The Negative Psychological Impacts of Electronic - Research Paper Example

 The Negative Psychological Impacts of Electronic Introduction The world is constantly changing bringing with it many advantages and disadvantages. The 21st century especially has witnessed an upsurge in the use of technology in order to meet various objectives. The argument for the use of technology comes from Science which argues that technology and the use of it helps to make work easier. It is possible to witness this argument in our daily lives as well as the operations of organizations. The problem however is that, the introduction of technology has caused many negative consequences on the society and the people in general. The introduction of phones, and especially the mobile phones, has contributed to the emergence of many psychological impacts which have not been favorable. On the other hand, the 21st century has also witnessed another development that has changed the world. The development of the internet was the biggest invention of the 20th century which despite its many positive impacts on the society has also brought a number of problems. This paper will concentrate majorly on the negative psychological impacts of phones and the internet on the society and later provide a short counterargument on the same before making a succinct conclusion from the ideas that will have been discussed. Negative psychological impacts of phones Stress and sleep disturbance Thomee, Harenstam and Hagberg established very interesting results in their study of the impact of mobile phones on young adults. The study established that the frequent use of the mobile phone was associated with stress, sleep disturbances in young adults. The study established that, due to the fact that these young people had access to a mobile phone, they were expected to be on call round the clock. They were thus disturbed by the calls and messages that were sent to them in during the day and at night. The accessibility issue is highly related to mental health outcomes because the stress caused from the use of the phones is associated with sleep disturbances. In another interesting study, it was established that people who stopped using mobile phones registered low blood pressure and thus their level of stress was down as compared to those who were preoccupied with mobile phones (BBC). The study thus established that it is the heavy use of the mobile phones that has resulted in stress among the users. Depression Cell phone use has been attributed to cause depression in many ways. In a study by Thomee, Harenstam and Hagberg, it was found that, young people showed symptoms of depression as a result of heavy use of the mobile phone. On the other hand Lambert argues that heavy phone use contributes directly to depression and this is caused by: (1) the lack of social contact seen through handshakes, hugs, facial gestures and words as this is replaced with text messaging and phone calls; (2) anxiety created by the inability to predict the outcome of a conversation with someone not physically present. The scholar argues that with these factors, it becomes very easy for people to slump into depression due to the high instances of isolation as well as lack of physical contact (126-127). The introduction of the mobile phones therefore, as much as it has increased connectivity and accessibility has not made people social in the sense of the word itself. The problem here is the fact that there are no face to face conversations as everything is reduced to text messages and calls reducing the social aspect of human beings thus increasing chances of stress that later leads to depression (Thomee, Harenstam and Hagberg). Addiction It is possible to spot young people with earphones listening to music and at the same time glued to the phone screen. Many of the current mobile phones are built with many capabilities that enable the user to do many things. These capabilities as much as they have been a blessing to many, have also been a curse in disguise. They capabilities have led to the death of other products because the mobile phone has been reduced to a gadget that can be used to carry out many tasks (Mariano 373). What this has caused is an addiction to the phone as a result of the many things that can be done with it. Addiction is the source of behavioral problems in people. People who are away from their mobile phones will feel anxious and irritable because of the fact that it connects virtually every part of their lives. Psychologists now call cell phone addiction nomophorbia, a condition that is described as the fear of separation from the mobile phone (Ablow). In a study, it was estimated that 66% of people in the world owning a mobile phone and especially adolescents suffered from this condition necessitating rehabilitation. The study established that those people between the ages of 18-24 were highly dependent on the mobile phone with 70% of them uncomfortable with staying away from their phones. Addiction or nomophorbia for that matter could be seen from symptoms such as the inability to turn off the phone, the worry that comes with low battery power and the inability to move without a phone (Mariano 374). Self-esteem issues Self-esteem is defined as the way one views himself or herself. The perception about oneself is a great determinant of social interactions. It is the relatively stable evaluation a person makes and maintains of him-or herself and tends to be a judgment of worth of the self (Bianchi and Phillips 40). It is bound up with our views of our identity, and these views are sustained by our social interactions. The growing culture of mobile phone ownership creates a virtual environment through which people interact in the form of text messages and phone calls (Walsh, White and Cox 333). Physical interactions are highly minimized with people resorting to text messaging and phone calls. The result, as already mentioned is isolation coupled with addiction. As already explained earlier, mobile phone use addiction is a psychological problem that has gained attention. Low self-esteem causes people to behave in ways that are self-defeating