The reliance upon technology - Essay Example

?Though it might be convenient to consider the reliance upon technology as starting from the era of computers, the fact of the matter is that land line telephones, beepers, cell phones, mobile communications, personal computers, tablets, and a litany of other devices all have helped to contribute to the means by which the individual societal member integrates with technology. Regardless of the individual device in question, the fact of the matter is that this societal shift impacts upon nearly every aspect of personal life and nearly every relationship that currently exists around the world. The pervasive paradigm shift that has been evidenced has occurred over the past 20 to 30 years has been hailed by many as a great move forward with regards to the overall capabilities and development of the human race. However, there is an alternate view as well; one which warns against the fact that many individuals within society are slowly but surely becoming addicted to the very technology that was initially intended to aid them in accomplishing tasks of different varieties. It is the belief of this author that neither of the sides to this debate has all of the facts or is utilizing them to the correct degree. Rather, technology, although a definite aid in accomplishing tasks that would otherwise take quite a while, has become something an addictive aid that threatens to reprogram the way in which the human mind and creativity are evidenced; thereby decreasing human potential and creating an unhealthy co-dependence that is evidenced throughout current society and culture. Firstly, it does not take a great deal of analytical or scientific discovery to realize that the way in which technology has reshaped and classified our world is without question. Moreover, a sociological increase into the way in which technology has shifted interpersonal dynamics, relationships, and communication has been conducted by a variety of researchers and convincingly pointed to the fact that the current era of texting, instant messaging, Facebook et al has significantly decreased the amount of time that individuals spend in face-to-face communication and has moved society convincingly towards something of a more introverted nature (Carr 1). Although introversion in and of itself is not necessarily a poor character trait, it must be noted that the overuse and reliance upon these technological tools which have already been discussed has created a dynamic by which formerly extroverted individuals are merely introverted and carrying out a great deal of interpersonal communication that one might otherwise carry out face-to-face via the Internet or other technologically enabled means. However, communication is not the only thing that suffers from an overdependence upon technology. As many have noted, memory recall and the perennial knowledge that any and all information can be readily retrieved has created a situation in which memory and the ability to recall tidbits of information are placed at a much lower premium than they might have been in an era in which the likes of Google or other prominent technological means by which data can be retrieved had existed. Again, it does not take a great deal of imagination to envision an era in which it was necessary for the schoolchild, or even societal shareholder, to be nominally familiar and remember such information as capitals of states, a rough understanding and appreciation for the order and number of presidents, how many chromosomes exists in human DNA, who the first woman in space was, for the year in which the state of Israel was created (Cottler 24). As can be seen, there is something to be said for the amount of memory recall that individual can possess and leverage as a means of readily interjecting key understandings and tidbits of fact, data, and history into conversations and pertinent situations. However, with an overdependence upon technology has, situation in which individuals have placed this premium of memory and recall far down on the list of priorities; choosing instead to merely “Google that” or “look that up” (Radziwill 4). It should be noted that there is nothing wrong with an individual relying upon technology as a means of achieving relevant levels of data or facts that they might not otherwise be familiar; yet, what has transpired is a situation in which data and factual recollection have so far decreased in value that the likes of Google and the other technological giants that exist within the current paradigm have come to supersede this basic and in innate human capacity (Carr 2). This has occurred so much so and with such a rapid pace and progression that it can be understood by the reader that what has been described has come to fundamentally shift the way in which human thought takes place and can convincingly be understood as a prime example of the way in which technological overdependence is exhibited within the modern era. Whereas the two previous factors which a been discussed, the level to which sociological and communication norms and mores have been shifted as a result of technological overdependence and the means by which memory recall and previously understood information has been harmed as a result of technological overdependence, the third issue which will be discussed will focus mainly upon the means by which technological overdependence/reliance/addiction has begun to show signs with regards to psychological factors that are exhibited within the general population. Although this closely mirrors the means by which sociological and cultural factors are exhibited, it is in fact in and of itself a different metric and determined(Rosen et al 54). One does not need to perform an in depth a sociological or psychological evaluation to see the impacts that technological overdependence has had upon an individual stakeholder in society with regards to the overall amount of time that they spend immersed and technology to realize that this has become a very clear and present side effects of the way in which technology exists and is utilized within the modern world. There are of course opposing viewpoints that point to the fact that technology has ultimately helped humans to have all in a positive direction. Due to the fact that it is impossible for any one individual to know and remember all things at one time, individuals who ascribe to this particular understanding of the weakness of the aforementioned theory point to the fact that technology is actually working hand in glove with human constraints and seeking to maximize overall potential (Carr 3). By the same token, those individuals that see technology and the means by which humans integrate with it within the current era as the overall net positive also seek to point to the fact that individuals spending a greater amount of time with technology is merely due to the fact that technology has made it possible for them to have such extent and available time in the first place (Sieberg 17). Additionally, the use and dependence upon aspects of communication such as texting, instant messaging, and social media are viewed not as a net negative; rather, they are viewed as proof that technology has enabled people to keep in contact with more individuals and maintain close relationships that they would have been able to had it not existed within the first place. Though these viewpoints are at least somewhat salient, it must be understood by the reader that they are incomplete with regards to explaining the issues and drawbacks that have been explained in great detail in the first portion of this analysis. Due to the fact that human nature is naturally addictive to many types of behavior, technology has provided yet another means by which this addictive nature can be evidenced within society (Carr 1). To be fair, technology has been both a great benefit and an overall drawback with regards the way in which human behavior and development has taken place over the past several decades. Likewise, the second part of this analytical observation will be concentric around the way in which different scholars and