The Negative Effects Of Advancing Technology On Society

Submitted : May 12, 2009 Word Count : 559 Popularity: 15838

Most people will praise the many technological gadgets that they use in their everyday lives. Technology is evolving at a very fast rate, and what most people did not even think could be real a few years ago is now becoming a reality. Cell phones that act more like computers, sans making documents and other important work files, have now taken the world by storm, and a lot of people could not imagine what life would now be like if they didn't have the internet, email, and chat features on their phones at their disposal. The simplest of things, such as TV, movies, and even video games, have also evolved, and each of them offers consumers a wide array of choices and new possibilities. Although many will use and publicize modern technology for many of its achievements and advancements, what many don't realize is that it has affected and continues to affect society and people in general in a negative way. Advancements in technology have also greatly affected certain sectors of the industry and have even forced certain businesses to shut down for good because there is no more demand for that type of work. Newspaper companies, for example, have been hit very hard by the advancements in technology. Big newspapers and local agencies have been forced to either lay off a percentage of their work force or shut down altogether because news is readily available for free on the internet. Businesses and companies now rely heavily on digital printing methods for work brochures, magazines, and other advertisement paraphernalia they need, which has put traditional, lithographic printing in a tough bind. Music does not have to be purchased at a music store anymore because *** files are readily available over the internet as well, thus causing big music store chains to shut their doors for good. The movie industry has also been hit hard because DVD sales have decreased since people can pay for and download their favorite movies online. Technology has its benefits, but when you take a look at how it has affected society in general and how people interact with one another, you will quickly see that it has a negative impact. Modern technology has allowed people to communicate with just about anyone they want to at any given time and although this may sound like a good thing, the fact remains that people do not interact personally with one another as often as they used to. This has created a barrier in personable, face-to-face communication amongst people because they no longer have to hold a meeting in an office or they no longer have to call up a friend or family member to wish them a happy birthday or congratulate them on their recent success. As a result, people are becoming more lazy, and they don't feel the dire need to step outside of their home to find entertainment and fun in things that used to be fun, such as participating in a rousing game of basketball with friends, meeting a friend at a coffee shop, etc. Technology is a privilege to have but interaction with other people is crucial, and being responsible for one's actions and not letting technology rule his or her life is better than becoming desensitized to society.

What are some negative effects of technology on people's mental abilities?

When we can rely on technology to do it for us we don't grasp a multitude of things. Calculators.- loss of math and concepts of logical connections Internet - loss of social skills Google - more loss of social skills. Loss of ability to search people's knowledge, experience, and physcial elements for an answer or resource. Overinflates ego (over-reliance on something not permenent.) cell phones, ATMs, credit cards, loans - loss of stick-to-it-iveness, birth of impatience, I want it NOW, more loss of social skills and loss of development of social networks to rely on the human element. Impulse buys, lack of planning, lack of understanding of accomplishment due to sacrificing.

XBOX , PSP, etc. - unrealistic problem solving learned. Poor social skills and immature emotional responses to daily struggles and life stresses.

Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom

Takes Away Learning Time
In today's classroom, teachers are pressed to make every minute count. If the teacher and students are not experienced with technology in the classroom, valuable time is often wasted on technical troubles. In addition, the teacher faces the difficulty of having a class full of students who are all at different skill levels. In many schools, most students will have a computer and Internet access, but schools that are located in impoverished areas may have a large portion of their student body with little to no computer experience. While it is important to educate these children in technology, it must be done at a pace that meets every individual's needs or more learning time will be wasted.

Overuse
In some classrooms technology is overused. This can lead to a variety of problems. Many students learn best by physically and mentally interacting with what they are studying. If most of the teaching is done using a computer, these students' needs are not being met. Technology should be used to supplement the classroom curriculum, but should not be used as the sole source of learning.

Game Mentality
One problem that many classroom teachers face is that students often use computers primarily for games. Because of this, many students associate computers and technology with game playing. Though some teachers can use this to their advantage, if this issue is not addressed, some students may get distracted and off task quickly.

Negative Effects of Technology on Children March 21, 2010 According to a New York Times article this
January, the average kid, ages 8-18, spends over 7 hours a day using technology gadgets equaling 2 hours of music, almost 5 hours of tv and movies, three hours of internet and video games, and just 38 minutes of old fashioned reading according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which adds up to 75 hours a week! These statistics are not just mere numbers; they are a reflection of the way our society is heading. There is a direct correlation of amount of hours spent with gadgets and obesity, poor grades, impatience, violence, and a loss of family interest.

Obesity According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a study in 2004, 16% of children (over 9
million) that are between the ages of 6 -19 years old are overweight or obese, a number that has tripled since 1980 (mostly due to electronic usage). Being overweight can bring with it great health concerns. Many of these children have a good chance of developing Type II Diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, social discrimination, high cholesterol and/or blood pressure. Also, according to a Stanford University of Medicine study, elementary students consume 20% of their daily calorie intake while watching television, which usually includes unhealthy snacks, largely due to advertisements for junk food and boredom. Coincidently, kids are not burning off any of these calories while they are plopped in front of the television.

Academics Another area of focus is that children who spend too much time in front of the television or playing
video games tend to have worse grades than those students who are active and involved in extracurricular activities. Studies have shown that since they are so used to multi-tasking they have trouble focusing all of their attention on schoolwork. Studies performed by Dr. Rosen at Cal State showed that 16-18 year olds perform 7 tasks, on average, at one time like texting on their cell phone, sending instant messages while checking Facebook with the television on. I worry that young people wont be able to summon the capacity to focus and concentrate when they need to, said Vickey Rideout, a Vice President at the Kaiser Foundation.

Laziness Impatience goes hand in hand with the laziness kids are starting to develop. Due to the ease of access to the internet kids now expect immediate responses and rely on the internet to give them all of the answers. They expect answers before they take time to think about solutions. According to an article in the New York Times this January, new technology is creating mini-generation gaps and are most visible in communication and entertainment choices. Dr. Rosen said that the newest generations, unlike their older peers, will expect an instant response from everyone they communicate with, and wont have the patience for anything less. Theyll want their teachers and professors to respond to them immediately, and they will expect instantaneous access to everyone, because after all, that is the experience they have had growing up, he said. This is a common problem of kids of this generation and kids are losing the value of learning from their mistakes. Family Life Families are being hurt as well by all of the new technology. When a group of 4-6 year olds were asked to choose between watching TV and spending quality time with their fathers, 54% of them would rather watch TV. Also, according to the same survey reported by the A.C. Nielson Company the average parent spends three and a half minutes A WEEK having meaningful conversations with their children. Technology is creating a generation gap that makes parents feel as though they cant relate to what their kids are doing. Violence Another controversial topic circling right now is the amount of violence kids are exposed to while playing video games or watching television. Many TV shows now posses poor role models and expose children to things that they may be too young to see while video games allow kids to play with fake guns. The same survey by A.C. Neilson Company reported that by the time a child finishes elementary school they will have already witnessed 8,000 murders. In the USA an average of 20-25 violent acts are shown in childrens television programs each hour. A significant association was found between the amount of time spent watching television during adolescence, with its exposure to violence, and the likelihood of subsequent antisocial behavior, such as threatening aggression, assault or physical fights resulting in injury, and robbery. Young children are more easily impressionable. have a harder time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. cannot easily discern motives for violence learn by observing and imitating.