in order that they may escape self-awareness. Mobile phones are highly addictive and are most of the time used by people as a form of escape from situations in which the phone users find aversive. Research thus shows that the higher the level of mobile usage, the lower the self-esteem. In many cases, such users tend to become introverts because of the addiction to the mobile phone (Bianchi and Phillips 40). Withdrawal problems and symptoms As defined, withdrawal symptoms are manifested in an individual with an addiction of any kind. Drug abuse patients end up with withdrawal problems immediately they stop using drugs. The dangers of withdrawal cannot be overemphasized. The possibility of death is high due to the high addiction to the drug or any other substance for that matter. Studies show that adolescents who have been grounded by parents in most cases are prohibited from using their mobile phones (Tasuku, Tdahiro and Jiro 2311). The impact is disastrous with many of them developing withdrawal problems associated with drug abuse. Anxiety and insomnia are the most common psychological health concerns as a result of the absence of the phone. Many adolescents suffer from these issues (Patrick, Griswold and Raab 177). Other behavioral problems may be manifested as soon as cell phone access is denied. In such cases of withdrawal especially in acute cases of withdrawal some of these adolescents may require medical attention in order to prevent them from sinking into depression. According to Koivusita et al., excess phone usage actually contributes to poor health in adolescents, resulting in sedentary lifestyles, isolation and psychological problems that are witnessed in the event of lack of access to the mobile phone. It could be difficult to prevent such overdependence on the phone given the many functions that are provided by today’s smartphones. However, minimal phone use should be encouraged. Negative psychological impacts of the internet Internet addiction Just like drugs and excessive phone use, the excessive use of the internet leads to internet addiction and further the development of Internet addiction disorder. Many adolescents and young adults are addicted to the internet. Research shows that about 80% of youths spend a large amount of their time on the internet for various reasons. Internet addiction is manifested in symptoms such as: feeling more comfortable with online friends than real ones and the inability to stop oneself from online activities, neglect of relationships, families and daily life (Gackenbach 12). The excessive addiction to the internet has caused deaths and now researchers have come up with the Internet addiction disorder (IAD) which they term as the problematic use of the internet together with various aspects of its technology. The disorder is so acute that it has been recognized by the American Psychological Association. The sense of satisfaction that comes from internet addiction and indulgence feeds a negative cycle in which a lot of time is spent online. There is reduced social contact and less physical activity and this increases the risk of other psychological disorders (Hyung 514). Aggressive behaviors There is continuing research on the impact of online activities on behavior with many researchers already having come up with conclusions on the development of aggressive behaviors among heavy internet users. Online gaming especially and watching of pornographic materials have been cited as among those activities that lead to aggressive behaviors in people especially the youths (Keung 2187). According to the social learning theory, young children are at risk of imitating behaviors they see on the internet especially acts of aggressive inherent in games and pornographic materials. The continued watching of these materials continues to build the level of aggression over time. Repeated exposure to the internet and the violent activities encourages the children to behave more aggressively towards others as they learn that violence is a useful tool and a more appropriate method of resolving conflicts. This is also true for video games and violent movies and is something that researchers have continued to research on. Though, a number of other contradicting researches countering these findings have also come up (Ko, Yen and Liua 599-602). Stress, Loneliness and Depression Research shows that people who use the internet heavily on a daily basis have a greater level of daily life stressors in a subsequent period than those who do not. The stress is associated with the activities that they do on the internet including gambling, online gaming among others. The highly involving activities and the anxiety created during these activities is what lead to stress. Loneliness is another stress factor that results from excessive internet use; however, it correlates with the length of time spent on the internet (Kraut, Patterson and Lundmark 1017). Those people who spend more time on the internet are lonelier than those who do not. Some of them may find it even difficult to distinguish between their virtual activities and the real life activities and this makes them struggle in the real world. Excessive stress and loneliness culminates into depression. The lack of social support contributes to high level of depression in people. The higher the rate of internet use the greater the level of depression at a subsequent period. As insinuated, the lack of social support as well as the difficulty in distinguishing internet life from real life is what makes people slip into depression (Kraut, Patterson and Lundmark 1028). Escapism This is a kind of mental diversion that is aimed at escaping from the unpleasant events of life. It is most of the time accomplished through entertainment or recreation. People take such an action in order to relieve persistent feelings of depression or in order to divert their attention from the problems that they are faced with on a daily basis. Escapists show the inability or the lack of motivation to connect with the real world and thus engage in activities that help them accomplish this (Calleja 335). Many heavy internet users