Negative Effects of Technology

                                                             How beneficial is it actually?

Technology is something that helps us and make our work and daily life easier. It is something available everywhere so people can easily use it either in the work place or for personal matters. We search for something when we need it but nowadays, we rely on internet or other developed technologies and there are very few of us who really want to develop something new. It has damaged the interaction and even can become an issue for our health. So is technology advancing actually beneficial to the human being?

Isolation is one of the main problems. Technologies, such as social media, are designed to bring people together, yet they may have the opposite effect in some cases. A study made in 2017 showed  in young adults aged 19–32 years found that people with higher social media use were more than three times as likely to feel socially isolated than those who did not use social media as often.Finding ways to reduce social media use, such as setting time limits for social apps, may help reduce feelings of isolation in some people. Reduced physical activity is considered to be a very worring subject.Most everyday digital technologies are sedentary. More extended use of these technologies promotes a more sedentary lifestyle, which is known to have negative health effects, such as contributing to:

• obesity

• cardiovascular deseas 

• type 2 diabetes

• premature death

Depression and anxiety  can be a very serious part of the use of tecnology  Experts discussed the link between social networks and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.Their research found mixed results. People who had more positive interactions and social support on these platforms appeared to have lower levels of depression and anxiety.However, the reverse was also true. People who perceived that they had more negative social interactions online and who were more prone to social comparison experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety.So, while there does appear to be a link between social media and mental health, a significant determining factor is the types of interactions people feel they are having on these platforms.The way many people use mobile devices and computers may also contribute to incorrect posture. Over time, this may lead to musculoskeletal issues.Many technologies promote a “down and forward” user position, meaning the person is hunched forward and looking down at the screen. This can put an unnecessary amount of pressure on the neck and spine.A long 5 year study in the journal Applied Ergonomics found an association between texting on a mobile phone and neck or upper back pain in young adults.

 

Sleep problems is a very comon factor.Using technology too close to bedtime may cause issues with sleep. This effect has to do with the fact that blue light, such as the light from cell phones, e-readers, and computers, stimulates the brain. Authors of a 2014 study found that this blue light is enough to disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm. This disturbance could make it harder to fall asleep or lead to a person feeling less alert the next day.To avoid the potential impact of blue light on the brain, people can stop using electronic devices that emit blue light in the hour or two before bedtime.Gentle activities to wind down with instead, such as reading a book, doing gentle stretches, or taking a bath, are alternatives. Finding ways to take breaks from sedentary technologies may help promote a more active lifestyle.

 

We cannot think about living without technology, because it is everywhere we have learned to depend on it so much that even to cook our food we need technology. It is everywhere, but it is up to us how much we use it and how we can limit its access. In different research it has been found that mobile phones are not good for infants, still, many children play like a toy with mobile phones. One should really think about these things and develop their own ideas to deal with it.

Friend or Enemy 

 

Technology hasn’t stopped and will not stop evolving, and it is because it’s improving lives.  From the medical field to communications, technology has not only made our lives easier, but it also makes education and health more accessible helps start a business and makes international communications a thoughtless process.  I believe that technology is one of the most important inventions, it’s given us phones, laptops, and cars among other things, but it’s also made an entire generation addicted to a black screen, another susceptible to fake news, and another feel the pressure of social media since the womb.  Technology is a double-edged sword. 

Although technology has affected my life positively in more than one way, I still believe that prioritizing ease, and temporary needs rather than a healthy mind and genuine relationships it’s the reason we keep going around this vicious circle.  Thinking that having surgery is worth a thousand likes is unbelievable and thinking that reposting a picture of a starving child makes us activists is also a problem.  Technology has made us believe that everything we do matters, and it has made us superficial and materialistic. 

 

For example, when you are eating at a restaurant your first instinct is to take a picture of your food, when you are with your family the first thing you do is post about it.  Everything you do, everything you buy and eat you do it to impress others instead of yourself.  We think that if we do not take a picture of our every move it somehow does not matter.  And this can be dangerous, texting or filming a video while driving, go to dangerous places to get the perfect photo, and spending money you do not have to not feel left out.  It can also affect our productivity, using our phone every moment we are awake is not healthy, wanting to know what is going on in the world 24/7 is an addiction, some people can’t even go to the bathroom without theirs.

 

I believe that technology has benefited us in immeasurable ways, but it has also left us with this sense of emptiness, we do not feel complete unless we always have a square in our pocket, we took something beneficial and helpful and turned it into to something harmful and addicting.  And I am afraid we have crossed the point where we cannot go back.  

 

 Technology Progress: Positive or Negative?

Technology has taken the lead in everything we do, how do we act, etc.  That sometimes we do not notice how much time we spend on it every day.  As I was thinking it is amazing and unimaginable to think what they did before technology.

One of the main reasons I have to really point out, is that it has changed how we communicate letters to a device at the size of our hand, on which we don´t need to travel to another country or state to deliver our message. This sure is effective and faster than before. Moreover, it can turn into addiction, as some people has experienced that without noticing we spend the whole day in this.

I can say I agree to the development that is having science and technology every year without limits, the idea of mixing both of them to the help of humanity is amazing, how we can take example from animals, and ask ourselves how do they manage to live during harsh environments. We can apply it to our hospitals, schools, etc. On the other side, as technology is not really that affordable to anyone just yet. Does this mean that this is only useful to medium and high class?

