The Negative Impact Of Technology

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.

Mankind has had a yearning for knowledge since the dawn of time, causing giant technological leaps. At the dawn of the new millennium technology thrived, and since then, technology has taken our world in a completely different direction than anyone could have imagined. Just like everything else, people have their own opinions and they either like, or dislike what technology has brought into our lives. If we look at the idea of technology from both sides, it is having more of a negative effect on our society today because communication skills are deteriorating, technology is changing the way we think for the worse, and privacy issues are bigger than ever.

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

Albert Einstein once said “ I fear that technology will surpass our interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Many people tend to think that technology is one of the best things to ever happen , but others believe that it is starting to have a negative effect on humanity. There are many different types of technology, but the two most commonly used are cell phones and computers. Our generation is being raised alongside technological evolution. Individuals use technology everyday for many different occasions, whether it be for work, school, or just to play video games. People don’t realize that they could outside enjoying their life and having fun, but instead they choose to stay inside on their computers or cellphones. Humans are being taught that technology is the reason behind everything that is happening in society today. Technology is supposed to make life easier for everyone. While it is true that technology contributes a lot of good to the world today, it has not came without a price. There are various negative effects that technology has caused in today’s generation. Technology is negatively affecting humankind because it is making people depressed, it is beginning to make individuals simple minded, people are becoming addicted to their technology, and because it is starting to make human beings do things that will put them in dangerous situations.

Throughout the past couple decades, cell phones and laptops have become a large part of daily life for most human beings. In fact, in today’s society it is rare to find someone who does not own some sort of cellular device. Although technology has many useful perks, it is beginning to deteriorate our society’s social skills and social life. Teenagers in today’s world are too digitally connected, and this brings along the negative effects of a decrease in real-life conversation, increased laziness, and more distractions in a number of different environments.

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 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.

Today’s modern life is surrounded with technology and it has been growing rapidly over time, becoming an important part of everyday life. It has become a major debate whether technology has a positive or negative impact on our youth. Technology has its impact on all ages such as adults, teens, and even our toddlers. Many companies are inventing tools for kids to help them learn in different ways which can make them more advanced than kids their age. As much as technology has changed the way our kids absorb information or entertain themselves, it has also affected their ability learn, their health, and also how they interact with others.  As children continue to become more occupied with technology, many adults have begun to wonder whether or not electronic devices is a good thing or not.

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.

As we go into the future we see that computers are not going anywhere and are becoming more and more prevalent throughout our society. The big question is whether or not this is helping or hurting us. Man dates back over twenty thousand years ago, and we are always advancing. During the early years when we were first starting to forming colonies on new land we notice that guns helped to give us and edge. New technology is what helped found this country. Nowadays we look at cell phones and internet and how we are able to communicate with people all the way on the other side of the world with ease. Without technology like cellphones, laptops, and tablets we would not be able to communicate so fast and easily. Others argue that this is why our society is corrupt and that cellphones, computers, and new technology is the root of this evil. They believe that machines are what cause people to become fat, and that games are making children angry. These are also the same people that say the internet is making it easier for children to access things that they shouldn’t see.

“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.

When was the last time you went a day without turning on the TV, working on the computer, or looking at your phone? I doubt many could honestly say they have gone more than one day without using technology. A little girl and her mom walked into Verizon, and the little eight year old instantly ran around the store looking at all the phones. “Mommy, this one is so big; can I have it, and what about this one?” screams the little girl. In today’s world, technology is flourishing and growing, and we live by it. Whether it is fighting to get the newest iPhone or purchasing a sixty-six inch TV screen, people cannot imagine life without technology and rely on it to do almost everything. However, technology can cause a loss of privacy, and today, Americans even lose individuality. Society and all its technological advances has a negative impact on today’s culture.

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.

Nowadays it is almost impossible for many people to do their works and spend their days without using any kind of technology. According to Savanah Guthrie, an American journalist “ a recent survey found that people check their phones up to hundred fifty times a day. We talk, text, listen to music, surf the web, take pictures, oh, and then we share it all on social media.” Many people think of technology in a negative way. They think technology makes people create their own world and it make them alone. Even though technology has some negative effects on society, it has also a positive impact on the way people communicate. Technology makes it possible for people to enrich their relationships and for disabled people to overcome their disabilities.

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.