The Dominance of Technology in Our Lives
The advent of technology has brought with it a situation where it is a dominant factor in our lives especially as seen with teenagers and young adults. Within the past ten years, there has been an increase in the instances of people sharing photographs online, tweeting and liking posts on various social media sites. Persons who use their phones on a regular basis argue that it has become the usual way of conversing and passing information and should be left to function that way. However, opponents of technology make the argument that the development of technology and its use will ultimately lead to it taking over almost all functions and ruining people’s lives. The question, therefore, is whether technology and human beings can coexist in a balanced manner happily. Despite technology acting as an agent for doing good, it can also lead to the infringement of privacy of others, result in health-related complications, cause financial problems, and contribute to some social evils.
The Obsession with Sharing Online
Over the past decade, people actively using social media have developed an obsession with posting everything online about what they are doing. The most recent development in this arena of technology is the aspect of users posting their location online. For most teenagers, arriving at a spot where they usually relax means they have to advertise their place on their social media pages. In Mathew Honan's article, he describes this generation as being location-aware in that they post almost every time they check into a place (Honan). The meaning of this statement is that people are in a constant process of publishing information of their location using various social media sites from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and also applications that have the innate ability to post positions. The question, therefore, is where the privacy in this case is? As such, it has become a concern for this and future generations.
The Impact on Communication
Another effect of this development of technology has resulted in a situation where not only has it altered the aspect of people's privacy but it has also impacted on the way people communicate on a daily basis. The consequence is that teens are in constant contact with their mobile phones and instead of having an actual conversation with one another they prefer to FaceTime or send a quick text in the place of calling to check out on someone. As such, this has led to a form of a block in the process of communication leading to cases of misconceptions in passing on information.
The Positive Effects of Technology
One positive effect of technology is the fact that it has led to more opportunities for connection (Brooke). The general feeling is that the free nature of communication is a good thing despite its weaknesses. The open connection to the digital network in a democratized institution means that people gain more employment and education opportunities and businesses can reach a broader market of consumers. Also, we see cases of robotic surgery thus reducing examples of errors in medicine. With regards to devices, the reduction in sizes means that waste will be at low levels and there can be instances of people replacing organs. Furthermore, people can now acquire more advanced prosthetic limbs, sensors in vehicles and dangerous objects to help people detect danger and use of algorithms in making diagnoses. In the area of communication, it has shortened the time it takes to send a message to somebody else. With the aging population of the world, it is an estimation that job opportunities will exist for the use of robots for elderly assistance, and also the protection of the planet is a guarantee from the fact that technology will help in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
The Adverse Effects of Technology
Technology also has adverse effects as seen in teens. According to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey conducted, the observation is that the rate of cyberbullying amongst teenagers in grades nine to twelve accounted for about 15%. Also, its effects on children cannot go unmentioned since it has proven to have adverse impacts on them. Exposure of children at an early age to computers later affects their personal lives and interaction with family and friends. The composition of children who have easy access to computers stands at 40% in the United States, and thus there is concern that computers can have an isolating effect on children (Alghamdi, 4). The situation is not only prevalent amongst children alone but is also behavior syndrome seen in adults also. As stated clearly by Kupfer (1995) “Technology addiction can lead to social isolation which is characterized by a lack of contact with other people in normal daily living which could occur in the workplace, with friends, and in social activities."
The Balance between Positive and Negative Effects
However, the effects of technology can both be positive and negative, but the latter has more weight in the real world. With increasing number of deaths from people distracted while driving, the rise in the levels of online bullying, and financial power decreasing due to unnecessary spending on technology, the future looks instead filled with complications. Therefore, this generation is slowly missing what is going on around them and it proves a time when a change is needed for people to reduce the mental baggage and experience real life.
Works Cited
Alghamdi, Yasser. "Negative Effects of Technology on Children of Today."
Brook, Glenn. “The Positive Impacts of Technological Advancement.” Retrieved from https://tifwe.org/technological-advances/
Honan, Mathew. “I Am Here: One Man’s Experiment With The Location-Aware Lifestyle.” Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2009/01/lp-guineapig/
