Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on Society

Technology is a valuable tool used for many different purposes. It has helped in the transportation, medical, and business field. The innovations today would not have been made possible without the use of technology. For example, FaceTiming loved ones living far away. Initially, letters and postcards would be sent instead and it would take at least a week to expect a response back. It is a known fact that technology has become an integral part of many people’s lives. Technology continues to improve and reshape the world into a better place. There has been many advances in technology such as teachers communicating better with their students and improving their learning in different ways, however, the internet is causing major issues including lack of social interaction and severe health problem.

In fact, research shows that it is helpful for teachers to easily communicate with their students and students have a higher preference for classes using technology. Corey Murray, editor of EdTech, writes, “74 percent of educators surveyed said technology is key to helping them expand on classroom content”. Teachers can now provide students with various digital resources to further their knowledge and post online lessons to help them gain better understanding. Similarly, when college students were asked whether an online course management system was productive, they “indicated a need for a more consistent approach to CMS use”. Based on the multiple interviews, CMS has helped students track their grades, receive feedback from teachers, and collaborate with peers. Overall, it has enhanced teacher and student interactions. Technology has not only helped students access information more efficiently, but it is shown to contribute to their learning and offers greater accessibility between them and their teachers.

Social skills have significantly decreased over the course of the years because of the amount of time spent on electronic devices. Social skills help people build good relationships through gestures and body language. UCLA psychologist, Patricia Greenfield, points out in a her conducted study that, “college students felt most “bonded” to their friends when they talked face to face and most distant from when they text-messaged”. People are easily communicating through a screen, but struggling to hold or even start a conversation face to face. Using technology causes social tension between people. Lack of social interaction can also be alarming to a person’s well being, causing feelings of isolation. David Cordani, a CEO of a health services company, found that, “Young people with the highest rates of social media use reported very similar feelings of loneliness to those who barely use it”. Social media has begun to negatively interfere with people’s lives. People grow to be attached to their phones instead of making new friendships or interacting with their family. For example, apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are the most used by teenagers. These apps provide a way to request other people to gain more “friends”. Jagdish Khubchandani, a health science professor, quotes , “I have students who tell me they have 500 ‘friends,’ but when they’re in need, there’s no one”. Isolation does not necessarily mean being alone, rather feeling alone. Devoting numerous hours to social media is leaving less time to speak with friends and family.

Meanwhile, technology has lead to many physical issues, such as a reduction in sleep and obesity to name a few. Sleep is essential to good health considering that many students stay up very late on their phones. UCLA Chancellor, Gene Block, states, “Fifty years ago, the average adult got eight and a half hours of sleep; now we average less than seven hours a night”. The brain is able to retain a lot of information, that is why it is crucial to have sleep and with technology it strips people away of that cool down time during the day. Technology also creates stress and higher risks for people to become obese. Furthermore, when kids are on any devices at night, the bright light from the device produces a hormone called ghrelin, stimulating appetite and making people eat more than usual. Studies found that, “With TV, a minimum five-hour-a-day habit increased the odds of obesity by 78 percent compared with teens who didn’t have TV time”. Obesity is common affecting at least one third of the world’s population and technology is to blame. As more people rely on technology, more physical health problems like lack of sleep and obesity will induce.

In essence, technology is constantly advancing making communication much easier between students and teachers, even though it is causing negative effects on people’s health and wellness. Technology can now provide students the capacity to check their grades after a test, collaborate on group projects, and email questions to their teachers. There is no doubt that it opens up many education opportunities in and outside the classroom. However, technology plays a major factor in contributing to obesity and lack of verbal communication.It is creating more time for people to stay up watching YouTube videos and less time to go out to take a walk or run. We need to start practicing how to have a proper face-to-face conversation right now because in the next few years when high school students are asked to be interviewed for colleges or jobs, will they know how to keep eye contact and not stutter? People should make it a priority to develop healthy lifestyle and that begins with limiting the amount of time spent on electronic devices. In the end, the negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to the use of technology, and we it is time to start thinking about how these problems will affect us and all of humanity in the long run.  

Works Cited:

1. Ali, A. (2017). 10 Mysterious Places That Science Cannot Explain. ScoopWhoop.
2. Amusing Planet. (n.d.). The Moeraki Boulders of New Zealand.
3. Atlas Obscura. (n.d.). Magnetic Hill.
4. Discovery. (n.d.). Blood Falls, Antarctica.
5. Fernandez, M. (2020). Surtsey: The Birth of an Island. Geology In. https://www.geologyin.com/2020/06/surtsey-birth-of-island.html
6. Fradkin, P. L. (2009). Daylight comes to Longyearbyen. Polar Research, 28(2), 338–347.
7. National Park Service. (n.d.). Old Faithful. Yellowstone National Park.
8. Owlcation. (2020). The Mystery of Moving Rocks on Racetrack Playa, Death Valley. Owlcation. https://owlcation.com/stem/The-Mystery-of-Moving-Rocks-on-Racetrack-Playa-Death-Valley
9. Tours by Locals. (n.d.). Pamukkale: The Travertine Terraces of Turkey. https://www.toursbylocals.com/Pamukkale-Turkey-Tours
10. Wojtal, A. Z. (2022). Eternal Flame Falls. Atlas Obscura.