suffer from this problem running away from normal life to the virtual world in order to escape reality of life. A number of symptoms can be identified in people suffering from escapism including: the neglect of daily duties and tasks such as their personal hygiene and this happens because they do not need to interact with anyone in the real life; introversion and the inability to effectively pick conversations with others; lower self-esteem and perception of themselves and anxiety and paranoia. These symptoms occur in people who excessively use the internet and thus most of their time is spent on the internet than with friends in the real life (Calleja 342). Dis-inhibition and de-individuation Shy people often find solace operating on the internet because of a number of reasons: no one can see them and no one knows about them on the internet. The tendency to act radically in such situations is high given the fact that there are no normal face to face conversations (Lee and Chester 2649). Dis-inhibition is defined as the lack of social restraint resulting from the anonymity that comes with internet presence and use. Dis-inhibition affects, motor, instinctual, emotional, cognitive and perceptual aspects of an individual. The complexity of the situation results from the anonymity that amplifies the problem (Dong, Lu and Zhou 138). Dis-inhibition can lead to aggressiveness in people because of the inability to be restrained by social factors. Scholars also argue that it can lead easily to other psychological and social disorders. A very common problem that results from dis-inhibition is de-individuation which is a state in which the individual completely experiences reduced self-awareness and in many instances may show a loss of self. In short, the individuals do not know or understand themselves as a result of their excessive use of the internet. Such individuals possess two sides to themselves, one evident in the real world and the other evident in their virtual world and thus confusion arises on who they really are (Lee and Chester 2650). Psychological disorders The excessive use of the internet has been linked to a number of psychological disorders which include: eating disorders, Pro-Anorexia and Pro-Bulimia. The eating disorders are related to the high involvement in internet activities to the extent of forgetting to eat. However, in other instances there are increased eating habits due to the energy required to carry on activities on the internet. Excessive use of the internet has also been linked to the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes. The argument is that many of the excessive internet users live sedentary lifestyles with little or no exercise. The risk of other cardiovascular diseases are high especially risks of heart attack, stroke, cancer as well as diabetes (Kraut, Patterson and Lundmark 1017). Positive Impacts of phones and the Internet Despite the negative impacts that have been discussed above, the development of technology has brought with it many benefits. The introduction of the mobile phone has had many positive impacts on the society most of which could not have been achieved without it. The first positive impact is in communication such that the mobile phone has enabled instant communication. Businesses and individuals alike benefit from using the mobile phones to carry out process and tasks (Goggin 9). Without the mobile communications, delays would still be there and instantaneous communication would be difficult . Secondly, the mobile phone has increased accessibility such that people can be reached at any time as long as their mobile phones are one. This means that distance is actually reduced between people as they are always a phone call away. It is now easy to reach organizations through the phone and make enquiries as opposed to visiting them. Third is that the phones have made it easier to carry out daily tasks and activities through phone applications such as calculators, calendars, reminders and schedulers. These are very important for personal and business life (Seyler 5-6). The internet on the other hand has also brought with it many advantages including the ability to communicate and form social relationships with people far placed. It has thus reduced the time distance aspect of human relations. The internet has also made it access and share information. Many people all over the world are connected on the internet where they share news, academic information, opinions and facts (Benkler 337). These are important for the intellect and keep people up to date with developments in other parts of the world. The internet has also contributed immensely to commerce such that companies are now able to set up websites which they use to sell products and services to anyone in any part of the world. Such is the case with EBay and Amazon. Lastly, the internet has been used in advocacy where people can be gathered to support a social cause (Preece 338). A good example is the contributions that were made during Hurricane Katrina over the internet. Conclusion There are many negative psychological impacts associated with the use phones and the internet. This research has unearthed a number of negative psychological impacts of using phones and the internet. Excessive phone use has been cited by many scholars to lead to the nomophorbia, stress and sleep disturbances, depression as a result of social isolation, self-esteem issues and withdrawal symptoms akin to those of drug abusers. The impact is greater on adolescents and the youths who are on constant engagement with the phone. The level of impact of the consequences is dependent on the level of use and the more an individual uses the phone the higher the chances of developing these psychological problems and conditions. The internet and excess use of it leads to internet addiction and the development of internet addiction disorder, aggressive behavior in youths, stress, loneliness and depression, escapism, dis-inhibition and psychological disorders. The level of impact is also highly linked to the level of use of the internet. 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