Do Electronics Negatively Impact People Psychologically - Research Paper Example

Do Electronics Negatively Impact People Psychologically? Introduction It is an acknowledged fact that the society we live in has totally changed since the industrial revolution that brought about the use of technology in daily life. In fact, the world is experiencing a high rate of technological advancements in almost all sectors of the economy. One area where technology is said to have contributed a lot is in making the world closer. This is due to the fact that communication has been made easier since the advent of computing devices and systems, particularly the computer, Internet, and mobile phone. These days one does not need to travel from say, New York City to London, to deliver a simple message as previously the case. Instead, the person may opt to use the Internet and rely on email services or social networking to communicate to whomever he or she wishes, in any part of the world. Alternatively, an individual may opt to use a mobile phone to communicate with anybody in any part of the world where communication network is available, at his/her comfort. Electronic devices for communication have indeed revolutionized the world in a way previously unseen. In fact, mobile phones have so far gone high-tech in that some can be used as computers. Some models have Internet applications making them extremely handy for communication. Despite the many benefits that the Internet and electronic devices have brought to the world, psychologists argue that they also impact negatively on people’s lives, psychologically. This paper will discuss how phones and the Internet negatively affect people psychologically. Psychological Impacts of Internet Usage The Internet has in recent times emerged as a worthy source of information. In fact, estimates have it that more than 1.5 billion people currently use the Internet around the world (Young 16). In fact, it is such a vital part of society to the extent that it has changed interpersonal behavior and communication and how business is transacted across the globe. For instance, through e-commerce, one can be able to buy or sell products without having to travel. The Internet has also changed the way people socialize, work, study, spend their leisure time, or search for jobs (Ramdhonee 14). It is currently estimated that more than 80% of today’s youth spend a considerable amount of time on the Internet. Despite the benefits, psychologists argue that Internet overuse may lead to psychological problems among users. It is noted that the growth of the Internet has seen the emergence of many social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, blogs, Badoo, and many others. It is in these sites where a majority of the youths today spend a lot of time trying to chat with their friends all over the world, which is a good thing. Nevertheless, psychologists have established that the majority of people who spend much time on social networking sites end up getting affected psychologically. One study conducted by Dr. Larry Rosen, a psychology professor from California State University established for a fact the negative aspect of using the Internet. Rosen’s study was mainly based on the impacts that overuse of Facebook have on the youth. Despite noting a number of positive effects of Facebook usage on individuals, Rosen also noted quite a number of negative impacts (Weiser 32). One of the negative impacts that Rosen noted among teenage Facebook addicts is that they portray narcissist tendencies. Narcissistic personality disorder is a psychoanalytic disorder characterized by the victim appearing restless and excessively preoccupied with personal things, showing vanity and prestige. What is noted with such people is that they tend to react to criticism with a lot of shame, hunger, and humiliation. They also become more obsessed with themselves, setting unrealistic goals, as well as exaggerating what they can do or whatever they have achieved (Suler 7). Rosen also found the impacts of Internet overuse a little different among the young adults. He noted that young adults who spend a lot of their time social networking tend to develop certain psychological disorders such as depression, antisocial behavior, and aggressive predisposition. The antisocial behaviors here include engaging in habits such as lesbianism or homosexuality. In fact, some psychologists argue that the use of the Internet has contributed immensely to the spread of homosexuality in the world. They note that the majority of those who engage in homosexuality get most of the contents and the habits from the Internet. This is due to the fact that the Internet nowadays contains even pornographic pictures and films on homosexuality something that influences many people to engage in the habit (Ramdhonee 64). Another survey also reveals that children who are predisposed to pornographic content tend to lose their virginity at a tender age and end up being promiscuous. The survey also revealed that these teens not only engage in risky sexual intercourse such as playing sex without protection but also tend to have multiple partners. They note that the pornographic contents psychologically drive those who watch them into to experimenting what they see or hear. The viewers tend to believe that the best way of understanding what they see is by experimenting it. The bad news according to psychologists is also that people can easily get addicted to pornographic content thereby affecting their social lives. For instance, it is reported that the majority of pornographic addicts seldom settle in their marriages since they prefer watching phonographic content rather than being with their wives or husbands. With regard to depression, Rosen argued that overuse of the Internet, particularly social networking, has seen many people get more depressed. As a result, these people engage in unusual things such as developing suicidal tendencies or getting overactive over very insignificant issues. In fact, research has linked suicidal tendencies and Internet usage in the U.S. (Ramdhonee 56). Research by Rosen also found that Internet usage impacts negatively on students’ learning outcome. This is due to the destructive effects associated with Internet usage. For instance, during his study, Rosen realized that youths in high schools and colleges who happened to have used Facebook within a 15-minute time period had poor results. He attributed this to psychological interference noting that a student takes too long thinking