Adolescents and Technology - Research Paper Example

? Adolescents and Technology Introduction Technology and diverse uses have spread rapidly in the contemporary society, influencingvirtually every age group. However, modern day adolescents constitute a category of the heaviest technology users. Teenagers are invaluable customers of emergent forms of technology, especially in communication. These communication technologies include text messaging, instant messaging (IM), blogging, video and photo sharing, and social networking. Coupled with online gaming and chatting, these technologies significantly influence adolescents’ sociological and psychological development (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). It is imperative to note that teenagers bear the greatest brunt of technology than older generations, since they are born into an era largely dominated by the phenomenon. For this reason, these young generations undergo a hard time trying to separate themselves from use of technology, since it is extensively intertwined with their social lives. This paper seeks to examine the impact of technology on adolescents, by evaluating technological trends, their advantages, disadvantages and possible solutions to their negative effects. Hypothesis With continued increment of time spent on computers, cell-phones, and other technological devices, teenagers risk withdrawing from important in-person social interactions. Research Questions The research is built upon several basic questions, all aimed at gaining better understanding of the nature of teenagers’ utilization of technology. These questions include: Which age group is most affected by technology use? How frequently do adolescents utilize technology or spend time online? Where do teenagers often access the internet or use technological devices? Can adolescents only access technology or the internet from one place? What is the preferred type of technology? Which activities do they most often engage in when using technology? What benefits do they gain from technology use? Are their negative effects they perceive from use of technology? What are the psychological/sociological effects of technology use on adolescents? Are there possible solutions to the identified negative effects of technology use among adolescents? Literature Review Preferred type of Technology With increased use of the internet and technology for communication purposes, the utilization of socially interactive technologies (SITs) has also increased significantly among adolescents. SITs include technologies like social networks, text messaging and instant messaging. Teenagers also use technology extensively for gaming and sharing photographs or videos. All the same, teenagers mostly prefer communicating through writing of texts using their cell phones (Richards et al., 2010). This mode of communication between adolescents and their peers or parents, coupled with instant messaging, occurs in greater frequency than face to face interaction (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). This rampant utilization of messaging as a mode of communication prevents personal interaction between adolescents and their counterparts. As a result, they lack interpersonal skills; an attribute that prevents them from forming health social connections. This lack of personal connection also denies adolescents a chance to learn about basic social cues that are important if they are to thrive within school or work environments. Frequency of Technology Use Based on survey findings by Lenhart et al. (2013), more than 50 percent of adolescents who utilize the internet report that they go online every day. Approximately 24 percent of the said population usually goes online more than one time per day, while 27 percent of the teenagers go online one time each day. The number of teenagers that have relatively low frequency of internet usage is relatively low. Excessive use of the internet is primarily attributable to the fact that it is possible to go online using mobile phones, unlike before when people entirely relied on computers to do this. Places where Teenagers Easily Access Technology With the current portability of technological devices, teenagers can easily access the internet anywhere, including at school and at home. It is important to note that these are the primary areas where teens can make friends in-person or expressly discuss their concerns. Therefore, excessive use of technology prevents them from facing these social responsibilities. Analysis of Age Group most Affected by Technology Use According to Valkenburg & Peter (2007), approximately 93 percent of children in developed nations, falling within the age bracket of 12 to 17 years make use of the internet. Further, about 75 percent of these youngsters utilize the internet mainly for instant messaging. This is a high statistic, clearly showing the magnitude of the situation, since virtually every teenager has access to technology and is vulnerable to its potentially negative impact. The projected vulnerability is accentuated by the fact that adolescence is a rather challenging and sensitive phase of life. This is because it represents a transitional stage where one changes from being a child to an adult. The period is characterized by numerous physiological changes, emotion and cognition developments, variations in social roles with members of the opposite sex and thoughts about academics and prospective careers. It is also during this stage that youngsters start developing their own identity, in a bid to gain autonomy from family and adapt to their peer groups. If kids and teenagers struggle to deal with these transformations, they are likely to develop psychological disorders like obsessions, anxiety and depression. Reliance on technology or the internet, to provide a support framework during this sensitive period would enhance the incidence of such disorders. This would further hamper adolescents’ ability to develop healthy social interactions with people in real life. Benefits of Using Technology In many cases, adolescence gets associated with a firm need to have friendships, as well as, group affiliations. Additionally, adolescents are always seeking for personal communication (Lee & Sun, 2009). This means the constant changing dynamics in communication within the teenage populace has diverse imperative effects on communication and social relationships in their real lives. It is evident that technological tools are acting as mediators between virtual and real communication, and this is encouraging direct interpersonal relationships among the adolescents (Lin, Sun, Lee, & Wu, 2007). With these modes of communication the connectedness formed between them is significant to the adolescents, and their interactions enhance a sense of belonging, as well as, helping them comprehend themselves and others (Boneva et al., 2006). All over the world, adolescent are extremely busy and always swamped with activities. This has made their interaction time limited. However, technology has enabled them to have face to face which assists them to improve and sustain their friendship even without meeting physically. Negative Effects of using Technology There are various disadvantages of utilizing technology as a mode of communication and interaction. Many adolescents have adapted the use