Nevertheless, the way structures are constructed has been changing overtime, as we discover materials that are more resistant to water, earthquakes, floods, etc. It is less likely to have casualties. But we see the day that everyone can afford these materials and to make the world a better place.

 

I strongly agree with the advances that are being discovered by geniuses every day, whose search for the wellbeing of all people around the world. Solving problems like water-wasting, desertification, climate change, erosion etc.  As we all want a bright future for the newest generations that are yet to come.

 

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.

 

Alarming decrease of animals species  around the world

It is evident that throughout the years we have seen less animals than before, some may ignore this, but the truth is that animals are going extinct. We must begin to work for the preservation. If we can´t care about them and protect them then will we able to keep living on the earth?

The World Animal Foundation estimates that by 2025 as many as one-fifth of all animal species may well have become extinct.  More precisely, according to National Geographic about 28,000 species of animals and plants are threatened, but the more alarming is that only 106,000 species of animals were assed of more than 1.5 million so,  until when will we continue to choose to ignore this big problem?

Humans are believed to be independent and powerful when in reality we depend on earth and its resources. There is no self-awareness onto the fact that when all of it becomes a dead-zone,  not even us will be able to live in.

I ask you again, will you like a world where the future generations suffer the consequences of all our present decisions?

 

A not so far future

Imagine going out into the wild in 1950 and now.  There are differences, aren't they?  This can be explained with the research and studies of the World Animal Foundation.  According to this entity, over 900 plants and animals are endangered and about 20 percent of the species of animals we know today will disappear by 2025.  Animal extinction is not just an alarming matter, it also is a signal that human activity is influencing it.

Taking action to stop this from happening is key, because changes such as this one should not be occurring.  Earth is inhabited by thousand of living individuals and species.  We all have an  specific way of living and, as an instinct, we interact with each other.  Animals, as living beings, are part of our environment and our surroundings.  Even when we don't notice it, they are a crucial part of society itself.  Unfortunately, due to mediocre human practices, animals have been becoming extinct.

Some may consider this phenomenon the evolution of our world, as it happened during the dinosaurs or the ice age.  Nevertheless, the figure of animals that will have disappeared by 2025 if we don't start using the rule of the three R's, reducing the use of plastic and non-biodegradable material, and educating ourselves about the suffering we are causing to these creatures and how to start avoiding it, animals won't be the only beings to be affected.

Endangered animals are in that state because of the actions we have taken through the years.  Species such as the Black Rhino, the Amur Leopard, and the Orangutan are just some of the beautiful animals with whom we won't be able to live anymore, admire, and take care of if we don't start taking action today to change the prediction of the WAF.

Animal Extinction: Does it matter?

 In 2019 it was reported by the UN that nature is declining at unprecedented speed.  The number of extinct species is alarming, just in the last 10 years animals like the Mauritius turtle-dove and the Pinta Island tortoise have disappeared, and with them 160 more.  We may have not heard about most of them because they are so rare and out of our sight, but that does not mean they aren’t important.  Every single one of them had a function, a purpose, and without them, the balance is lost. So, the question we should ask ourselves is, are they worth saving? Does it matter?  Of course, they are because if these “insignificant” species go extinct, eventually, we will too.

 The World Animal Foundation estimates that by 2025 approximately one-fifth of all animal species may go extinct.   Some of the reasons listed as causes for this problem are pollution, invasive species, climate change, and overpopulation.  Some of them can be controlled and even reversed, but we need to work together to do so.  A solution to the pollution can be living a zero-waste life, but that’s not sustainable for many of us, so we can recycle as much as we can, commute whenever we need to travel, and not be wasteful of our resources. 

 

Another major cause for extinction is invasive species.  They flee the natural habitats because we destroy them, we build and create new habitats for ourselves and in the process destroy theirs.  Some examples of invasive species are Asian Carp, Zebra Mussel, Cane Toad, and the Northern Pacific sea star.  These species reproduce outside of their natural habitats at an incredibly fast pace, causing chaos and destruction, harming the animals that live there.  The only thing we can do to prevent this is to stop destroying their homes and help them find new ones where they won´t harm other animals.

 

A solution that would benefit not only endangered species but also the environment is the help of big corporations.  Capitalism has put the weight on us as individuals to take care of the planet, but even if we all did, the factories and big warehouses would still be doing most of the damage.  That is why they need to come with solutions and ideas to reduce pollution, waste, and all the damage they cause to the environment.  And we, as consumers, need to put pressure on them so will do what is right and help us all in the long run.  Because if we keep doing what we are doing, we won´t have an earth to call home.  “The Report also tells us that it is not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level from local to global,” he said. “Through ‘transformative change’, nature can still be conserved, restored, and used sustainably – this is also key to meeting most other global goals. By transformative change, we mean a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals, and values.”  (UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2019).

 

After reviewing the information, I firmly believe we should all work towards saving the endangered species, we should all put our efforts into making this a better world for all living creature, and we should all realize that if are capable to care about innocent animals what’s stopping to not care about us, as humans. We still have time to act and to care, to stop the otherwise inevitable.  Reflect on your future and present actions and if you think the little actions towards change don’t count, trust me, they do.