Reliance on Computer Technology - Essay Example

Argumentative Essay on Reliance on Computer Technology [School] Number] September 10, Reliance on Computer Technology Introduction Currently, a large percentage of people around the world have got access to a personal computer either at home, work place, libraries or at internet cafes. Every single day, most people spend a significant amount of time in front of a computer screen sending e-mails, shopping, banking online, talking to friends on social media platforms or doing academic research. New technologies are being developed every day and this has led to creation of shortcuts in the ways of doing certain tasks aided by the proliferation of the internet. According to Grohol, John (2005), the main factor that has led to overreliance on computer technology is convenience. Simple tasks such as paying bills, shopping or even booking for a flight can be done over the internet hence making life so convenient and easier than it would have been without computers. Therefore, the big question looming is: Is the reliance on computer technology a good or bad thing? Discussion Computers are extremely useful across many field i.e. from doctors, developers, architects, engineers to scientists since they provide a way of making their work easier hence faster completion of work than when undertaking them manually. In addition to a computer being a great aid to work, it has also become a great tool for reference by use of the internet. Computer technology has also provided with an easy way of long distance communication over the internet through means such as social networks i.e. Facebook, twitter, Skype and MSN messenger, and the use of webcam has enabled interactive live video and audio feeds over the internet. (Kikiowo, 2011) According to Grohol, John (2005), computers have also provided an easy way of carrying out academic research through the various search engines available. This is a lot easier and faster than one going through the library catalogue. This in turn has helped students to be more productive and has provided a better learning experience. Computer are also essential in our everyday lives since with them, one can produce many documents with ease, store large amounts of data, share it with friends in different part of the world and also exchange and share ideas. There have been discussions on whether reliance on computer technology has led to deterioration of peoples’ ability to think. Since the discovery of man, the desire to settle drove him to think and come up with new inventions. At this time, there were no computers but he still had the ability to think and come up with new ways of improving his livelihood due to necessity. Therefore, one saying that reliance on computer technology affects one’s ability to think would be wrong. In this era of computer technology, a lot of inventions have come up with the help of these technology. For instance, new ways have been invented to help in solving mathematical equations for complex optimizing systems aided by the computer technology. If there were no computers, ways of solving these complex systems could have taken many years to invent. (Zhang & Espinoza, 1998) Therefore for one to solve problems using a computer, he or she needed to think effectively and this requires creativity. Therefore in as much as a person does not directly solve the problem by himself, he is thinking creatively and differently. This makes it possible to use a computer to solve complex and repetitive calculations that humans have no time and ability to solve by themself. Therefore this doesn’t decrease his creativity but increases it. This creativity and thinking ability developed by reliance on compute technology helps one to develop new algorithms for the optimization of the already existing concepts. All this are made possible by the thinking and creativity enhanced by reliance on computer technology. (Zhang & Espinoza, 1998) With the developments in computer technology, computer games have been developed. Studies have shown that playing computer games helps improve one’s mind and also his or her studies. Computer games have been recognized for their entertainment value and playing these games helps one in developing their intelligence hence helps in learning. Computer games provide a variety of brain games like sports games, adventure games, children games, action and puzzles contain elements of multitasking, solving puzzles and remembering and these help in developing one’s memory skills. In a research carried out in 2007, results shows that kids who played computer games at least for 15 minutes per day had the highest attention span, better memory and impulse control skills than those who didn’t. This makes it easier for this kids to focus in classroom since it provides them with a good brain activity. (Xiang, 2011) According to the New York Times, a research was carried out in 2008 involving two groups. One group played action video games for fifty hours a week while another played non-action video games for nine hours. The group that played action games showed a higher contrast sensitivity as compared to those who played non-action games. The improvements in these groups is forty three and fifty eight percent in contrast sensitivity respectively. Therefore reliance on computer technology and hence computer games improve one’s contrast sensitivity i.e. eyesight. It also provides a great deal of challenge and encourage the spirit of competition. (Thanh Nien News, 2013) In contrast to the benefits of computer technology to the society, it also has adverse effects on most users whom most of the time are not aware of it. For instance, children spend many hours every day on a computer chatting with friends on social media or surfing the internet. This time could be used in doing other constructive things such as studies. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have recently become more popular with children hence eating into their precious time that can be used for other useful activities like schoolwork or sports. Most of these sites are used alongside chartrooms which can be used for wrong reasons i.e. kidnappers and other criminal using them to find their victims hence carrying out various crimes. It’s not only adults who are using the computer technology to aid their bad intentions, children also have learnt how to use this technology in cheating in school. There are so many internet sites that have given this children access to various essays which they plagiarize and present to their tutors and their original work. Also most college students uses wiki sites like Wikipedia to “copy and paste” information to their assignments therefore in the end, these children doesn’t learn from any of the assignments. (Thanh Nien News, 2013) The use of computer can affect one’s health. If one sits in front of computer monitor for long hours every day, his or her eyesight may be damaged and also may develop backache problems. According to a study carried out by Thanh Nien newspapers that involved a thousand persons aged eighteen years and above, 82% of this people used computers frequently while 42% spent at least three hours a day in front of a computer screen. Therefore sitting in front of a computer for long hours does not only affect one’s eyes but also makes them dizzy and can eventually cause eye problems. It can also affect some other parts of the body such as the brain. Therefore, the developments of computer technology needs to be handled with a lot of care in as much as it come with a lot of advantages. (Kikiowo, 2011) Reliance on computer technology has also led to the aspect of people being lazy. This is common with teenagers who rely on a computer so much till they don’t think at all. This is because they rely on a computer for almost everything they need to do even the most basic chores like paying bills, applying for a job, shopping and doing their homework. For instance, if someone wants to find the spelling of a Basic English word, he or she can get easily by typing in “Google” hence killing their creativity. With the development in computer technology and the internet, someone can do all the chores listed above seated somewhere a by just using a computer hence killing creativity due to lack of daily life experience of the outside world and promoting laziness. (Grohol, 2005) Conclusion Computer technology has enabled the society to excel by transforming and making work easier but it has also led to a lot of side effects that are negatively affecting the society. Developments and applications computer technology in day to day activities has more benefits as compared to its drawbacks. In my view, reliance on computer technology by the society is a good thing since it transforms and makes easy how certain things are done. However, the use of computers needs to be regulated so as to avoid and control the side effects associated with their use. In conclusion, I will state that, humans are the one who have created this technology and is therefore up to every individual to determine whether they want to be slaves of it or let the technology aid them in achieving their goals in life. Cited Works Grohol, John. "Why Reliance on Technology is a Bad Thing | World of Psychology." Psych Central.com. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. . Kikiowo, Ileowo. "OVER DEPENDENCE ON TECHNOLOGY." The Paradigm, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. . New York Times. "Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools." Technology. 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. . Thanh Nien News. "Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | Teaching Vietnam preschoolers on computers raises concerns." Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | Teaching Vietnam preschoolers on computers raises concerns, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. . Xiang, Zhang. "Computer reliance may lower childrens development and creativity." Health, 10 May 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. . Zhang, Y, and S Espinoza. "Relationships among computer self-efficacy, attitudes toward computers, and desirability of learning computer skills." Journal of Research on Computing in Education 30 (1998): 420–436. Print. Read More