How Technology Affect our Life

How do you figure out the answer to a question? Do you go to a library to research it, or simply look it up on the internet? Many people have just got used to asking Google or Siri. Technology is affecting people in many ways. In some instances, it is good, and in others, bad. A lot of people rely on technology for everyday activities. Such as schoolwork or in jobs. Sometimes technology seems great, but it can be hurting us in many ways. It is negatively affecting us mentally and physically. People may not realize how much technology can be bad for us. Technology is affecting the way people think, move, talk, and act. It is affecting us in ways like making us lazy, provoking sleep, and causing health problems. 

Do you have good vision? Some people might say no to this question if they sit at a computer all day, or stare at a phone or tablet for long periods of time. A person’s vision is one of the many things that can be physically affected because of technology. According to USF Health, “Eye strain and damage may also be affecting a person’s head, shoulders, and neck.” Some ways to prevent eye strain is to stop screen glare from other lights and stay at an arm's length from the screen. The vision council suggests the 20-20-20 rule. Take a 20 second break from looking at the screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away. This will especially help people who are stuck at a computer all day for work. Another physical effect that technology has on people is laziness. However, some people do not realize that technology has this effect. Some additions to technology, like voice search and Siri, cause people to be lazier because they don’t want to waste the energy to text a paragraph or even a simple sentence.

Technology

Technology is also creating laziness on the entertainment side of things. People can watch movies, watch T.V., play games, and listen to music without getting up from their couch. Food can also be delivered from just sitting on the couch and getting up once to answer the door. Uber eats is just one button away from ordering someone’s favorite food without leaving the house. Group apps where friends can chat with each other is letting them talk without physically talking to them. Talking to friends in person by putting forth the effort to meet up with them, shows that there is no laziness between that person and who they hang out with. Technology is promoting online shopping by advertisements and websites. People do not have to leave the house for anything because it can be shipped right to the front door. Nobody has to leave the house for the daily news when it is on T.V. or a phone. Laziness is a bad characteristic for anybody and should not be proudly taken as a label. 

“Second to smoking, physical inactivity is the second highest cause of preventable death in the world.” This is just proving that people need to start doing more physical activity instead of lying in bed all day doing nothing. Technology is causing people to die because they will not get up and get moving. Technology is even causing pollution, which is a problem on its own. When companies are producing new products that are faster, smarter, and better, people just toss the old junk away. The old junk is referred to as E-waste. This E-Waste is being thrown out and sometimes not thrown out properly, causing chemicals and parts to destroy the environment. Tendonitis, inflammation in the tendons, is inherited in the thumb by always pressing buttons on a phone. Hearing is also being lost from technology. The constant noise of music or the time headphones or earphones are in people’s ears is impairing their hearing. 

People can reduce the physical effects of technology by doing many things. One solution would to limit the time spent on electronic devices. This will help people to experience the world more. Another way to solve this problem is to put down the phone and do some physical activity. Some activities include jogging, swimming, or going to the gym. This will cause anyone to become more fit and healthier. Even reading a book can be healthy. Find a way to stop technology from physically affecting you! Being stressed can be harmful to a person’s health and especially to the brain, but what causes that stress? Could it be school, work, or even being with family?

One big cause of stress is a technology and it can relate to those top stressors. Stress is a mental “Illness” or problem and is only one of the many mental affects technology can evoke on people. Technology can cause stress by wondering how many likes received on a picture or waiting for a text message and not receiving it. These situations can cause someone to stress over them and mental health can be damaged. People are not the same when they are stressed because of a worried or anxious feeling. Technology can affect attention span. The more time spent looking on the phone, the more distracted someone becomes and do not know what is going on around them. In some situations, there could be danger going on and nobody would ever know, especially when listening to music through headphones or earphones.

Although sleep is a physical effect, it also has a mental effect on people. When technology is taking up most of the day, a person does not get much sleep. Setting a designated time to go to bed can help get more sleep. Not enough sleep can cause sleep apnea, which is when the body does not get enough oxygen and stops breathing at night. People can also get many other sicknesses that affect the brain. So, staying on the phone all night may not be the best idea. Developing a high ego can be a bad effect from technology by wanting to be the best photographer or have the most followers. When accomplishing that, the feeling of being better than everyone else starts to settle in.

Addiction can be developed through being on technology too much. One way is by constantly checking the phone for new text messages or notifications. Another addiction might be to post continuously without even noticing it. Technology is also causing loss of memory by receiving too much information. The brain forgets some of what was remembered because it cannot handle all the information. (Advica Health, 2018.) How can all this be stopped? Do not prioritize technology over something that might improve mental health. School would help if students care about it enough to listen.

All in all, technology is affecting people in many ways, mentally and physically. Some people do not realize that this can be stopped easily. Technology is hurting people and causing problems. Some people might ask why they do not get enough sleep or why they are not feeling good. People may not realize that it can be technology causing those feelings. A person may not realize that they are on the phone six, eight, or even ten hours a day. People might just start to realize how bad technology is affecting the society and the world. Do not rely on a phone, computer, or tablet for everything. People just must realize the negative effects that technology can inflict on them. So, find a way to enjoy life by not spending so much time and wasting it on technology. 

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