Side Effects of Technological Progress

 Thirty years ago, people barely knew what a computer or internet was.  A decade ago, society wasn’t able to travel by plane to whatever place in Earth they wanted or order food from their favourite restaurant from their couch.  The past ten years have brought with them huge technological devices and practical gadgets that have made our life easier and have marked the progress of society as we know it today.  Nevertheless, there is little to non-investigation on the results that all technological progress may have in us in the long term.  Innovations such as GMO’s and cell phones may harm our health in the years to come.

Most packaged foods contain ingredient derived from corn, soy, canola, and sugar beet.  It has been reported that the vast majority of those crops are genetically modified.  Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and the national food security of any country where they are grown.  It is widely recognized that these substances are being used to artificially develop different traits in plants, such as resistance to browning in apples.  However, in March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that the herbicide glyphosate, the key ingredient in most GMO’s, is probably carcinogenic to humans.

 

Cell phones are another proof of technological progress that is not necessarily beneficial.  When it comes to women’s and men’s health, Portland physicians are increasingly seeing patients who exhibit signs of technology overuse, particularly with the reliance on smartphones in our day-to-day lives.  It has been shown that Americans spend nearly 12 hours a day looking at multiple digital screens.  As a result, people suffer form digital eye strain, due to the long periods of time they spend gazed at the screens; sleep disorders, because of the heavy cell phone usage; and physical inactivity, as a result of excessive time using computers, playing videogames, and watching TV.  Sadly, all these illnesses can be permanent if people don’t learn how to control the usage of technology.

 

Therefore, I strongly agree with the thought that not all technological progress is positive.  In the years to  come, technology will continue developing new ways of easing our lives, which can bring with them more means to damage our health without our consent or us noticing the damage.