to play. Similar to every other child at the time, running around an open field or zipping down a slide was all I wanted. But today, the hushed silence I experience as I walk past the devoid park gives me chills as I watch the swings and slides wait to give joy to laughing children that used to frolic here everyday, but now remain quiet in their secluded houses. Not because it’s cold outside, but because nine-year-olds today are copying our technological obsession. Did you know that on average, children get their first cellphones at age eight? Our generation is becoming the most antisocial generation yet. Although many people disagree and believe that using technology, especially cell phones, make them more social, I don’t understand how sitting at home on a Friday night, texting or blogging, is more social than hanging out with your friends and enjoying the company of others. Although numerous people disagree with me, stating that technology is making people more social, I remain committed to my belief. For people who

Adolescents are currently in an era where the ubiquity of technology has made it easier to connect to other from all regions of the globe. The innovation of technology does not come without its issues. The current problem is how adolescents have turned to using technology to communicate and sacrificing face-to-face social skills. Studies have found that the ownership and access to devices among adolescents are on the rise (Jonsson et al., 2014; Lenhart et al., 2010; Lenhart et al., 2007; Lenhart, 2015; Madden et al., 2013; Mander, 2015; Mander & McGrath,2014). Additionally, the results of device ownership and access have also lead to an increase in electronic consumption, where 92% of teens report going online daily (Lenhart, 2015).

Today, technology is transforming and evolving rapidly; at times it feels as if a new smartphone is being released every day. With these new technologies, we see both positive and negative effects influencing people of all ages. One of the major concerns about cell phone use is the impact texting has on the social communication of the world’s youths. In a quest to uncover the effects of texting, I will discuss to what degree texting is detrimental to the social communication between people in our society from my perspective, the positive aspects that are associated with the invention and evolution of texting, the negative consequences with regard to the social development of young people, whether I agree or disagree with John McWhorter’s perspective on texting, and whether or not texting is making people more intelligent.

Mobile phone use has increased enormously, especially among adolescents, during the last decade (Tosa, Monden, & Kubo 2006). Due to the massive growth and acceptance of mobile phone use in the last 20 years, it seems that the primary motivations for text messaging are found to be mobility and immediate accessibility. One study uses a qualitative survey of 18-24 year olds (n=704) in order to better understand the motivation for their use, as well as examining ways in which cell phones are related to peer socialization. The questionnaire included obtaining such information as “age of acquisition and duration of cell phone ownership,” “perceived dependency on cell phone technology,” “frequency of use,” and “motives for texting.” Results showed that the vast majority owned cell phones (99%) and that females showed a stronger dependency than males did. Of the 18 identified motives of texting, five factors made up the majority. These included items related to appearance, items that reflect intimacy or relationship depth, and relationship breadth. Though females showed more dependence on their mobile phones, it should be noted that both the number of friends young adults talk to or text each day, and the number of voice-to-voice minutes used each month were very similar between males and females (Tosa, Monden, & Kubo 2006).

There have been several studies that show how children, high school students, college students, as well as adult’s lives are more susceptible to smartphone addiction. Some studies looked at how the frequent use of social networking apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. game apps, and video apps tended to become a problem (Sook-Jung, Changho, & Cheolhan, 2016). Other studies show that smartphones are becoming a daily necessity for most and the truth about the addiction is that people are not addicted to their smartphone, they are addicted to the information, entertainment, and personal connections that is delivers (Emanuel et al., 2015). Some studies aimed to evaluate whether smartphone addiction symptoms determine if depression or anxiety contribute to smartphone addiction levels among a sample of students. This literature review will look at how smartphone addiction and how it affects social behavior in relation with everyday activity within young adolescents, college students and as well with adults.