How Technology Impacts Wellness - Essay Example

How Technology Impacts Wellness In his movie Grown Ups, Adam Sandler was disappointed that his children were so absorbed in their cellular phones, Play Stations and flat screen televisions. He then embarked on a family trip where there were no high-tech gadgets in sight. This situation somehow exemplifies why some parents, educators and medical professionals are now worried about society being too immersed in the digital age. Indeed, compared to several decades ago, the world of today is characterized by technological advancements like the Tablet, e-books, Iphones, sensor-activated televisions and more. These have made communication easy and more convenient for people that many have found themselves doing two or three things at the same time. Nevertheless, like the old saying goes too much of a good thing can be bad. The people behind Frontline’s documentary entitled Digital Nation takes a step back to assess the impact of technology on the different aspects of an individual’s well-being. At the start of the computer age, everyone was amazed at how fast it had become to do things. With the creation of the Internet, everyone was in awe that they could see colleagues and family from the other side of the world. Now, the Internet and the computer have become so much a part of a person’s life these people find it difficult to imagine how their life would be without the conveniences of today. Computers, cellular phones and the Internet have become a necessity for the people in the digital world, making them feel vulnerable without it. Mentally, technology has made some people cope better with events in their life. For example, the documentary featured the military employing technology in recruitment, the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and selected missions. Through simulations of actual military activities, people in the service who have come back with PTSD are able to evaluate the stressful circumstances over and over again until they overcome their anxiety. According to the film, these simulations have also encouraged eligible youth to sign up and help protect the country in the face of objections from parents. The youths say they are old enough to distinguish between games and real combat to make their own decisions. Technology has also helped lower the casualties in combat situations through the use of drones. Controlled remotely from the US, the personnel are able to hurt the county’s enemies but are safe from retaliation. Multi-tasking is a common practice in the digital age. As the students and professors in the documentary shared, they will be sending messages from their phones while browsing the Internet on the computers and listening to music on their MP3 players. This way of accomplishing tasks can get a lot of work done, indeed. A study conducted by Dr. Gary Small of the UCLA shows that being on Google causes the brain to work more than when, for example, reading a book. If so, then people who are always working on the digital gadgets have lesser chances of getting dementia because their brains would always be on the go. If the brain activity level is high, then it follows that performance would also be satisfactory. One experiment by Professor Clifford Nass at Standford on multi-tasking says this is not the case. High multi-taskers were chosen to participate in two experiments to show observe their level of performance. It was discovered that these people did not do well in all the tests. They were not able to switch from one task to another and retain information in their minds neatly. These results are alarming because more and more people are becoming multi-taskers. Eventually, society may be filled with people who won’t be able to perform one task with their full attention because they are used to dividing their focus on doing several tasks simultaneously. This is especially true for people who text while driving or the drone pilot who has to control a drone, check the target and fire. There is a great risk on the part of pedestrians, civilians and ground troops because as Nass’ study shows, multi-taskers perform poorly in individual tasks. Truly, the ability to focus on one’s task is commendable. Technology has helped students be more progressive in class, as evidenced by two schools featured in the documentary. With the provided access to computers and the Internet, students have become more encouraged to learn reading and writing. They have also been more interested in school work than fighting one another. Technology has also helped business people work from home and has helped companies save money on plane fares and hotel fees for business trips. However, technology can also have a negative effect on a person’s physical well-being. In South Korea, the government has come up with Internet Rescue Camps due to ‘technology addiction’. The documentary told the story of how one teenage Korean boy went from being at the top of his class to the bottom half and how his relationship with his mother has been strained because of the time he played on the computer. The mother has called this an addiction and has resorted to letting the boy stay in an Internet Rescue Camp for two weeks. The boy, upon interview, admits he does not know if this will change matters. This is another disturbing effect since technology will always be within reach and will just continue to evolve, making it more attractive to users. It has also allowed business people to not make an effort and appear at work. The energy they use up preparing for work is not tapped because they do not need to wake up extra early, get dressed and drive to meet people at work. All they need is to sign in programs like Second Life and conduct their discussions online. One of the goods things technology has brought about is how people become emotionally connected to others. In the video, one grandmother comments on how, when she’s reading their emails, she senses that her fans are reaching out to her because there is something missing in their lives. Because technology makes the world seemingly small, it has enabled people to empathize with each other and form friendships they would never have had without the Internet or the computer. Online gamers have the same sentiment, explaining how talking to someone on the other end of the Net can be a really helpful and enriching experience. With people meeting new friends and their future spouses on the Internet, as one gaming couple had done, technology has also expanded the range of social relationships. Beyond doubt, technology has brought a lot of benefits to the individual. It has made people in society accomplish more tasks, form relationships with more people and save on energy and money. In the digital age, life is faster and more convenient. All the same, technology has also presented the individual with problems that may have lasting effects. Because computers, cellular phones and the Internet have invaded almost every aspect of a person’s life, it has caused the individual to sacrifice quality for quantity in achieving tasks. These have also encroached upon an individual’s time with family and school work. Ultimately, the answer to the question of whether the effect of technology on a person’s well-being is good or bad depends on how much the individual lets technology influence his or her life. Reference: “Digital Nation.” Frontline. Dir. Rachel Dretzin. PBS.ORG, 2 Feb. 2010. Web. Read More