of technology in many ways and this has led to extensive cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the intractable and repeated harm that is inflicted on individuals by usage of cell phones, computers and other devices (Patchin & Hinduja, 2010).This is a major risk of using technology in communication because there is an increase in the number of cyberbullying occurrence among teenagers. Moreover, the victimization rates have also increased to 53% (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011). Another major issue that has been introduced by technology is internet addiction. The increasing utilization of Internet in communication among adolescents has prompted a huge concern of addiction (Smahel, Brown, Blinka, 2012). This is because the more they engage in online communication and interaction, the more time they spend on their gadgets thus developing internet addiction behavioral patterns. Technology has also led to an increase in online sex solicitation. This is usually an illegal aspect of using technology especially with the adolescents because they are minors. This is because many a times the people they communicate with online are strangers and this might lead to unwanted contacts. Psychological/Sociological Effects of Technology Use on Adolescents With the immeasurable amount of time adolescents’ use on computers, phones, and other types of technological oriented gadgets like video games, their main attention has been switched to their devices. It is evident that text messaging and instant messaging are some of the most perceptible behaviors adapted by adolescents and they are constantly disrupting any face to face interactions. Additionally, most modes of technology being used entail constant stare at screens for a long time and this seems to have immense effect on formation of interpersonal relationships. For instance, the more time spent by adolescents on technology, the more they gat detached to their parents and other people around them. This is because, they are always busy on their devices either communicating or playing online games. Numerous adolescents are strengthening and maintaining already existing friendships by utilizing technologies, and others are using technology to form new relationships with individuals that they meet online. Nevertheless, there are immense psychological effects that can be gotten from such interactions. For example, some adolescents who have close online associations with strangers are usually troubled. It has been reported that such teenagers usually have high amounts of disagreement with their parents. They have high delinquency levels and very low communication with the parents (Wolak, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2003). Additionally, text and instant messaging is associated with early and heavy substance usage during adolescence (Ohannessian, 2009). Research by Smahel, Brown and Blinka (2012) found that depressed, lonely, as well as, anxious people reported to usage of Internet for emotional support, interacting with their friends and meeting new people. However, some people may use technology as a way of internalizing their problems (Selfhout et al., 2009). Youths utilizing internet for surfing and they do not use the internet for communication or interaction may have more internalization issues problems lioke depression compared to those that use the internet for communication (Selfhout et al., 2009). Possible solutions to the identified negative effects of technology use among adolescents It is imperative to ensure that technology is used for the right reasons especially among adolescents. Therefore, teachers, parents and other guardians should encourage their children to use technology for communication only when it is necessary. Adolescents should learn to how to control their time use in the computers and other communication devices. This way they may not develop any form of technology addiction. Adolescents should be supervised when they are online to discourage sexual predators. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that the existing shift of utilizing technology for communication has offered immense opportunities to the adolescents. However, it is also apparent that there are risks like cyberbullying, sexual solicitation, as well as, internet addiction. Despite the fact that such problems occur depending on personal aspects, situations and the type of technology being used; it is imperative to understand the that there are immense opportunities for the adolescents and still implement methods of dealing with the identified risks. References Boneva, S., Quinn, A., Kraut, E., Kielser, S., & Shklovski, I. (2006). Teenage communication in the instant messaging era. In R. Kraut, M. Brynin, & S. Kiesler (Eds.), Computers, phones, and Internet: The social impact of information technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryant, A., Sanders-Jackson, A., & Smallwood, A. (2006). IMing, text messaging and adolescent social networks. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), article 10. Calvete, E., Orue, I., Esteves, A., Villardon, L., & Padilla, P. (2010). Cyberbullying in adolescents: Modalities and aggressors’ profile. Computers in Human Behavior, 26: 1128-1135. Lee, Y., & Sun, Y. (2009). Using instant messaging to enhance the interpersonal relationships of Taiwanese adolescents: Evidence from quantile regression analysis. Adolescence, 44(173), 199-208. Lenhart, A. et al. (2013). Teens and Technology 2013. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_TeensandTechnology2013.pdf Lin, C., Sun, C., Lee, C., & Wu, S. (2007). How instant messaging effects satisfaction of virtual interpersonal behavior of Taiwan junior high school students. Adolescence, 42(166), 417-430. Ohannessian, C. M. (2009). Does technology use moderate the relationship between parental alcoholism and adolescent alcohol and cigarette use? Addictive Bhaviors, 34, 606-609. Patchin, W., & Hinduja, S. (2010). Cyberbullying and self-esteem. Journal of School Health, 80(12): 614-624. Richards, R., McGee, R., Williams, S. M., Welch, D., Hancox, J. (2010) Adolescent Screen Time and Attachment to Parents and Peers. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 164(3), pp. 258-262. Selfhout, H. et al. (2009). Different types of Internet use, depression, and social anxiety: The role of perceived friendship quality. Journal of Adolescence, 32(4), 819-833. Smahel, D., Brown, B., & Blinka, L. (2012). Associations between online friendship and Internet addiction among adolescents and emerging adults. Developmental Psychology, 48(20), 381-388. Subrahmanyam, K., & Greenfield, P. (2008). Online communication and Adolescent Relationships. The Future of Children, 18, 1, pp. 119-146. Valkenburg, P., & Peter, J. (2007). Preadolescents’ and adolescents’ online communication and their closeness to friends. Developmental Psychology, 43(2), 267-277. Valkenburg, P., & Peter, J. (2011). Online communication amoung adolescents: An integrated model of its attraction, opportunities, and risks. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48, 121-127. Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2003). Escaping or connecting? Characteristics of youth who form close online relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 26(1), 105-119. Read More