Cheung1 Jenny Cheung Kristen Foster CO150.

400 November 13, 2013 Side Effects from Extensive Use of Modern Popular Technology Devices Twenty years ago, when technology was not as widespread, it was probably very common to see people in coffee shops socializing or reading while sipping coffee. Let us take a look at what is happening in todays coffee shops. As we walk into any coffee shops today, what is the most common thing we see people or group of people doing? It seems every single coffee shop has the group of people fiddling with screens, from phones to computers to music players. At times, it might even be considered rude to socialize with a friend in a coffee shop if everyone around is quietly engrossed to his or her portable devices. This occurrence is not just happening in coffee shops. It has slowly become a social norm to keep to oneself with computer or phones in public places, like libraries or airports. In these situations, individual actions of each of us have changed the environment of public places. However, it is perhaps more accurate to say that the technology advances in phones and computers has lead people to change the environment. Due to popularization of electronic products by Apple in recent years, electronics has made its way greatly influencing younger age groups people. In the last ten years, the use of technology devices has become a popular trend among younger age groups. From the Pew Research Center, a data table shows that there is a general increase for electronic device ownership (Trend Data). For example, cell phone ownership of ages 18 and older, there was an increase from 73% in 2006 to 91% in 2013. Tablets increased from 2% in 2009 to 34% in 2013. Note that ownership is different from sales. Ownership only includes each persons possession of

Cheung2 an electronic device, whereas sales would include the total amount of products sold in the market. While information becomes more and more digitalized, we depend more and more on Internet storage. In order to gain access to digitalized information, we use phones, computers, or any similar portable devices as a tool. These devices have made information readily available possible with just a simple touch at the fingertips. It is no wonder why people are so captivated by such fascinating technology. The main uses of these digital devices include communication, Internet navigation, and entertainment purpose. According to the Council of Research Excellence in the New York Times, we spend at least 8.5 hours on screens on any day (Stelter). These devices have started to play an essential part to our lives. Although popular technology devices may have tremendously improved many aspects of our daily lives, extensive usages on these tools may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle and change our individuality. Through many researches, many psychologists support that extensive usage on these electronics can lead to depression and other abnormal behaviors. For example, a research conducted by Michael Patterson and Robert Kraut, in 1998, examines that greater use of the Internet leads to an increase in depression (Patterson and Kraut). Subjects were required to fill out a survey regarding their depression before, during, and after the experiment. Statistics of the controlled groups, those who did not use the Internet, showed a change of 0 in depression throughout. Whereas, the researchers claimed the teen group showed a significant enough change in correlation with amount of hours spent on the Internet. This phenomenon is explained through a research lead by a group of doctoral students at University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy. One of the major catalysts between the processes of extensive Internet usages and depression is caused by a disrupted sleep cycle. According to the doctors, they say,

Cheung3 computer use was prospectively associated with sleep disturbances... without breaks was a prospective risk factor for stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression (Thome et al.). People are prone to sleep disorders from extensive use of technology due to the lack of melatonin produced in the process. The light from computer or phone screens interrupts the production of melatonin. Since melatonin is a major hormone that regulates humans sleep cycle, a lack of this hormone would cause sleep disorders. Naturally, people who do not get enough sleep become depressed. Thus, people who experiences sleep disorders from extensive technology use could become vulnerable to depressive symptoms. In the same research lead by Patterson and Kraut, the researchers also discovered that increase in Internet use would also decrease family communication, which also leads to increase in loneliness (Patterson and Kraut). This is a predictable occurrence because individuals spend less time talking to family members when they are absorbed in their Internet activity. As individuals reflect upon their unsocial behavior, they believe they experience loneliness because of the absence of real communication. In a world known research, the Millennium Cohort study claims [children] Watching TV for 3 hours or more increases in conduct problems (Parkes et al.). Children conduct problems is where children are associated with disruptive behavior. When I took a psychology class in high school, one of the major methods that children learn is through observational learning. Observational learning where children learn behaviors based on what they see. In this situation, parents were not aware of what kind of behaviors children were learning from social media. It is very likely that children took in the information from TV and mimics it. Therefore, causing parents to experience conduct problems from their children. Not only extensive use of technology causes psychological disorders, it can also hinder communication abilities and development. According to Gary Small, a neuroscientist and

