Technology | Teen Ink

Technology

May 30, 2017
By KobyRay BRONZE, Hampden, Massachusetts
KobyRay BRONZE, Hampden, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

In America, technology is taking over society and is changing our future generations for the worse. Ask yourself; How does technology affect my everyday life? Then think about technology as a whole affecting America in major ways that will only worsen over time. Having been born in the 21st century, where a new era of technological advancements have rapidly taken place, I can safely say that our society is being ruined. Some of the many problems of this generation have originated from technology. The problems include physical and psychological issues.   Although, there are many reasons why technology is bringing us down, I cannot argue the fact that technology has helped pioneer advancements in medicine and human health.  Hopefully in the future, technology can lead the way to curing diseases such as cancer or AIDS.  I also will admit that technological advancements have made information easier than ever to obtain for educational purposes.


Everyday the addiction of technology is faced, everyday the effects of technology are seen, and everyday the children of America are challenged by technology. Technology is currently influencing our youth more than our elders in this society. A child undergoes a rapid state of development from birth to the age of twenty-one. This growth is automatically stimulated with the overexposure of technology.  Children are at risk for short attention spans, lack of self-control, and obsessive personalities.  Lack of empathy is also a result of the use of technology by the youth of America.


Adults that do not monitor themselves or their children, suffer from sleep deprivation from over usage of technology.  Too much screen time results in the overstimulation of the brain, making it difficult for children to settle down to sleep at night.  Lack of sleep can affect focus and behavior during the daytime.  Being a teenager myself, I can say that technology has altered my focus and efforts in school.  The majority of teenagers do not get the needed amount of sleep because they are distracted by television, iphones, and computers. 


Another issue children suffer from is obesity. Children who are allowed a device in their bedrooms have a thirty percent increased incidence of obesity.  Obesity doesn't just affect our youth either, it affects everyone. With the help of technology, obesity will continue to get worse unless a change is made. A major part of this correlation between technology and overweight people in America has to do with technology doing everything for us and in return, people are allowed to be lazy.  It is easy to become physically stagnant when everything is at your fingertips and your brain is easily distracted by screentime.


If you think about technology as only the phone in your pocket or the television on the wall, you're wrong; It involves almost everything that is made around you. More and more jobs in America are seized from hard working people by technology. This is because technology will always do a job quicker, cheaper, and better.  This leads to the working man getting poorer and the rich business owners getting richer. This makes our economy worse and our society out of sorts. As technology increases trade jobs decrease.  What will we do when technology has everyone's jobs?


After all this, think about the psychological damage a normal person goes through in their life span. Technology has led to diminishing the attention span and patients of the typical human. Just think about how impatient you get when your wifi is not loading and you cannot see that picture on instagram or snapchat. This leads to society becoming more impatient in confrontational situations.  This is going to make it difficult for the next generation to be successful in the workforce.  Smartphones often supply instant gratification, technology makes things happen quickly, including the 300 likes of a photo.  In a real world job, there is no instant gratification.  Work reviews by the boss can be difficult and constructive.  Technology is making it more difficult for society to accept criticism.
Twenty-two percent of smartphone users state that they cannot live without texting. This statistic grows more and more every year. Psychologically people cannot live without technology, this leads to communication and social problems. People often communicate through cellular devices, and when faced in a real life situation, they come off awkward and antisocial.  It is important for a person to be able to verbally express their thoughts and needs.  Texting, snapchatting, emailing all allow one to avoid having hard conversations.  


Technology has also affected the safety of people in America and everywhere around the world. The world is becoming more advanced everyday. Militaries across the earth are researching more advanced weapons. This includes world war weapons such as nuclear bombs, which put many countries and people in danger. Any wars that break out in the near future could lead to record breaking deaths and casualties. Safety of people is also a factor in the United States. Every year, two-hundred thousand car crashes occur due to text messaging. Technology serves as a distraction on the roads and leads to many deaths and injuries.


As you can see technology is changing our society for the worse. The general health and safety of the world is in danger.  It is the root cause of many car accidents.  Technology also affects brain development in our youth.  Sleep deprivation and lack of emotional stability can both be caused by overuse of technology.  Job availability and worker focus are all negatively affected.  Although, technology does have its benefits it is important that society remember to monitor the amount of screen time per day.  This will help generations sleep more, focus better and be healthier physically and psychologically.



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