The Negative Impacts of Technology in Society

The Negative Impacts of Technology in Society

Introduction

The increasing dependency on technology has dramatically affected modern society. People are losing vital social skills as a result. The more advanced technology becomes, the more it tends to take control of our lives. The use of technology is widely available in modern society. As much as it makes life simpler, the use of technology also bears adverse impacts, such as a decrease in normal social relations (Nurhayati). However, the enormous significance of technology is realized by modern society in an attempt to achieve their desired goals as well as solving several problems.

By definition, technology can be referred to as the tools and methods developed by society to assist in solving complex practical problems and provide the required needs for the community. Consequently, the use of technology in most aspects of life increases risks as well as threats and crimes, which reflects negatively on the chances of its application in all walks of life.

Given the nature of the human as being social, relationships nowadays tend to be dominated by the use of modern technology such as social media, which reduces the distance despite having adverse impacts in family and human relations at large (Akram and Kumar 352). As a result, there are emerging concerns about how fast the use of technology is and the corresponding false and adverse effects. Since technology plays a crucial role in our day-to-day activities, it is essential to address its adverse effects as well. The negative impacts of the use of modern technology on society and individual behavior include the following:

1. Formation of personal beliefs
2. Social isolation
3. Reduction in the family ties between the family and society members
4. Inactivity
5. Obesity
6. Loss of Concentration
7. Time wastage in non-essential things
8. Increase in the rate of crime and violence especially in children because of watching violent programs that promote criminal practices

Formation of personal beliefs

Cognitive capabilities of the society are challenged, including their capacity for analytical thinking, focus, memory, reflection, creativity, and mental resilience. These capabilities tend to change detrimental to human performance.

Social Isolation

Technology, especially social media, has hurt the way human beings socialize. This is because technology makes people less interactive. Such social isolation has led to emotional instability, such as depression, despair, and anxiety.

Inactivity and Obesity

Recent research indicates that in modern society, individuals spend approximately fifty hours each week on electronic media. This means that people give little time to physical exercise. As a result, numerous health disorders stem up, including obesity, diabetes, and heart failure.

Reduction in family ties

In modern society, children seem to spend more time immersed in their phones or video games. This also means that parents do not see the urge to entertain their children, thus, leaving them more time to themselves (Akram and Kumar 352). Moreover, the impact is so extreme to the point that parents and children prefer to mail and text each other rather than talking face-to-face.

Waste of time

There are several exciting things that one can find on the internet. On the other hand, time is a crucial resource, and thus, it must be used wisely. People tend to spend more time checking out funny videos, browsing through devices such as phones and computers, which only provide temporary stimulus.

Loss of concentration

The human brain cannot keep up with the challenges of modern devices. As a result, the regular use of advanced technology reduces the level of concentration, productivity, and in turn, alters our way of thinking. Individuals tend to lose the ability to work on something serious because of continually clicking on irrelevant things.

Increased violence and crime

Technology, through the internet, may subject children to the use of strong language, image, and video content, which can cause danger to them. In addition to this, it can also lead to the emergence of several psychological and health problems as well as isolation (Drevin and Joy 55). The internet has also led to an increase in cyber-bullying, which has, in turn, increased teenage suicides.

Other negative impacts attributed by technological advancements include the following;

Stress

An additional level of stress may accrue with the need to be always online and up to date. Studies indicate that from time to time, people tend to hear a “nonexistent” mobile ringing or vibrating. This is a clear indication that the body is under stress.

Poor sleeping habits

Lack of sleep is another negative effect of technology. The ambient glow from our screen’s devices affects the release of melatonin, commonly referred to as “the sleep chemical.” To reduce this, people are being discouraged from operating their devices until late in the night.

Lack of privacy

The evolution of the internet and social media has encouraged individuals to be less private about their personal lives. Intimate details can quickly be posted and remain available to the public indefinitely. Despite these sites allowing users to control who views the posts, such limitations are often ignored or forgotten (Clarke 81). Research indicates that the problem of lack of privacy will worsen with increased technological advancements.

Addiction

Not only does modern society depend on technology, but it also seems to be addicted to it. Studies have shown that people become restless and nervous whenever their smartphones are missing. Individuals tend to hear nonexistent vibrations and notification pop-ups.

Conclusion

The use of technology must not be excessive. Extreme use of technology can cause all sorts of problems, both socially and physically. People should not be overly dependent on technology. Further studies indicate that the appropriate use of modern technology requires a comprehensive understanding of societal changes. Hence, this calls for total cooperation among all parties of society (Siddiqui and Tajinder 73). In addition to this, there should be useful awareness programs to enlighten society on the appropriate use of modern technology. It is important to note that people must work and live together to socialize with each other (Nurhayati). In conclusion, the use of technology has completely changed our lives, for better or worse. Consequently, we ought to work for the interest of social connection to preserve the feelings of the public towards each other away from the addiction to technology. To summarize, internet dependency has proved to be harmful as it contributes to obesity as well as insomnia. “The truth is that the future of technology is all too human. While technologies continue to become exponentially more powerful, the decisions we make are still our own” (Satell). There are emerging concerns about the future of modern technology and its impact on society.

Works Cited

Akram, Waseem, and R. Kumar. “A study on positive and negative effects of social media on society.” International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering 5.1 (2017): 351-354.

Clarke, Roger. “A framework for analyzing technology’s negative and positive impacts on freedom and privacy.” Datenschutz und Datensicherheit-DuD 40.2 (2016): 79-83.

Drevin, Lynette, and Joy Dahee Kim. “IT STUDENTS’AWARENESS OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY.” Institute of Science and Technology Education College of Graduate Studies University of South Africa PO Box 329, UNISA, 0003 (2019): 55.

Nurhayati, S. “The prevention strategies needed to avoid the negative impacts of using social media and a humanistic approach to character education.” Character Education for 21st Century Global Citizens: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Teacher Education and Professional Development (INCOTEPD 2017), October 21-22, 2017, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Routledge, 2018.

Siddiqui, Shabnoor, and Tajinder Singh. “Social media its impact with positive and negative aspects.” International Journal of Computer Applications Technology and Research 5.2 (2016): 71-75.

Satell, Greg. “3 Reasons To Believe The Singularity Is Near.” Forbes, 8 June, 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2016/06/03/3-reasons-to-believe-the-singularity-is-near/#5e3d8f5c7b39.