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Jairo, Palacios
Dustin, Hanvey
24 April, 2016
Negative Effects of Technology
As technology progresses people often regard this advancement as a revolutionary
invention that will improve the quality of life for millions of people and in most ways it has.
People who were teens before the 90's can say that the way of living back then is nowhere near
the same. Although these advancements have changed the world in a good way, we have to step
back and think at what cost? People tend to look at the positive side of technological
advancements but either ignore or dont know the possible consequences and impact it will have
in society. Many of these issues that technology has bestowed could be avoided by simply not
using technology excessively
The advancement of technology can be and is viewed by many as a positive change with
little to no negative effects. As technology progressed it became more evident that it was
becoming a way of life for millions of people. Technology has always been a double edged kind
of deal due to enormous amount of ways it can be used. An example of this can be see with the
Wright brothers when they first created the airplane. It has become tremendously easier to travel
the world in such fast way but also we see how it became weaponized in world war one and
further wars. Another subtle example of this can be see with Einstein. Fast forward to 1905 when
Einstein created the famous equations E=mc2 and the creation of quantum physics he didnt
initially think a bomb could created from this. but in August 6th 1944 the first atomic bomb was
dropped solely based on the equation he created.. Fast forward to present times the progression

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and development of technology has greatly changed over the years. The way society has adapted
to technology has made life more convenient for everybody. The question come into mind when
you see the success of all these new invention, at what cost? I'm always skeptical with the
promised positive effects that technology gave us such as smartphones and internet. Before no
one realized the effects technology will have on the mental state of people until years later where
we are beginning to feel the effects of it. In "Feed" by Matthew Tobin Anderson he illustrates a
society the is heavily dependent on their technology and we see the lasting effects it has on the
individual characters and the society as a whole.
I for one adore technology and how it made life easier because I use it moderately, but
seeing how it has changed society is unbearable. I believe it's at a point that the negatives are
outwaying the positive. Life is becoming to easy in my eyes and this is causing many problems
within our communities as people begin to take things for granted. I believe that technology is
ultimately has a negative impact on society in the long haul as it begins to be implemented to all
aspects of life and becomes excessively used. The idea that to much of anything is bad for you
can be seen with this very topic The reasoning for my skeptical thinking is because throughout
history we've experienced how technology can be used excessively and we are beginning to
depend on this technology in my opinion a bit too much. This excessive use is leading people to
critically think less, health issues are arising, and personal interactions with other humans are
diminishing.
Before the creation of the internet it was somewhat difficult to collect data. Now we are
bombarded every day with new information everytime we get on the internet whether it's useful
or not. The internet has made the access to information to easy and this is causing are brains to
be rewired to absorb less information due to the sheer amount we are introduced on the daily

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bases. The reason why this has became an issue can be seen in the article "Is Google Making Us
Stupid?" In the article they discus how the internet is making us critically think less on what we
read. They examples of bloggers who are now unable to absorb information from long posts or
even books. This is causing newer generations to think less because they can search up the
answers to anything online now. The excessive use of internet can cause this problem if left
unchecked. In the future this can lead to problems with schooling because students will not retain
the material they need to know as easily. Although there are precautions I've personally
witnessed grad students know nothing of the field they are studying because the take the easy
way out of searching everything online. We need the ability to critically think In order to become
more insightful as a person and as a community.
As the rise of technology continues we have been witnessing more bizarre disorders
come up more often. Many didnt initially think of the consequences technology would have on
our health but in recent years we are starting to understand how it does. Sleep deprivation is a big
problem that is solely caused by technology. In the study by Amanda Gamble " Adolescent Sleep
Patterns and Nighttime Technology Use" she discusses how technology use is correlated with
sleep deprivation and disorders. The more technology a teenager had it correlated with less
amount of sleep per night. Tech use at night was also associated with delayed sleep/wake
schedules and causing health concern along with poor educational outcomes. The misuse of
technology can be addicting enough to affect our personal health. Sleep deprivation is only one
health concern that comes up from excessive use of technology and in this aspect is outweighing
the positive.
My third major reason as to why I believe that technology is negative is because of the
social impact its beginning to have. With the creation of social media people are beginning to

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have less interpersonal relationships or difficulty maintaining one. More and more people are
starting to interact less as it becomes possible to get through life without even talking to another
human being. This leads into children having less sympathy and empathy, less social skills, and
personality disorders. In the article" Face time vs. screen time: The technological impact on
communication" by Chandra Johnson she writes, "Emotionally speaking, whether it's a child
exploring the world with their hands and feet or reading another person's face, technology is a
poor substitute for the real thing" (Chandra, Par 2). This is a perfect example of how technology
is severing the tie of emotions and people. Yes it has never been easier to connect and stay in
touch with people but there runs the risk for those who dont understand the differences between
messaging and actual intimate face to face conversation. The solution to this problem is simply
to find a balance of technology use. Although there is a solution millions of people dont take the
advice given and so the issue will never be resolved.
I understand others that say the positives outway the negatives in this situation and that
it's nearly impossible at this point of time to get rid of technology. Do keep in mind that these are
just the early stages of this problem because the history of present time technology has only
existed for roughly twenty years. The idea of reducing the amount of technology we use can
prove to be both helpful and beneficial. Sure the world has never been more connected then it is
now but the intimacy is gone. Reducing technology use in social events is a better idea to
maintain that intimate level of interaction between friends and family. In family life children,
siblings, parents dont communicate face to face anymore. Overall this causes a disconnection of
emotions towards others such as empathy and sympathy.
With the progress and implementation it's impossible to get through our day without
using tech. This gives a large margin of error to create negative side effects for those who use

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tech excessively. The significance of the situation is already being shown in recent studies as the
problems are being highlighted by studies. The long term effects can be extreme social anxiety,
less critical thinking, and health crisis. These issues in the future will rack up attention as more
people recognize it as a real problem. The issue should now be considered as a problem because
it's becoming harder to avoid the use of technology which in turn will be harder to find a solution
for the problem. The only possible viable solution for present time is to put a time cap on the use
of technology, dont use your phone during dinner time, and other simple ways to reduce use.

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Bibliography

Gamble, Amanda L., et al. "Adolescent Sleep Patterns And Night-Time Technology Use: Results
Of The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Big Sleep Survey." Plos ONE 9.11 (2014):
1-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid? Atlantic July/Aug 2008. Atlantic

Monthly Group. Web. 27 Jan. 2009.

Johnson, Chandra. "Face time vs Screen time The technological impact on communication."
29 Aug. 2014
Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print