of what he or she happened to have seen or the kind of chat they had engaged in thereby destructing their attention from schoolwork (Young 36). The Internet is also said to have affected people’s ability to think and reason properly. It is noted that many people, particularly students, nowadays depend on the Internet to find answers to questions asked in class. This is not only the case with students but also managers and people in different fields. Psychologists note that an individual who depends on information from the Internet tends to find it hard thinking for himself/herself. They also find it difficult to suggest opinions on any research topic. This is because they have limited their thinking capacity because of the Internet. It is reported that information available on the Internet has reduced the extent of human interaction in finding a solution to a problem since people know that what needs to be done is only to get access to the Internet (Young 44). Rosen also noted that overuse of the Internet negatively affects children’s health in that it makes them become highly prone to depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological disorders. He argues that if these conditions are not corrected in time, this may end up making the victims more susceptible to health risks in the future. Rosen particularly noted this among those children who get excessively predisposed to Internet usage (Ramdhonee 64). Overuse of the Internet has also been seen to cause Internet addiction disorder. It is reported that one in every three people currently perceives the Internet as a necessity in their lives - something which can only be compared to food, air, shelter, and water. These people argue that their lives are incomplete without the Internet. This implies that they would rather abandon their obligations just to surf the net. It is for this reason that the American Psychological Association (APA) now recognizes Internet addition as a psychological disorder in the modern world (Young 44). It is also noted that staring at the computer while browsing through the Internet has the impact of altering an individual’s state of consciousness. In this regard, psychologists have noted that to some people, the state of consciousness takes the form of a dream. In this case, those who are fond of spending much time on the Internet become less keen, moody, and very irritable. In fact, some get engaged to the extent that they easily get provoked by the slightest disturbance. This is due to the fact that most of their thoughts tend to revolve around the things they do on the Internet (Weiser 9). Psychologists have also noted that overuse of the Internet and phones result in stress and sleep disturbances. This was revealed by Sara Thomee and her colleagues from the University of Gothenbug through a study. In a study, she and her colleagues found that excessive use of the Internet and mobile phones caused stress and sleeping problems, as well as depression among users. They also found that those who are fond of using computers late at night face higher risks of experiencing stress, depression, and sleeping disorders. These psychological disorders were found to be common among women while men who excessively used computers were found to be more susceptible to sleeping problems. It for this reason that psychologist discourage the use of computers late at night (Science Daily, par.5). Psychologists have also noted that some people who overuse the Internet tend to feel guilty and restless most of the time. This is particularly noted among those who browse immoral sites such as pornographic sites for long durations. These people feel guilty particularly when caught by others when watching such contents. Psychologists note that the guilt mainly affects their daily life even at the workplace (Weiser 13). Psychological impacts of phone usage Phones are also another great invention that was brought about by the industrial revolution. This is because just like the Internet, it is also a good source of information as it has made communication easier and virtually made the world smaller. People no longer need to travel long distances to deliver information or write letters that take too long to reach the intended person. Delivering a letter from London to any part of the U.S., under normal circumstances, takes several hours, days, weeks, or even months. However, with the phone, one can easily get immediate feedback either through direct communication or through text messages. In fact, it is reported that over 50% of Europeans and Americans have cell phones. This is also the case in other continents even as children also have phones for their personal use (ScienceDaily par. 1). Despite the numerous benefits that phones have brought into people’s lives, psychologists warn of certain negative impacts of the devices. For instance, Francisca Torrecillas, a psychology lecture at the University of Genada noted that mobile phone usage has turned four out of ten Spanish adults into addicts (Raynolds par.3). In her research, Francisca found that more than 40% of youths spend more than four hours daily operating their mobile phones sending text messages, talking or answering to missed calls. As such, the findings show that this group of young people become offended so much when their phone calls are not picked or their text messages are not answered. This makes them so sad and upset with some going to the extent of engaging in bitter exchanges. Torrecillas argues that despite the fact that these mobile addicts sometimes get so much psychologically affected, they may not show the symptoms, thereby making people not to notice the effects (Raynolds par.4). One of the effects noted among many cell phone addicts is that they have the tendency of neglecting their responsibilities, such as jobs and education. This is because they tend to think a lot about their phones at the expense of their obligations. This affects their concentration thereby reducing their productively at the workplace or leading to a decline in their performance at school. This is because instead of concentrating on what they are supposed to do, they get the urge to use their phones for sending text massages or making phone calls. In fact, according to Torrecillas, phone addicts get very upset when deprived of their right of having the phone with them, irrespective of the reason for doing so. For instance, it is noted that confiscating or switching off their phones has the effects of causing irritation, anxiety, digestive