Effect of Advanced Technology on Our Hearing - Essay Example

Effect of Advanced Technology on Our Hearing The rapid emergence of new technology such as the mobile phones, iPodand the mp3 players are putting the hearing ability of people at a high risk. Resend research and findings have shown that close to about seventy percent of young people between 18 to 24 years and those between 25 to 34 years suffer from hearing defects such as tinnitus or ringing in their ears. The constant use of this advanced technology in music and the regular exposure to loud sounds to our ears is the major cause of hearing defects and losses to human beings. Because of all these advancements in technology, our ability to perceive complex sound is getting worse. Continuous exposure to loud music for a prolonged time causes the wearing down of hair and the nerve cell that is responsible for sending sound signal to the brain for perception. When these nerve cells are destroyed, the sound signals are not efficiently transmitted to the brain and therefore result into hearing defects that limits an individual’s ability to perceive complex sound. With time, it becomes difficult for individuals with these hearing defects to pick out most words against noises from the background. This type of hearing defect is referred to as sensory neural hearing loss and is a permanent condition. Similarly, a large blast of noises from music devices and other sound generating instruments can cause the ear drum to rupture and affect our hearing. Most people, especially the younger generation, tend to play loud music from mobile phones and iPods and thus they are always prone to ear drum and nerve cell damages. These young students own portable music devices and are likely to develop permanent hearing defects due to excessive and damaging audio levels. The combination of an increased storage capacity and longer life batteries in the advanced music device technology encourages individuals with portable music players to listen for long hours without giving the ears time to recover and thus damaging the ear drum and nerve cells. Noise form machineries in industries, music player and the advanced audio amplifiers in night clubs can be characterized in intensity, pitch and duration. The normal level of conversation occurs at around 60 decibels. The continuous exposure to more than eighty decibels is dangerous to the human ear. According to multiple researches, noise is damaging if; you have to shout to be heard, your ears ring or hurt and if you experience difficulty in hearing for some time after the exposure. The hearing loss is not only caused by repeated exposure to noise, but can also be caused by a one- time exposure to an extremely loud noise. Loud explosions of mining sites or from heavy gun fire are an example of a one-time loud noise that causes hearing defects. The advanced tools and machinery that are used in industries today can cause hearing loss. These machineries sometimes produce a lot of noise during their operation such that individuals working in this environment are constantly exposed to high levels of noise that consequently affect their hearing. The companies with such machineries are always advised to provide their workers with protective gear from the ears so as to limit these effects (Adam). For young people in particular, the most dangerous type of noise is those from amplified music. The newest enhancement in audio amplifiers used in clubs and house parties by young adults rapidly damages the hairs on the ears. Headphones are only fine if they are used in the right manner. It is very important to adhere to the 60/60 rule when listening to music via the headphones, which requires an individual not to exceed a 60 percent volume and not to listen to music for more than sixty minutes at a time. Continuous exposure to high sound takes years for the damage to occur, so a person may not suddenly detect the hearing loss until he or she is in her late 20s. Any amount of noise that leaves a person with ringing in the ears is dangerous and should either be turned down or avoided at all. Another advancement of technology that has affected the human ability to perceive complex sounds is the introduction of white noise machines that helps babies sleep. The sleep machines that are designed to soothe infant to sleep could sometimes end up harming the hearing of the baby. A recent research has tested a number of widely used machines that play white noise and other sounds that are soothing, and it discovered that some of these machines produce an intense level of sound at maximum volume. If these machines are used for too long and not in the expected manner, they can exceed safety standard and therefore damage the infant’s hearing ability. It is recommended that the manufacturers of these white noise machines to limit the maximum volume and include automatic timers in the devices to shut down the devices after a given time (Carmen). Noise induced hearing loss is entirely preventable. Although hearing ability normally diminish with one’s age, an individual who is not exposed to noise can essentially have normal hearing up to about the age of sixty. Everybody should take certain precautions when exposed to levels of sound that are hazardous. In case of machines that produce hazardous noises, one has to keep the equipment in good maintenance or place the machine inside an enclosure to shield you from the risk of noise induced hearing loss. If one is listening to music from an MP3 player, he or she should consider using the earphones that block out noises from the background to help moderate the level of listening. Similarly, if one is working in a noisy factory, he or she should consider using hearing protection devices such as earmuffs or earplugs. If the hearing protection devices are properly used they can be powerful tools in preventing hearing loss. In conclusion, we observe that the advancement of technology such as the introduction of music players, the enhancement of audio amplifiers, and the implementation of white noise for infant babies are the main cause of hearing defects. Individuals who tend to use or get exposed to these music devices for prolonged amounts of time often develop hearing complications. We should thus ensure that we use hearing protection devices and other materials that helps to prevent hearing defects when we are exposed to noise. Works Cited Adam R. “Healthy Living”. Is loud music ruining your hearing? California. Netdoctor Publishers. 2013. Carmen C & Kathleen C. “Speech Study”. Sleep machines may be harmful to babies’ hearing. Ottawa. Global News. 2014. Read More