Over the years, the advancement in technology has guided humankind to a better and prosperous future and standing in the 21st century, and we couldn’t agree more.
Just look around you. Technology has left its touch everywhere. Starting from the bulb that illuminates your room to the device you are reading this blog on – everything uses technology to make your life easier.
Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master. – Christian Lous Lange, Historian
But aren’t we all becoming too dependent on technology these days? Isn’t it what we call an addiction?
Perhaps, yes. And the chances are this addiction may be more hazardous than it looks. Here’s why:
Table of Contents
1. Putting yourself in danger:
Mobile phones have now become an essential part of our lives, and it has become almost impossible for most of us to live a single day without them. While smartphones may have brought the world into our pocket, this has also introduced us to many threats.
A lot of people use their cell phones while driving their cars or crossing the road, which often leads to an unfortunate accidents. Nearly 1.3 million people worldwide die in road accidents, a majority of which are due to cell phone use on the road.
2. Losing yourself in the online space:
Most of us are familiar with this amazing thing called the internet. It’s a great place to communicate, get educated and receive entertainment whenever with a few simple clicks or taps. But it can also negatively impact us, which is hard to eliminate.
Whether it is an online forum or a popular social media platform, we often tend to get involved in it way too much. Some people think getting thousands of likes on Facebook will make them popular in real life. So they try to impress the world by showing off their possessions.
On the other end, there are many people who engage in a quarrel over petty issues even though it does not concern any of the parties. As it happens, people seem more concerned about insignificant things, such as the number of likes, over the real issues that genuinely deserve our attention.
3. Reduced attention span:
Due to the excessive use of technology, we are losing our ability to concentrate on one thing for a long. Just look at your activities. Don’t you check your phone every once in a while, even if you are engaged in a crucial task? Well, we all do.
Not just that. We are also losing our patience as we become more reliant on technology. Don’t you switch channels when the commercials come up? Honestly speaking, we all do. It is because our attention span is shrinking. Surprisingly, we no longer have the time or patience to read an entire story. Since we are getting used to shorter and quicker versions of everything, we are losing interest in things that take considerable time to deliver.
4. Increasing the risk of health hazards:
Technology was meant to improve our lifestyles and habits. But it seems like something has gone terribly wrong. Technology has made us lazy, which is having adverse effects on our health. In fact, the causes of obesity are rising in number with each passing day.
Apart from the risk of obesity, various eye problems are also arising since most of us spend the majority of our time staring at computers or other electronic devices. Blurred vision, burning sensations, and changing perception of colors are some of the issues that technology addiction has caused us.
However, the most alarming issue that technology addiction is causing us right now is more psychological than physical. Technology has empowered us with the skill to multitask. But our brain can only process a certain amount of information. As a result, we are experiencing more stress nowadays.
5. Undermining human relationships:
As people are getting more addicted to technology, they are losing the value of human relationships. You may have observed that many people are blaming social networking platforms for their breakups and separations, which is, to some extent, true.
Since people spend more time with their smartphones and laptops, so they have less time for other people. Also, youngsters seem more interested in spending their time playing video games or watching web series than socializing with other people.
Games addiction is a real and growing problem. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, up to 8.5 percent of American children and teens may be addicted to video games. Rehab centers that specialize in treating gaming addiction are few and far between, but they do exist. The first step is to talk to your child’s pediatrician or a mental health professional to get a diagnosis. Once your child is diagnosed, you can start looking for a treatment center. Be sure to ask about the rehab centers near you success rate and what kind of treatment they offer. Treating a gaming addiction can be difficult, but it’s important to remember that help is available. With the right treatment, your child can overcome their addiction and lead a healthy, happy life.
Technology is meant to improve our living standards, not damage them. However, some wrong choices have brought out some of its negative elements of it. Like any other form of addiction, it also needs to be restrained. Otherwise, the very element that guided us to the pinnacle of our existence will be the one that will doom us all.
