How technology has made lives easier
Unarguably, technology has made life so convenient for humans that it is frightening to even think of a world in the absence of our favorite gadgets for the long-term. Technology is considered to be one of the most critical developments in human history, as it has made life simpler and dignified for most individuals. One of the leading benefits of technology lies in its contribution to the medical science field. Turner (2015) notes that courtesy of technology life expectancy and medical efficiency has been achieved. Besides, advancement has affected almost every aspect of life, ranging from education, business, and personal contexts. However, it cannot be denied that technology advancement has some adverse effects on different social dimensions. People have become overly dependent on technology tools such as computers and mobile phones to the point of neglecting social interactions. Thus, concerns have been raised on whether humans have been enslaved by technology. While technology has positively impacted most aspects of contemporary society, thus improving the quality of life, it has made humans lazy and antisocial.
As noted by Oberst et al. (2017), social interactions are fundamental determinants of social and economic stability. However, unlike before people have become overly dependent on technology in communication and other activities such as communication. Physical interactions are slowly fading as humans no longer make efforts to engage in meaningful interactions. In this context, technology is affecting human interaction by promoting isolation and virtual relations. In the dominance of technological growth and the need for quick adoptions, humans have become highly dependent on technology as a source of solution to issues related to communication, productivity, quality, efficiency and so on. It is widely argued that technology is negatively affecting human interaction. Social detachment in contemporary society has become a reality as individuals choose to rely on virtual over one on one interaction (Oberst et al., 2017). Gradually, over the last few years, mobile technology and the internet appears to be delicately terminating the meaningful relationships that individuals have with one another, disconnecting them from the surrounding and promoting isolation in the modern society. Rather than spending time with friends like before, people have resulted in just calling or direct texting.
Technology has made lives easier by easing the existing distance between individuals, thus creating opportunities for virtual interactions. To most individual, technology, therefore, offers a solution to issues that affect interactions, and it appears rather easy and convenient to just text, but in the end, individuals end up meeting less with their friends. In other words, the development of technology has grown to the point of replacing human interactions (Oberst et al., 2017). Undoubtedly, physical interactions are highly encouraged as they support the growth of relationships while promoting mental and social stability. Texting or video call can never replace the emotional satisfaction that is derived from direct interactions which show the dark side of technology on the wellness of human interactions. It is not surprising that face to face human interactions have been reported by studies to be a source of comfort as they create a sense of wellness. Without human contact, life can easily lose its meaning. Today, most individuals choose to live an isolated life based on the claim that they know how their friends and family are doing through mobile communication. Technology has allowed humans to expand their social connection, which was perceived as impossible in the past by creating platforms to maintain long-distance relationships. However, this is gradually affecting the overall quality of human’s social interactions, given that it encourages isolation and individuality.
Technology is slowly undermining the value of face to face communication. Technology has significantly improved the way people communicate by providing convenient and accessible communication options, but it is also harming communication. In the past, communication was mainly achieved through face to face interactions, but the norm has since changed due to technology development. Technology offers a range of communication options, such as social networking, emailing, direct messages, and video calls. Most of these communication modes lack essential elements that make up effective communication, such as emotions (Cellan-Jones, 2011). In today’s society, that is driven by instant texting, emails, and calls; humans are enjoying the efficiency that comes from this communication. It cannot be denied that humans are communicating better in terms of convenience, but technology is making humans lazy about talking to one another, which has damaging effects on social well-being. Even though communication is one of the leading values of technology, it has taken away normal conversations. For both social and business related agendas, individuals have resulted in emailing, calling, or texting, which is perceived as fast, affordable, and reliable means of communication. It has come to the point of executives firing their staffs through messages, an aspect that is adversely affecting communication.
Social networks and traditional conversations are slowly, getting replaced by technology. The new modes of communication allow individuals to deliver information at will, thus ignoring the value of physical relationships. Virtual communication primarily through emails and text hinders better communication as it is not well equipped to accommodate emotions and other psychological needs (Cellan-Jones, 2011). Recent studies indicate that the rising cases of suicide are due to the lack of the needed social interactions, which promotes personal growth and stability. When people can no longer share what they feel with those close to them, psychological disability is a resultant. Mental illnesses have also increased rapidly in the face of technology such as depression which is dominant among young individuals. Due to the fear of being judged or bullied online, most individuals choose to isolate themselves from the world, which results in such issues. In this context, human’s well-being is highly dependent on their interactions with others, and in the absence of adverse health and social effects cannot be avoided. Physical or face to face talks is needed even in the convenience of technological based communication.
