Technology and Addiction

Technology is transforming lives. The way people do things revolves around technological advances. Writing letters is an old form of expression. People found new, fast and convenient ways of communicate with others.

The world is changing really quickly. When I was young, writing letter was a common thing. Lots of letterboxes were around my town and many people used letterbox. However, we do not need a pen and paper to communicate something to family and friends. As cellphones come into wide use, writing letters became a special and emotional type of expression, but not a common way of communication.

Smartphones are becoming a bit too much a part of our lives and people are losing connections with family and friends. People of all ages, gender and race are glued to their screens to the extent that we are losing the will to balance between what is important and letting technology rule our lives.

Distraction is now a common aspect in people’s life.

At one point you are having a meaningful discussion with a friend or a family member and the next you are drowned in your phone. This also happens in classrooms, on the sidewalks, offices, supermarkets and almost everywhere where there are people. It is normal to walk on a street and see people bumping into each other and mumbling ‘sorry’ without looking up from their smartphones. Carr asserts that ‘with its constant interruptions, it is also turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers.’ His claim is valid. People no longer has ability to concentrate.

Get quality help now

KarrieWrites

Verified

Proficient in: Addiction

5 (339)

“ KarrieWrites did such a phenomenal job on this assignment! He completed it prior to its deadline and was thorough and informative. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Additionally, it is limiting our creativity and knowledge as we have totally come to relying on our smartphones even for the most mundane tasks like a simple calculation or for directions. We do not bother to learn things because we know that with a few taps we have what we need.

Technology and Disconnection

Technology has led to disconnection from what really matters. People nowadays prefer social media and phone conversations over face-to-face interactions. Brody cites Nancy Colier’s observation that people are spending a lot of time doing things that do not matter. She claims that people within and outside her practice are losing their connection with what grounds and nourishes us as human beings. Smartphones have become everything to people. The appearance of smartphones has changed the world. The claim that smartphones are revolutionary is not a lie. Before the invention of smartphones, we needed laptops or computers to browse. The only reason that mp3s were one of the most popular electronics was because it was portable and could play great music. The invention of smartphones made easy to access all forms of entertainment in one device. Companies are trying to make more WiFi routers and applications to increase connectivity and access to increased entertainment platforms. This shows that how smartphones became fundamental to our life. The increasing number of social networking service applications is proof of increasing usage of smartphones. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to encourage sharing pictures, music, and games through the internet anywhere and anytime. However, with these platforms comes the threat of losing focus on what human life is all about. Now we are too drowned with social media that we have lost focus on what goes on around us.

People have lost the ability to moderately balance between technology use to make life easier and overusing technology. Brody states, ‘‘too many of us have become slaves to the devices that were supposed to free us, giving us more time to experience life and the people we love.’’ People have lost the ability to use technology for its intended purpose. Individuals are overwhelmed by the buzzes and the chimes alerting us to the messages that we immediately feel obliged to check and issue a response immediately. We abandon conversations, walks, caution and relationships to focus on our smartphones. When I was an elementary school student, people starting to buy phones. At the time, the cellphones were more of a feature device. Most of the applications and features in smartphones were absent from the earlier phone models. They did not support installation of application for entertainment purposes. People were unable to access the internet or download pictures or videos. The only function was making phone calls and sending text messages. At the time, phones served its basic function of quick and easy communication. However, text messaging has changed with smartphones with emojis and other features that makes texting a form of entertainment. Without all the features present in the current texting apps, there was no reason for people to stick to their phones texting. Therefore, addiction problem towards the cellphone was not an issue. However, as Miller asserts, the internet overwhelms you and you cannot win against social media platforms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology has changed life in major ways. At the same time, smartphones have enslaved its users. These smartphones serve many functions including communication, calculation, and entertainment among others. With all these functions in one device, people are losing their ability to function without their phones. Smartphones have overtaken previous forms of communication due to its ease, fast and convenient platforms. Previous forms of communication like face-to-face and letter writing have become a thing of the past. We are now quick to reply to a text message, twitter or Instagram post leaving those physically around us to do the same. We are valuing distant, face-less relationships over social contact.

References

1. Brody, J. E. (2017). Hooked on Our Smartphones. New York Times. Accessed on 25 April 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/well/live/hooked-on-our- smartphones.html
2. Carr, N. (2010). Does the Internet Make You Dumber? Sourcework pgs. 196-198
3. Miller, (2014). Ted Talk: A Year Offline, What I Learned.