Negative side of the modern technology

Misbah Kishwar

With the rapid advancement in technology, people are more connected with each other.
While this rapid advancement has made positive changes in the world. Clear evidence for the negative effects of technology and its overuse can be seen

As more and more of our lives are linked ever closer to technology, we start to ask ourselves whether or not that’s a good thing. Is technology ultimately a positive or negative influence on society?
Well, it’s impossible to say ‘yes, it’s good’ or ‘no, it’s bad, without considering the nuances of both sides.

There are both massive benefits and downfalls of technology

But today this article is not about seeing the massive Benefits rather it’s about how negatively it has impacted our lives and is continually doing so.

So all great technological revolutions, digital life has and will continue to have a dark side.
All manner of technology surrounds us. From our personal laptops, tablets, and phones to behind-the-scenes technology that furthers medicine, science, and education.

Technology is here to stay, but it’s always morphing and expanding. As each new technology enters the scene, it has the potential to improve lives. But, in some cases, it also has the potential to negatively affect physical and emotional health.

The overuse of technology may have a more significant impact on developing children and teenagers.
Social media and mobile devices may lead to psychological and physical issues, such as eyestrain and difficulty focusing on important tasks. They may also contribute to more serious health conditions, such as depression.
In this article, we learn the negative impact of technology.

ISOLATION

Technologies, such as social media, are designed to bring people together, yet they may have the opposite effect in some cases.

A 2017study in young adults aged 19–32 years found that people with higher social media use were more than three times as likely to feel socially isolated than those who did not use social media as often.
Finding ways to reduce social media use, such as setting time limits for social apps, may help reduce feelings of isolation in some people.

 

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

There is a strong link between online social connections and mental health. While social media does have a lot of benefits but on the other side of the coin, it has lead to some serious mental issues like anxiety and depression.

Research showed that people who perceived that they had more negative social interactions online and who were more prone to social comparison experience higher levels of depression and anxiety

When a person starts to compare their lifestyles with those of others then jealousy and envy are common and completely understandable emotions but the constant exposure to them leads towards anxiety and depression. It leads towards the inferiority complex

On sites like LinkedIn, it’s very easy to built connections on them but when you keep seeing success stories of other people it then leads towards professional anxiety because you feel like your peers are getting ahead while you still may be procrastinating.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT

Social media is not only home to the majority of online bullying, it is also often criticized for providing an idealistic view of reality, making people feel insecure, lonely, isolated, or jealous when comparing their lives to those of the people they follow. Whether family and friends, celebrities, or ‘influencers’, those glossy photos and happy captions provide an unrealistic picture of what happiness and success look like.

 

POLITICS

There’s always another side to the coin, especially in politics, and technology’s impact is no different. Consider the scandals around potential interference from foreign players in both the US elections and the UK referendum.

Social media advertising allows for such targeted messaging to be sent out, that tailored adverts appealing to people’s fears were a key part of the campaigns for each.

Manipulation of this sort is new and concerning – how much did it influence the results? How vulnerable is society to intrusion from foreign powers? How innocent are people when it comes to the ads they see online, and how often do they look closer at the motivation behind those messages.

BUSINESS

Technology advances, some jobs become old. Efficiencies through machinery helped productivity increase while reducing the number of people required to do the work.

 

DIGITAL EYESTRAIN

When we gaze at a screen for long periods of time, we often forget to blink. Research has shown that digital eye strain reduces our blink rate by half. It means the tears that protect our eyes evaporate without being replaced. Additionally, reading the smaller fonts on a smartphone or other portable device can intensify the strain.

SLEEP DISORDERS

We love our devices so much that many of us even sleep with them.  A study shows that 71 percent of people keep their phones next to their beds at night.

Another study found that over 40 percent of bedside smartphone users wake up from noises or lighting from notifications coming from their device.
It might seem like a harmless habit, but late-night technology use can interfere with your ability to sleep.

PHYSICAL INACTIVITY

When we’re using technology like computers, video games, or TVs, we generally aren’t exercising. That’s why there’s an increasing body of research linking the overuse of digital devices to decreasing exercise and fitness levels. For example, in a recent study covering college students in Thailand, researchers found that students experiencing smartphone addiction participated in less physical activity compared to those who moderated their use.
Logically, spending more time on the couch, watching TV, or playing video games reduces the time you spend staying active.

However, the link between obesity and gaming is marginally associated with weight gain in adults. Exposure to unnatural blue light from a TV and smart devices being more associated with obesity.

SUMMARY

The recent boom in technology has changed the lifestyle of people. Technology is a part of our lives. While it offers us many positive benefits it can also lead towards a negative impact.

So, Knowing the possible negative effects can help us take steps to identify and minimize them so that we can still enjoy the positive aspects of technology. Anyone uncertain about the effects that technology has on them may want to take steps to cut back on their use of devices and screen time and re-evaluate how they feel with and without these devices.