Cheung4 psychiatry professor, even though young digital natives are very good with the tech skills, they are weak with the face-to-face human contact skills(qtd. in Stout). This is due to the fact that technology communication devices, phones and computers, have been accepted as a new alternative communicating method in the society. Tamyra Pierce, a professor at California State University in mass communication and journalism, supports this claim in a research where she discovers that Female [teens] are reported to feel more comfortable talking with others via text messaging and through their social networking site rather than talking in person (Pierce). In contrast to text messaging, face-to-face communication requires the skills to read social cues, facial, and body languages. These skill requirements can cause people to become anxious when communicating. Also, users have the advantage of editing and reviewing their thoughts before sending their text messages, which face-to-face conversations would not allow. Therefore, text messaging has become a preferred alternative method of communication. Technology devices can create illusional worlds that create in the user a false sense of reality, ultimately, leading the user to become disengaged with the real world. For example, when we play video games, there is a sense of a different dimensional world that is created between the user and the digital device. In a study, researchers discovered that players in an online game experience an environment perception, which gives them a sense of pleasure and satisfaction without their needing to expend much effort (HUNG-YUAN, LIN, and CHIANG CHI-HSIAN). In this world created by the users, they experience social disengagement with the outside world because what they experience in the game is not the real world. Sherry Turkle, as a professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology, strengthens the illusional world concept by commenting, children who do not learn real relationships will only come to know where only a shiny, perfect screens give them false sense of intimacy (qtd. in Bilton).

Cheung5 While devices become more and more multifunctional and highly mobile, people become more engaged in the devices at ones convenience. Another example where we see people are disengaged with the real world due to electronic usage is when people use their cell phones even at pedestrian crossings. A study shows that about one-third of the people performed distracting activities while crossing (Thompson et al.). Most of these activities come from the use of phones and music players. According to researchers, our awareness to determine the safety of crossing a crosswalk is greatly handicapped compared to those who are not distracted. When these technological devices start monopolize people, leading them to ignore the surrounding world, the devices become hazardous tools that could debilitate our lives. Some people would argue that technology has enhanced our communication abilities. For example, a research that gathered opinions of the usefulness of a smartphone application for children suffering from autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) shows six teacher believe that the smartphone application to help ASD children to facilitate their own daily lives (Lerman). However, this alone cannot help support the phone application has helped other peoples daily lives. Children suffering from ASD did not choose to become ASD. It is because they have lost or did not develop one of the major brain functions that a normal being would have. Since there is an absence of this function in the brain, it is necessary for these children to use another device or tool to act as an alternative brain dedicated to that function only to help them through their daily lives. As a normal human being, we use Facebook or other digitalized social methods not because we lost the function to communicate face-to-face. We decided to use these alternatives because many people prefer a less complex form of communication compared to traditional ways. However, this support alone is not enough to justify our reason to abandon the traditional communicating method.

Cheung6 Sometimes I would drift into thought wondering if I would be able to survive without any contact with any type of digital devices for a week. It has come to conclusion where I believe that one-week will most likely be the most miserable phase of my life due to many failed attempts at this challenge in the past. Technology is similar to a drug to its people. It is undeniable that drugs are able to cure people of their diseases; however, overdose of any drug can cause lethal damage to the patient. Therefore, we must consider the right amount before we use these drugs. This same logic applies to technology dependence. At times, it is necessary to reflect on how much we should depend on these tools. If we depend on these tools too much, some skills will be lost and we would not be able to make advance in the society.

Cheung7 Work Cited Bilton, Nick. "The Child, the Tablet and the Developing Mind." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. HUNG-YUAN, LIN, and CHIANG CHI-HSIAN. "Analyzing Behaviors Influencing the Adoption of Online Games from the Perspective of Virtual Contact." Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 41.1 (2013): 113-122. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Lerman, Stephen, et al. "Erratum to Key Factors Mediating the Use of a Mobile Technology Tool Designed to Develop Social and Life Skills in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders [Comput. Educ. 58 (2012) 5362]." Computers & Education 59.4 (2012): 1387. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. Parkes, Alison, et al. "Do television and electronic games predict children's psychosocial adjustment? Longitudinal research using the UK Millennium Cohort Study." Archives of disease in childhood 98.5 (2013): 341-348. Patterson, Michael, and Robert Kraut. "Internet Paradox a Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being." American Psychologist 53.9 (1998): 1017. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. Pierce, Tamyra. "Social Anxiety And Technology: Face-To-Face Communication Versus Technological Communication Among Teens." Computers In Human Behavior 25.6 (2009): 1367-1372. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Stelter, Brain. "8 Hours a Day Spent on Screens, Study Finds." The New York Times. New York Times, 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Cheung8 Stout, Hilary. "Antisocial Networking?" The New York Times. New York Times, 10 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Thome, Sara, et al. ICT Use and Mental Health in Young Adults. Diss. University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy, 2012. Thompson, Leah L., et al. "Impact of Social and Technological Distraction on Pedestrian Crossing Behaviour: An Observational Study." Injury Prevention 19.4 (2013): 232-237. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. "Trend Data (Adults)." PewInternet. PewResearchCenter, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Trend-Data-(Adults)/Device-Ownership.aspx>