academic articles have denoted quantifiable and measurable hindrances that technological addiction has affected within populations. As was referenced earlier, one of the main impacts that technological dependence has had is with respect to the fact that recall and memory capabilities of the individual have been inherently reduced (Cockett 33). The tacit understanding that goes along with this data is the fact that the individual is keenly aware of the fact that the importance to recall and/or remember any given information is of a low priority; due to the fact that it can readily be found again utilizing simple tools that technology has made available. Whereas some may argue that this is the beginning of what has been termed the laziness of technology, it is the belief of this author that such a point of view represents a fundamental shift in the way the human thinking occurs. Although it is not fair to assume that technology in and of itself has provided something of a detrimental impact to the way in which human knowledge is created and made available to others, it must certainly be understood that the means by which humans are able to integrate with this knowledge and recall it has been severely negatively impacted by technology. However, perhaps most salient of all is with regards to the studies that have been performed which are concentric around whether or not the increased reliance an exhibition of technology within daily life has ultimately led to greater efficiency within the workplace or has merely led individuals to leverage these tools as a means of providing more “down time” for themselves. It does not take a great deal of analysis or discussion to realize that many individuals are of the opinion that office work, or many types of jobs which are done regularly within the current era, would have been impossible without the age of computers. However, the work nonetheless was done; and arguably done to a satisfactory degree. Moreover, whereas technology and the age of computing have assisted individuals and businesses in generating further degrees of profitability, it must also be understood that the exponential growth technology has not translated to annex potential growth in the businesses that have leveraged it to a high degree. An obvious reproach to this particular line of reasoning is with respect to the fact that firm such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, and others have leverage technology has the sole means of growing their respective firms over the past several years and decades. Likewise, a response to this reproach would be the fact that these firms are specifically interested in selling technology alone; not merely utilizing technology as a means of providing a higher quality service or product to the end consumer. Another aspect of technological addiction and its downsides that is not often discussed is with regards to the fact that technological addiction reads at high level of physiological and psychological issues. Perhaps first and most recognizable among these is with respect to childhood obesity. Recent research has indicated that childhood obesity rates are in excess of one out of every three children within the developed world (Zaring et al 510). Such an eventuality does not impact upon the way in which human intelligence is exhibited within the world; however, researchers have indicated that the physiological impacts of technological addiction can be just as detrimental if not worse. Some of these can include, but are not limited to the following: isolation from society, lack of social skills, depression, anxiety, obesity, poor sleeping habits, bullying, and a litany of others (Marden 189). Although these span the gamut between physiological and psychological issues, they nonetheless all have a direct correlation and linkage to a degree and/or level of technological addiction as it exists within society. Moreover, the rate at which these secondary impacts exist is yet another indicator that helps to point to the thesis that this analyst has previously put forward; the fact that although technology has been an unquestionable aid in helping our society advance over the past several decades, it is also a horrific hindrance on many levels due to the fact that the addicion that it can cause robs the indivual not only of his/her ability to recall, and to think critically, it has a litany of negative health impacts that have the potential to redefine the culture and world in which we live (Shih Hsin-Yu 61). Rather than proving to be a useful tool whereby increased efficiency has allowed individuals to spend more time on what is most important, technology has been a mechanism of escape that has, and continues to have, a profound potential for abuse. Just as with any habit forming drug, technological dependence ultimately reshapes the way in which the individual integrates with the remainder of society and ultimately how they view themselves. In such a manner, technology in and of itself should not be seen as the bane of modern civilization. Unlike the many other forms of habit inducing substances that have been referenced within the analysis, there is no “safe” levels by which the individual can integrate with them. However, technology holds the innate potential to be both a benefit and a harm (Whiting 99). In such a way, approaching the issue from such a standpoint yields one to be aware of the fact that it is necessary to approach technology so that its positive potential is maximized and the negative potential for addiction is minimized. This is not always as simple as it sounds and can pose a severe difficulty for children and the youth within society who have grown up and been surrounded their entire lives by the heavy impact that technology and technological dependence plays. Ultimately, although it would be nice to end the analysis on something of a positive note, it must be understood that the current exhibition of technological addiction that exists within the current world lends one ot believe that it is likely the situation will ultimately get worse before it gets better. As the youth of today are integrating with technology to a more and more profound extent than previous generations, the level to which technological addiction and dependence is likely to be evidenced within the future is quite high. However, rather than stating categorically that technology, as is evidenced within the current world invariably leads to a degree of overdependence, a far better handle with which to understand and leverage technology would be to define it as a useful tool that holds within it, as do so many other tools, the ability to become addictive and redefine the way in which the human interacts with the world. In short, the understanding that this analysis wishes to convey to the reader is that technology has the potential to be addictive; however, technology in and of itself should not be understood by the same means that many other addictive or potentially addictive habits are understood. As such, technology in and of itself is neither evil nor harmful; rather, human dependence upon it and overdependence/addiction to it, as has been defined within the preceding analysis, is what is most destructive with regards to this relationship. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. 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Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice 14.1 (2012): 59-73. Business Source Complete. Web. 29 July 2013. Sieberg, Daniel. The digital diet : the 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2011. Print. Whiting, Mark. "Impact, Meaning And Need For Help And Support: The Experience Of Parents Caring For Children With Disabilities, Life-Limiting/Life-Threatening Illness Or Technology Dependence." Journal Of Child Health Care 17.1 (2013): 92-108. CINAHL Complete. Web. 29 July 2013. Zaring, Olof, and C. Magnus Eriksson. "The Dynamics Of Rapid Industrial Growth: Evidence From Sweden's Information Technology Industry, 1990-2004." Industrial & Corporate Change 18.3 (2009): 507-528. Business Source Complete. Web. 29 July 2013. Read More