problems, and sleeplessness. In fact, some may end up going to the extreme and committing suicide for being denied the right to use or access their phones due to addiction (Saad, par.4). Like the Internet, excessive usage of phones causes stress and sleeping problems according to ScienceDaily (par. 2). It is noted that those who use phones late in the night mostly developed sleeping problems. This is because they spend most of their time thinking of the kind of communication they have previously engaged in. The sleeping disorder is also said to get worse when the last communication happens not to have been good. This leads to stress and anger thereby interfering with the person mentally. Negative effects are likely to be created by a phone call made in the night delivering a message that a best friend has passed on or has engaged in an accident or that something bad may happen next. This kind of phone conversations has been found to cause a lot of psychological stress and sleeping problems among many phone users. Psychologists also reveal that the results of s psychological stress usually cause some people to engage in antisocial activities as a means of escaping from stress. Some people opt for smoking or drinking so as to forget the bad memories of such conversations. Others go to the extent of committing suicide merely because of receiving a bad phone call. It is for these reasons that people are advised to know how to relay information through the phone by taking note of the impacts that the message may have on the recipient (Saad, par.2). It has also been established that the majority of people nowadays use a lot of text messaging as a way of relaying information. Despite this being the case, many people tend to use the short forms of the words and fail to write complete sentences. They argue that this help hem save the page so as to accommodate more words. Nonetheless, psychologist are issuing warning to such forms of text messaging arguing that this limits an individual’s ability to communicate in complete thought and form of sentences (Raynolds, Par.3). This they argue affects the performance of many students in schools as this makes them fail to write grammatical sentences. Cell phone usage has also been seen to affect an individual’s behaviors towards others especially when a phone call is made. In this regard, it is reported that the responsive nature of picking a phone call tends to create a sense of responsibility to the phone itself as opposed to other people that may be present during a phone call. Psychologists argue that this weakens an individual’s ability to converse with other people that may be present when the call is made since the person has to focus their attention on the call. It is for this reason that some people opt to move away from the group just to receive a phone call (ScienceDaily Par. 6). It is reported that the majority of pone addicts have very low self-esteem and find it difficult to develop good social relations with others. This is attributed to the fact that they only want to get engaged in a phone conversation or by text messaging. Psychologists warn that this has led many teenagers to suffer from manic disorder because they are not ready to share their problems with their peers. The other reason noted is that they do not get time to play with their peers since free time to them means time to either text or converse on the phone (Ling 4). Psychologists have established that there is a connection between a woman’s menstrual circle and phone calls. According to Debra Liebaman, Marti Haselton and Elizabeth G. Pillsworth women should avoid engaging in phone calls with their fathers during their fertile period (Saad, par.2). The menstrual effects on women become so strong when they communicate with their fathers than their mothers as a result of behavioral differences towards parents. This may lead to too much of bleeding which is harmful to women’s’ health. Men are should avoid excessive use of cell phones. The Reproductive Research Center in Cleveland once found out through a research that excessive usage of mobile phones decreases semen quality. This comes about as the activity reduces sperm count, viability, morphology, and motility. This reduction is naturally psychological and has nothing to do with body mechanism (Raynolds, Par.6). Conclusion It goes without saying that the Internet and cell phones have revolutionized the world a great deal. Both the Internet and the cell phones have made communication easier, which in turn has brought the world closer. These two have brought a lot of good to all sectors of the economy and must therefore, be embraced. Nevertheless, as the world continues to embrace them into the society, people should always be keen and avoid overusing them since there psychological effects are very dangerous to people lives. It is also necessary for people to be very keen in choosing the type of phones they buy since there are others which emit a lot of radiations, which is detrimental to people’s health. In addition, more research should be conducted on the effects of electronic devices so as to enlighten people on the dangers associated with the excessive usage of these two important communication tools. Work Cited Ling, Richard. S. The Mobile Connection: The Cell Phone’s Impact On Society. San Fransisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann. 2004. Print. Raynolds, Laura. The effects of cell phones on teenagers. 2012, Web. 19 Oct. 2012 http://www.ehow.com/facts_4895272_effects-cell-phones-teenagers.html Ramdhonee, Karishma S. Psychological Impacts Of Internet Usage On Children/Adolescents. Ministry of Gender Equity, Child Development and Family Welfare. 2012. Print. Saad, Gad. The Menstrual Circle Effects Of Daughter-Father Phone Interactions. 5 January, 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/201101/the-menstrual-cycle-affects-daughter-father-phone-interactions ScienceDaily. Intensive Mobile Phone Use Affects Young People’s Sleep. 2012, Web. 19 Oct. 2012. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120611134233.htm Suler, John. “The online disinhibition effect”. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 2006, 7 (3): 321-326. Print. Weiser, E.B. The functions of Internet use and their social and psychological consequences. Cyberpsychology & Behavior. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2001. Vol. 4 (2). Print. Young, Kimberly.S. Internet Addiction: Emergence Of A New Clinical Disorder, Cybersychology & Bahavior, 1(3). Print. Read More