Peter Nguyen

Henri Miller
American Civilization. History 1700
How Technology is Changing the way we think and focus.
You may ask, how does technology affect the brain? Well, the brain revolves around
thinking. As human beings, we often reflect, observe, and interact with the world which helps
shape our brains. In this day and age, us humans are very reliant on our technology. Were in this
era where memory is not needed. For instance, we rely on calendar alerts, set alarms, calculators,
GPS, etc. With technology, we have the world in our hands thats just a couple taps away.
Whether its baking, changing a car's oil, who the hottest woman of 2016 is, whats the best
foodie spot nearby, we have all that information available on the internet. When information is
so easily found, we forget to find ways to do things on our own. Because its so easy for us to
have technology do things for us, we forget how to function and rely on ourselves. For instance,
if were late, we blame our phones. Weve been so caught up that we forgot, its ok to screw up.
Have you ever felt that you are forgetting something and therefore losing your mind?
Professor Michael Sailing says not to worry. Two of my favorite quotes from Professor Sailing
are Truth is, the expansion of the information age has happened so fast, its bring us face to face
with our brains limitations. Weve lost sight of the fact that forgetfulness is a normal and
necessary phenomenon.(Horvath)1 Recently, studies have shown twice as much activity in the
prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is used for short-term memory and quick
decision-making. Overtime, we have learned to skim more often than not.
1

Horvath, Andi. How does technology affect our brain? The age National.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/voice/how-does-technology-affect-our-brains-20150604-3x5uq
.html (accessed Nov. 4, 2016).

In this era, technology has undoubtedly taken over, does it affect the way children think?
Although technology is very useful and beneficial to us in many ways, it can also hurt us as well.
Over time, technology just keeps getting better and better. We never really just sit and
acknowledge how far technology has come. Since technology, its been so easy to just leave our
children in front of a T.V. screen, IPad, computer monitor, etc. As previously mentioned,
children learn and observe their surroundings. They try to mimic what is done, they collect the
information and apply it to their own lives. In short, technology has affected the way our children
think.
These days, parents have emails to check, keep up on the current events, check the
whether, whatever it is, our children see how attached we are to our devices. Sooner or later, our
children will come upon our phones, tablets, IPads, etc. At some point, that screen will grab a
hold of our children, and it wont want to let go. Everywhere I go, if a child does not have his
IPad to watch YouTube theyre going to throw a fit. Weve become so stuck in this parallel that
if we aren't looking at our phones, it feels weird. For instance, if our phones are dead, we feel
that we must find a way to charge the phone as soon as possible.
Now the question is, is smartphone addiction real? Smartphones are with us all the time,
they keep us connected, they keep us updated, and they even entertain us when were bored.
According to statistics compiled by the Department of Transportation, half a million people are
injured or killed in traffic accidents attributed to the combination of texting and driving. 2 I think
that answers the question whether we as humans are addicted to our devices or not. People are so
glued onto their phones, they forget about reality. Generally during Christmas time, children are

Facts & Statistics about Texting & Driving 2016/2015, The law of Melinda J. Helbrock A.P.C.
http://www.personalinjurysandiego.org/topics/facts-about-texting-driving (accessed Nov 7, 2016).
2

being gifted with the latest phones, game consoles, computers, etc. Its sad when there are viral
videos online of children/teens throwing a fit because they didnt receive the IPhone 7 and
instead received the IPhone 6s. More often than not, couples out on a date have all of their
attention towards their phones, rather than their significant other. For most people, smartphones
are more of an obsession than an addiction. says Dr. Larry Rossen.3 Some common occasions
with our phones are known as phantom vibrations. Phantom vibrations are when we believe that
there are vibrations from our phones when in reality there wasnt. Having our cell-phones on a
24 hour a day makes it almost feel like an appendage like an arm or a finger.
Another thing that affects childrens brains are their sleep. Phones are what we look at
right when we wake up, and right before we go to bed. Studies have shown that being exposed
to blue-and-white light given off by phones, laptops, and other electronic gadgets at night
prevents our brains from releasing melatonin. (Lewis)4 By looking at blue-and-white lighting, it
tricks our minds into thinking that its still daytime. When our mind gets tricked, its more
difficult for humans to fall asleep at night. Changes in sleep patterns can shift the bodys natural
clock. Children are very dependent on sleep because in order to grow, sleep is a necessity. If
children dont get enough sleep, theyll be even more grumpier the next day. Not only does it
affect their mood, it affects how they perform in school. Even simple things like working out, we
need rest. When we sleep, that is when our body is in recovery mode. Sleep is very crucial, if we
dont get enough sleep, our body and mind wont be performing at its full potential.

Hill, Simon. Is smartphone addiction real? We ask the experts. Digital Trends.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/is-smartphone-addiction-real/ (accessed Nov 9, 2016).
4
Lewis, Tanya. Heres what happened when I stopped looking at screens at night. Business Insider.
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-its-bad-to-use-your-phone-before-bed-2015-7(accessed Nov 9,2016).

Technology is changing the rule of interaction. For instance, before technology, couples
went out specifically to understand and get to know one another. The date was a time to really
get down and see what theyre about. In this day in age, humans have the urge to check their
phone whenever the environment gets a little uncomfortable or awkward. Its very common for
couples to be more attentive on their mobile devices than their significant other. Whether it is
snapchatting the desert, posting a photo for instagram, or tweeting about where the hottest frozen
yogurt spot is. Weve become so desensitized, we always have to be on social media posting
what we're doing. Weve become so connected with our mobile devices, we forget to live in the
moment. Humans forget about enjoying that moment, and remembering that moment for what it
is. Screens are everywhere, but we dont need to let them get in the way. (the conversation)5
As discussed earlier, technology has desensitized humans in general. Over time, we all are
emotionally disconnected. Couples can have conversations all night long, parents can
communicate with their children about how their day was, etc. Yes, communication is
communication, but there is lack of emotive qualities of face to face interactions. (Daniels)
Kids want to be hugged and touched, they dont want to be texted. (Taylor)6 To resolve
problems like this, a simple solution is having more family time and meals where everyone is
connected. Everyone is involved and there is no mobile device around to keep us distracted. Kids
hate double standards, so parents need to set the example.

Technology is rewriting the rulebook for human interaction, The Conversation.

http://theconversation.com/virtual-distance-technology-is-rewriting-the-rulebook-for-human-interaction-38693
(accessed Nov 7, 2016).
6
Johnson,Chandra. Facetime vs. Screentime. Deseret News Family.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865609628/How-technology-is-changing-the-way-we-communicate.html
?pg=all (accessed Nov 8, 2016).

Bibliography
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Schmerler, Jessica. "Q&A: Why Is Blue Light before Bedtime Bad for Sleep?."
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<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/q-a-why-is-blue-light-before-bedtime-bad-for-sleep
/>.
Horvath, Andi. "How does technology affect our brains?." http://www.theage.com. 4 June 2015.
Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/voice/how-does-technology-affect-our-brains-20
150604-3x5uq.html>.
Lojeski, Karen S and Martin Westwell. "Technology is rewriting the rulebook for human
interaction." http://phys.org. 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
<http://phys.org/news/2015-03-technology-rewriting-rulebook-human-interaction.html>.