Technology has eased life by providing a range of solutions, but at the same time, it is making humans lazy and antisocial. People no longer have to leave the working desk or house to acquire entertainment and other social activities (Singh, 2016). In most cases, in a single click, they can access the type of virtual company or connection that they need meaning that they no longer get time to socialize. The antisocial behaviors are notable based on the increased rate of obesity and psychological disorders. Based on recent studies, low participation in physical exercises is likely to destroy the society completely. People spend most of their spare times playing video games or enjoying their favorite TV shows rather than engaging in physically demanding activities. In the contemporariness of today’s society, most people own vehicles which they use for movement and in most large building lifts are used as the alternative in accessing the needed places. As most people need to get to work fast based on the need for productivity to match the growing cost of living the need for technological machines such as computers and vehicles cannot be refuted (Singh, 2016). However, the concern lies in the fact that technology seems to be discouraging the physical engagement of humans in physically demanding activities that helps in keeping fit and promoting health stability.
Technology has made life more dignified with one of the benefits being on medical science, but it has vastly affected the social wellbeing of the society. People are ever busy on their electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, computer, or other devices (Singh, 2016). In this case, they lack the needed time to interact with those close to them, which demonstrates that besides making humans lazy, they are slowly being enslaved by the technology. Technology has significantly transformed lives by creating convenience and accessibility and in turn, it is destroying social relationships and at the same time, making virtual ones even stronger. People no longer get the time to interact with their families or friends as they would instead use their free time to a social network or browse. In this case, technology has made humans lazy as they are heavily reliant on it to offer ease of life and enhance productivity, thus destroying human interactions.
Over-reliance of technology hinders cognitive and social development. According to Card (2018), humans are curious creatures, and they learn better with exposure or psychologically demanding activities. As technology use demands fewer efforts, cognitive development has been halted in general due to the lack of social interactions within the broad scope. As both adults and children are getting attached more to the evolving technology, there is a growing loss of connections. Humans need to be connected to perform well both cognitively and socially. A fact that relates to all living organisms is that no human works well on their own. The overreliance of technology is undermining human’s ability to self-regulate their behaviors as well as emotions (Card, 2018). For instance, children are highly dependent on video games, and Television shows illustrate the extent of technological on social development. Children tend to get entertained by the platforms since they are not entertaining themselves, which affects their imagination and creativity. On the contrary, when children are interacting with each other, they imagine things that act as a source of entertainment for all of them which fosters intellectual growth and social functionality. In other words, technology hinders an individual’s abilities to be self-thinkers, given that it offers every possible solution.
Technology affects human interactions because it displaces connections between individuals. The rising diagnosis of psychological and mental illnesses across all ages shows that people are not happy due to the lack of proper adjustment to their surroundings. People are growing up with issues of isolation and detachment since the actual meaning of relationships is fading away. As people continue to detach themselves from the world while increasingly becoming dependent on technology, they are becoming antisocial (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). In other words, it means that they acquire more please from the technology rather than from real interactions. The situation is life threatening as it possesses a significant vulnerability concerning social development difficulties and health defects such as obesity and depression.
Unarguably, technology is not all bad as it has made life livable, desirable, and convenient. In the wake of technological advancement, various discoveries such as those related to health solutions have made life more dignified. Life expectancy has risen, and people can access suitable treatment against chronic illnesses that makes life less bearable. Technology has widely enhanced the quality of life not only by making it easy but creating opportunities that were considered impossible before. Technology advancement is one that cannot be halted based on the growing need for efficiency and productivity (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). It is, therefore, clear that while technology has enslaved individuals, it has significantly transformed lives in all dimensions including, professional, personal, and academic, medical, and so on. Technology development in contemporary society is inevitable as the need for efficiency continues to accelerate. Even with the human over-dependence on technology which has promoted laziness and antisocial behavior, technology has led to some significant transformations.
Conclusion
In summing up, rapid technological growth has been experienced over the past decade, which has been driven by the need for efficiency across all fields. Without a doubt, technology has positively impacted most aspects of modern society by making life more comfortable and livable, but at the same time, made humans lazy and antisocial. People have become slaves to technology gadgets that they lack time for social interactions. Human interactions are no longer valuable based on the fact that technology tends to promote virtual communication, which is highly appreciated as a convenient and affordable option.