Technology has come into our lives with a bang. We struggle to keep up with all the new inventions and nearly every day we see a new technological device that we want.
Technology has opened more doors for us to learn and it's very easy to find information on the internet that we otherwise would have had to look for in a library or in a book. How easy is it to watch a video and learn by what you see?
There are many advantages to technology and most of us cannot even imagine living without it. It has made our lives easier in so many ways.
With Skype and Zoom, we are able to communicate with family members and other people far away from us in other countries, so in some ways, it brings us closer to each other.
Online schooling has become a reality and many people work online these days without ever leaving their houses.
There are hundreds of more examples of how good technology is but with the good there is always some bad involved.
Millions and millions of people are addicted to technology. Teenagers and adults are stuck to their screens and it takes away valuable family time. Even though a phone is very convenient to have, there should be some boundaries set so that screen time doesn’t take over our lives.
What exactly is addiction?
An addiction is a chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory. It’s about the way your body craves a substance or behavior, especially if it causes a compulsive or obsessive pursuit of “reward” and a lack of concern over consequences.
Someone experiencing an addiction will:
• be unable to stay away from the substance or stop the addictive behavior
• display a lack of self-control
• have an increased desire for the substance or behavior
• dismiss how their behavior may be causing problems
• lack an emotional response
There you have it. An addiction to a substance like heroin has the exact same effect as an addiction to technology.
The fact that technology fulfills our need for stimulation and interaction can make it a hundred percent just as addictive as drugs or alcohol. Just like drugs is an escape from reality, technology can be an escape from reality.
Just think about a smartphone or a tablet. It can provide us with hours of pleasure and are so scared that we are going to miss out on something that we develop FOMO. (Fear of missing out). With social media platforms and the internet, it can become a very addictive activity because we have the need to stay connected to stay on top of the latest news.
Even though social media platforms can help us escape our daily lives, there are so many false articles out there that we don’t know what is true and what is not true, but it is still difficult to stay away from it as it fills certain gaps in our lives.
When we play video games on the computer, internet, or game consoles, we feel competent and the games make us feel good. We feel as if we are good at something.
Although it teaches us determination and challenges us not to give up, games can take over our lives. One positive thing about games is that the main goals that drive us to success in the real world are present in most games, but gamers mostly communicate with other online members and struggle to communicate in a real-life situation.
In the end, anything that is overused is in some way bad for you. There should be a balance in life, and there is a time and a place for everything. Make sure to make time for things that are important.
