Group Essay

Technology Addiction

With more and more developments being made with technology, it is becoming more and more common for people all around the world to become addicted to it.  Technology is intriguing, incising, and offers a world of unique possibilities to people of all different ages, backgrounds, and cultures.  Although technology may be useful in many ways, it can also be extremely dangerous and harmful to those who abuse and become addicted to it.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com
/news/771/internet-addiction-rife

The Internet, one form of technology, is perhaps the most universal form of technology.  People everywhere have access to it, and for the most part, it is free to go onto.  There are infinite things to do while on the Internet.  This includes browsing and doing research, looking up the latest news or gossip, watching TV and movies, playing online games, social networking, and many other things. It is therefore, no wonder that the Internet is so addictive. However, with this addiction, comes several dangers.  Internet addiction or abuse, can keep one from doing other, more productive activities and can skew their perception on what really matters in life or what their real priorities should be.  Along with this, spending an extensive amount of time on the Internet can also damage one’s health, both mentally and physically.  The Internet may be useful, but can be extremely hazardous when abused.

http://www.topnews.in/health/video-games
-addiction-may-turn-kids-impulsive-215020

Just like Internet addiction, video game addiction is a very real danger people face as well. People who don't monitor their gaming activity or practice it in moderation can run into the many problems associated with video game addiction. The amount of time spent on games is a fairly common problem. Many games require the investment of a lot of time to complete, many taking over 30 or 40 hours.  People may forgo other responsibilities, like spending time with family or focusing on academics. People who play excessively and make time only to play more games will most likely see their grades and overall performance in school drop. Also, by devoting their time to these games, people lose important time that they could otherwise spend with family and friends, meaning that games can hurt people's relationships when abused. Another danger of gaming addiction is the influence it can have on players. It can lead to aggression problems due to the fact that violent games reward violent behaviors and encourage the player to do more violent acts. The effects are even worse when the player is a younger age as their minds are still developing, and they are still learning the difference between right and wrong. Along with these many effects, there are many health problems people can develop from video game addiction. Since playing games means less time for exercise or other intense activities, excessive game-play can lead to obesity. Not only this but the constant use of one’s hands to perform actions via the controller can wear out the muscles in the hands and lead to problems such as carpal tunnel. The use of games is something that needs to be done in moderation in order to prevent these problems from becoming serious and to help gamers control their gaming and not become addicted.

http://uctangerine.com/cell-phone-addiction-on-the-rise/

One of the many advancements that has been made is that of the cellphone. What used to weigh pounds and needed an entire charger to work, now fits in your pocket, has a quad processor, internet capability, and a much longer battery life; the cellphone has unquestionably become societies most convenient and useful tool. But with its many mind-blowing features, usefulness, and portability, it has also become addicting to many of it's users. Coined by British researchers, nomophobia or no mobile phobia, the fear of being without your mobile device, is a new fear that is on the rise. Nomophobs experience high anxiety and find their cellphones to be a comfortable and safe outlet from life. Nomophobia is fairly new seeing as how cellphones have only really began to make many advances is the last 5 years or so, incorporating many computer features such as the ability to video chat, use Microsoft Word, and of course the Internet.  Although there is not much information on the new phobia, researchers have concluded that the phobia is most commonly found amongst 18-24 year old females followed by 18-24 year old males. Some people are unable to balance their social life on their phones with face-to-face interactions, and this leads to downhill relationships and unproductiveness. Symptoms of nomophobia include obsessing over battery usage, constantly feeling the need of “being connected”, and constantly checking for new text messages.  Technology is very useful but at the same time it is somewhat a crutch that we have developed for our own laziness.

http://www.truthnhealth.com/2011/12/
top-13-addictions-of-our-modern-times/

Conquering an addiction is a difficult task no matter what the addiction may be.  After the first color television was released in 1954, the amount of homes with televisions has continually increased.  Statistics show that there are 2.4 televisions per home on average.  With numbers like this, it is no surprise that television addiction is such a universal issue.  American adult are said to watch 97% more television than any other age group. This time consumption can be attributed to many different problems, such as loneliness, wanting to escape reality, or simply boredom.  Most people do not realize how addicted they are or just how much time they spend on average watching TV.  Extreme television watchers are desensitized to the fictional visuals that deter them from reality; so simply turning off the television is not the cure.  Another behavior typically of television addicts is turning the television on just for noise, because they cannot function without hearing it.  Certain people become passive and drained of energy, while others have difficulty focusing due to this addiction. Conquering this addiction requires not only a physical change, but also a behavioral change. It requires one to make better usage of their time, whether that is through interacting socially with peers, finding something productive to do, or simply getting out the house.

As you can tell technology and its many forms, whether this is through the Internet, through video games, through mobile devices, or through television, can be highly addictive, and with these addictions come dangers.  They can cause issues in one’s social life, family life, school life, and work life.  Not only this but becoming addicted to technology can affect one’s health, both mentally and physically.  So it is clear that as technology becomes more and more intriguing to be constantly aware of and supervise the amount of time and effort you put into being active with technology so as not to become addicted to it.