The Negative Effects Of Technology On Society

Mom turns on the television and sets the table, dad comes home from work, checks his personal digital assistant for an email he’s been waiting on, while his daughter sits at the table finishing up a “thumb lashing” on her cell phone that she is giving to her “BFF” because she just failed her history test. This scenario has become the norm in homes across America today. It’s the digital age, technology is booming at such a rapid pace we cannot even wear out our devices before the newer up-to-date models arrive. Technology has negative effects on society, because it is causing our critical thinking and social interaction skills to decline, it is disrupting the American family unit, and it has caused us to become a distracted society that is

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 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.

Technology has more negative effects on today’s society than positive. Due to technology in the past few decades Canine Shock Collars have been increasingly popular. Students in school pay more attention to texting than they do their classes. Violent addictive video games have made their way into American homes. Parents encourage their children to not text as much, but them to face the problem of constant communication. The Internet gives the students easier ways to cheat in school, and reinforces laziness. Internet Porn gives every bored male a chance to look at the seediest film in the comfort of his own home. Technology has taken the innocence and mystery away from the American family.

Technology is the all-encompassing applications used to advance society throughout history. Technology has been largely expanded upon in the past few generations of society. From smart phones to artificial intelligence, technology has infiltrated daily life and taken on various forms, which is commonly believed to benefit American society. However, these innovations have come at a cost, negatively affecting struggling and vulnerable populations. Technology has negatively affected society by dividing social classes, manipulating thought processes, and regressing progress established by the United States.

In 2002, during an interview with Wired Magazine Steven Spielberg 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're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone” (Kennedy, para. 7). In the twentieth-first century, we all have a certain kind of technology that makes our life easier in many ways from the most basic to the most complex, such as lighting, cell phones, internet, cars, etc. When we think about technology, it suddenly reminds us of entertainment, but it provides more than entertainment, it provides us with everything. It is unthinkable that nowadays we can live without technology and yet, it influences us both positively and negatively.

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.

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.

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.

Technological advances in US industries are destroying jobs and distancing people from direct social interaction. However, technological advances have undoubtedly raised both the standard of living and the average life expectancy. Technological advancement in agriculture have resulted in increased food production, reducing the possibility of famine, even as the population continues to grow. Technology has allowed people to do both fantastic and terrible things, yet technology cannot be blamed as the cause of those good or bad results; technology is merely an instrument for the user, resulting in either good or bad outcomes.

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.

According to Libby Larsen, the great myth of our times is that technology is communication. Technology has become a big impact on today’s world. What would you do without your phone or computer for a day, week, or month? Is pretty much something to think about. Technology in today's world, is making it easier for us to become lazy. When I was younger, I didn’t have a smartphone. I had a regular old flip phone, where the only thing you can do is call, and answer. Technology has a negative impact on our society today with the following such as lack of social skills/social bonds, lack of focusing on what's important, and health problems.

“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.

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.

Technology users vary from ages as little like a baby to an elderly, and everyone has different purposes of usage. They are survival tools that help human make life easier and faster (Member, 2013). Adults get the technology to help advance in solving problems. Parents and teachers believe technology help enhance learning. Although technology is meant to be excellent in different scenarios, it does not always mean it is healthy. An example would be students who use less technology, score higher on reading exam versus those who use above average (Bremmer, 2016). Society has now learned to misuse technology in many unhealthy ways that are affecting them negatively.