Society and Technology: A Negative Duo

As humanity progresses further into the 21st century, it has become obvious that technology and its advancements will continue to progress too. 

Computers have grown from a figment of our imagination to a resource found nearly everywhere. However, society has grown almost too connected having become dependent on computers for nearly everything.

Although technology positively impacts us in some ways, the risks seem to be outweighing the benefits.

Someone can see the negative effects of technology throughout his or her daily lives. The pandemic forced millions of people to rely on technology for education, work or even communicating with friends. Now that we can finally return to many activities in-person, we can communicate together, although we are doing so through technology. Schoolwork, entertainment and other related activities that we need to do in life are now online.

Personally, I feel like the amount of work that students have to do on a computer becomes overwhelming. I’m sure that I speak for many people when I say that being on a computer for the majority of the day is not the best for someone’s mental health. Technology, like nearly everything in life, is best in moderation. Too much technology can make a person feel stressed, due to the fact that someone believes that they must stay connected constantly.

I suppose that one may argue that technology keeps us connected. This may seem a bit old-fashioned, but there are many other ways to stay connected, such as having a face to face conversation with someone rather than through a computer program.

While technology may make life easier, there are many websites that people even here abuse. I won’t list any websites, but there are resources online that people misuse frequently. The initial concept for the site may have been for good intent, but eventually, the site becomes a center for ill-use. When technology becomes abused, school districts have a tough decision to make and usually end up blocking these sites. 

The negative effects do not just stop there. Technology has allowed for thieves to take personal information more easily. Companies have taken to moving everything online, which makes users of technology vulnerable. Malware, viruses, worms, adware, trojans, PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and other harmful software programs that plague systems to this day pose yet another threat to users on the Internet.

People say that technology is good because we stay connected to one another. Social media is one way that people stay “connected,” and it is tearing us apart. Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Discord and other social media platforms allow for people to think that they can speak their mind in ways that hurt other people. In return, some other people think that it is their responsibility to silence these people. In the end, no one wins, because everyone just walks away sad and angry. I have seen this happen to many of my friends, and I can say that the outcomes in these situations are heartbreaking. 

I know that these problems will not magically disappear as soon as I publish this column, but I am hopeful that this will bring awareness to this issue.  I hope that people will put down their phones and appreciate the world outside.