The Dark Side of Technology - Essay Example

The Dark Side Of Technology Introduction The term technology in its basic sense is used to refer tovarious devices, machineries and methods that are utilized by individuals with the purpose of making their lives easier. Since the inception of world various technologies have been developed and the primary motive behind the development of these technologies was to enhance the living standards of individuals and help them solve various complex issues in their lives. One of the most heated debated topics of society is whether technology has benefited human beings or has become a disaster in their lives. Different stakeholders have different viewpoints about this debate. Smith conducted a survey in order to identify the opinions of individuals regarding technology and its impact on the society. Smith identified that 59% of the population believes that technology has certain negative effects but overall it is beneficial to the society (Smith 1). This means that there is a major percentage of the population that has accepted that technology has an overall negative effect on human beings and even those individuals who believe that it has an overall positive impact accept that it does effects individuals in a negative manner. Technological advancements take place in different shapes. Recently the most popular technological devices that have been developed are social networking websites, internet, mobile phones, computers and many others. But, the fact that technology has a major negative and dark truth should never be ignored. The negative effects of technology are that it is the leading factor of health issues; it is destroying relationships and is even a major cause of death. Body The dark side of the technology is that it is severely damaging the physical health of human beings. Those who only see the positive side of technology claim that technology impacts the human health in a positive manner. They believe that technological advancements such as tablet computers and mobile phones help individuals in managing their health in a better manner. They even argue that these technological achievements provide information to individuals which help them in managing their health issues. The reality is that technological is one of the root causes of major health issues experienced by individuals throughout the world including the United States. One of the major health issues that are being experienced by the major percentage of the population of United States is obesity. A study was conducted by Kautiainen in order identify the prevalence of obesity and the correlation between obesity and use of technology. The author conducted a survey that was responded to by 6515 individuals who aged between 14 and 18. The author identified that 20.3 and 13.1 percent of boys and girls who were of the age of 16 were obese (Kautiainen 931). The researcher further identified there was a relationship between being overweight and use of technologies that provide information and that help in communication. The researcher further states that the body weight of those girls was high who were spending ample amount of time on watching television and using computers (Kautiainen 932). This means that since girls are spending more and more time on using computers and television to communicate and obtain information their body weight is even increasing. This may be because they are spending their time on computer and television while sitting or while lying down. Therefore, they are not indulging in exercise and healthy eating habits which are two important factors to keep control of body fat. A major negative effect of technology is that it is negatively impacting the social lives of individuals throughout the globe. The proponents of technology argue that technology has decreased and eradicated the geographical divisions. The proponents even believe that due to the eradication of these boundaries, individuals are able to communicate more and are able to develop and sustain stronger relationships. The argue that technology allows human beings to remain in contact with each other throughout the day and continuous contact leads to development of stronger bonds. On the flip side of this argument is a very troubling truth which is that technology has increased the gap between human beings and is becoming a major reason for troubles in relationships. Due to the use of technology individuals have ended up with broken marriages and it has even hampered the parent-child relationship. A study was conducted by Valenzuela in order to identify the correlation between the use of social networking websites, rate of divorce and the health of marriages. The researchers used the data of 1160 individuals who were married and these individuals had been married for 18 to 39 years (Valenzuela 96). The researchers identified that those individuals who were married but were not excessively using social media were 11.4% much satisfied in their marital relationship as compared to those who were excessive users of social media (Valenzuela 99). The study reports that in areas where social media usage had increased by 20% in a two years’ time, were experiencing an increase in the rate of divorce by 2.18 percent (Valenzuela 99). This study clearly indicates that social media usage has been negatively impacting the marriage lives of several individuals. One possible explanation of this is that individuals are spending more time on social media and giving less time to their marriages and this is leading to decline in the health of marriages. The darkest side of technology is that it is one of the major causes of death. Proponents of technology believe that technology provides security and safety to human beings. They state that technologies such as mobile phones contain GPS that help individuals in identifying routes. Similar technologies help parents remain updated about the whereabouts of their children and helps parents remain in touch with their children and this helps parents in ensuring that their children are safe. Nevertheless, technology might be helping in enhancing safety and security of individuals, but it has become a leading cause of death. Technologies such as mobile phones and its various features have caused individuals to experience deadly diseases. A major feature of the mobile phone technology is short messaging service which has become a major cause of road accidents and is taking very important lives of the members of the society. According to a survey conducted by NHTSA, six to seven percent of drivers who fall in the age category of youth have either experienced an accident or a near crash incident due to the utilization of smartphones while driving (NHTSA 1). The respondents of the survey even accepted that due to text messaging as well as emailing, drivers lose their ability to drive in secure manner (NHTSA 1). These statistics prove that when individuals are driving and texting at the same time, they experience impairment of various necessary skills and their attention is divided between the road and the mobile phone. Due to loss of driving safely skills and distraction, several accidents take place and as a result of this, several individuals have experienced death. CDC reports that during the period of 2012, more than a total of 3000 individuals experienced death because they were involved in a road accident that was caused due to distraction (CDC 1). Conclusion There are several benefits of technology, but the dark side of technology should never be ignored while developing policies related to use of technology. Technology has now become a major cause of health and social issues and is even a major cause of deaths in the society. Technology is a vital reason due to which United States of America is experiencing the obesity epidemic. It is a major reason that is disturbing relationships and is leading to dissatisfied and broken marriages. It has even contributed majorly to the increase in the number of road accidents and these accidents are resulting in several deaths each year. Works Cited (NCIPC), National, Division (DUIP), and Centers Prevention. Distracted Driving | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC Injury Center. Cdc.gov. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.< http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/> Kautiainen, Susanna et al. Use Of Information And Communication Technology And Prevalence Of Overweight And Obesity Among Adolescents. International Journal of Obesity 29.8 (2005): 925--933. Print. Smith, Aaron. U.S. Views Of Technology And The Future. Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2014. < http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/17/us-views-of-technology-and-the-future/> Valenzuela, Sebastian, Daniel Halpern, and James E Katz. Social Network Sites, Marriage Well-Being And Divorce: Survey And State-Level Evidence From The United States. Computers in Human Behavior 36 (2014): 94--101. Print. Young Drivers Report the Highest Level of Phone Involvement in Crash or Near-Crash Incidences. United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2012. Internet resource.< http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811611.pdf> Read More