Our Modern Society, Is Society Too Dependent On Technology?
Our modern society! where we always live in the convenience of technology. So one of the obvious question arise, is society too dependent on technology? Some may say we rely too much on technology, but some may not agree. According to research, 83% say yes and 17% say no. Brainspire author DJ Wardinsky writes, “Technology is slowly moving away from the need to communicate personally with other people”. I agree with this statement. The Internet, which I call the “People’s University”, right or wrong, now affects every step we take, and how we go about social interaction, and it takes us away from our interpersonal relationships.
Creating relationships and being able to communicate with people is a huge skill that now scares people.
Society nowadays has become so technological that it is bound by the rules of daily life. We are getting our urgent answers and success right now through technology. Its development in society has become integrated with our life. But if there are many positive aspects, there will also be negative aspects.
How many people are extreme dependency on technology?
What makes us addicted to technology? Even if we are not addicted, technology can affect our mental, physical, and mental health and well-being. Technology has permeated all aspects of our lives, from stiffening the neck to higher anxiety. And, if not used sparingly, technology can harm us, despite all its advantages – in the end, it makes us very dependent on it.
It is certainly not a new thing that even though technology offers us thousands of benefits, how we have introduced its use in society for success is in a certain way extreme dependence. In a study by Penn State,77% said that society relied too much on technology to succeed. Some of our young people are doing great jobs every day with the use of computers, tablets, or phones. And those who are being influenced by this success are striving for it, and some have become very good spectators of it. You may have already heard of nomophobia, or you might read on social media about its terms and sessions or different ways to cure it. According to Trendhunter, 66% of the population suffers from nomophobia today.
Passive entertainment
The kind of entertainment we get thanks to technology is today known as “passive” entertainment. It can be anything from watching a show on Netflix to listening to a podcast. It does not require much hard work. Passive recreation, or passive leisure, is different from active recreation or active leisure, which involves the exertion of physical or mental energy. And its impact drives our overall lifestyle.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were many ways of entertaining people, usually involving communication and direct work with others without any instrument in them. For example, people could play sports, dance, attend live events, attend amusement parks, travel, or play stickball games and participate directly with nearby friends.
Although we still do these things for entertainment, it is much less than before. Since the advent of phones, computers, and similar technologies in our lives, how we entertain ourselves has changed dramatically. And this change now drives our society too dependent on technology even for entertainment.
Ask yourself; How dependent are you on technology?
Are you dependent on technology? Ask yourself how much of the following statements apply in your life:
- You feel anxious without connection. If you do not have a phone, you feel that something is missing, and you suffer from anxiety.
- Nothing can be done without using the internet. If you lose access to the Internet, you end up working all day.
- You use a calculator for simple calculations.
- You are addicted to your mobile phone.
- You see that you are not living in the present
- You can’t memorize your phone number and/or address.
- You have difficulty sleeping and normally life handling.
- You don’t go out enough. Socialization only works on your phone.
- You haven’t been creative in a while.
- You are not able to have important and serious conversations personally.
If you answered yes to most, then it’s time to address your reliance on technology.
Technology can affect us physically, and emotionally if we are not careful. It can also be harmful to others.
Anxiety and depression, impatience, memory, addiction, and skill replacement are bad effects of overuse of technology. “Researchers have found that those who overuse technology can develop similar brain chemistry and neural patterns to those who are addicted to the substance.” It can cause anxiety, and depression, or even worsen, and even play a role in extreme suicides. But it has some wonderful effects on society. Technology is a great resource in the classroom, and it can help us acquire the skills we need for a successful career. However, it must come in a combination of learning how to navigate the needs of academia and future professions without relying entirely on technology. So we should integrate our lives by using technology properly.
