Technology: Gen Z’s Cocaine
“The world is evolving to incorporate technology into every facet of our lives. Because of this new reliance, we are losing the ability to take care of ourselves in an organic and all-natural way.”-Unknown. Technology has brought us devices, gadgets, and machines. It helped us develop many fields such as medicine and agriculture. It also provided good communication tools and managed to help us explore our galaxy. Moreover, advancements in technology also helped humans achieve things that were previously unimaginable. But the rapidity of its growth leaves an important impact on our societies, both positive and negative; the newer generations use their technologies excessively such as their cell phones and the Internet, to the extent of becoming rather dependent on it. Although nowadays we live in a world merged with technology, people do not fully comprehend the different effects technology has. Therefore, what are the general effects of these developments on the new generation both positive and negative?
Technology is known to facilitate our everyday lives. With that more people have become lazier and less physically active because they were more reliant on their mobile phones. For example, Dominique Jackson says that in the near future, “Boy Scouts will be teaching kids how to use a GPS instead of a compass”. Furthermore, overuse of technology leads to fewer face-to-face interactions. Which leads to a lack of communication skills and social skills. For example, Andy suggests that “technology makes us weaker socially, physically, and mentally”.
Moreover, technology can damage our eyesight among other things if used excessively. Research from the American Heart Association confirms that if someone watches television for more than three hours per day it doubles his risk of premature death. Additionally, technology can be abused in other ways. For example, people became careless after the release of the Tesla autopilot and started sleeping or texting while driving, which resulted in many crashes. Originally, technology was not meant to harm anyone but people act irrationally sometimes which causes these kinds of disasters.
On another hand, without technology man would not have made it to the moon and scientists would not have found cures for a lot of diseases. In addition to that, it is a source of entertainment and learning. There are numerous applications and websites that eliminate boredom and help us acquire new skills and knowledge like Netflix to binge-watch series and movies; social media to see what our friends are up to, google a search engine, and Duolingo to learn a new language. Furthermore, technology has a positive impact on its users. For example, technologies like Fitbit and smartwatches help people adopt healthy living habits by counting their footsteps throughout the day and monitoring their heart rates.
In conclusion, technology has a positive and negative side. It is every person’s responsibility as the owner of technology to know how to use it in a proper manner and not abuse it. We need to understand the ethical implications technology can have because if used irrationally it can affect people in a bad way. For example, technology is not always perfect. Devices such as cell phones can have glitches or get hacked. Hence, we should always be careful when using technology that can affect other people. The main point of technology is to make everyday tasks easier, but when we use technology in a way that harms others, it defeats its purpose.