Three Warning Signs of Mobile Technology

Mobile technology has revolutionized mobile communications and has been a great asset to the world, although with positives comes negatives. Mobile technology has created an environment that has made everything accessible, but it is making people lose basic skills and have an increase in health issues. 

There has been a decrease in an important interpersonal skill and people being able to communicate in-person. Instead of talking to someone, they prefer to text or call first, because it's instantaneous and easier.  "Non-verbal communication, after all, (argued by some to represent up to 40% of our in-person communication) is completely absent" (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019).  The younger generation does not know how to hold a full conversation, this could potentially impact their ability to get a job in the interview process. Especially with the hit of COVID in 2020, students were unable to interact in-person and be able to practice this skill other than over zoom.  “So much of their communication is done not in-person but online, wrote Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University and author of "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future," in an article for The Wall Street Journal (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019). Older people are starting to question the future and what will happen if this interpersonal skill is lost. 

Media Addictions have taken over the world and there are camps setup to help fix the problem. It has taken away common sense, with someone being able to Google information instead of thinking for themselves. Along with the addiction to always be on a mobile device and looking at the latest content that has been uploaded. “In fact, the average US adult spends more than 11 hours daily in the digital world, psychologist Doreen Dodgen-Magee wrote in a column for The Washington Post. She argued that tech addiction should be classified as a diagnosable addiction” (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019). It is affecting not only children, but adults and teenagers too. At the workplace, employees get distracted with their phones and their attention span has decreased due to not being able to look at their mobile device. 

Health is always an important factor in society and an individual, it can also be expensive just to get a cure for a simple problem. Mobile devices have added an increase of conditions and diseases. “Mobile devices add a risk of many conditions and diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and obesity, according to the World Health Organization” (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019). In regard to obesity and bad posture, many spend their time sitting on the couch and scrolling through their devices. “Poor posture can lead not only to back and neck issues but psychological ones as well, including lower self-esteem and mood, decreased assertiveness and productivity, and an increased tendency to recall negative things, according to a column in The New York Times” (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019).  Taking away from an active lifestyle that one needs as a preventive to developing a health condition or disease. It also affects your eyesight and can lead to an internal disease or eye strain with intense damage from looking at a phone. “According to the Mayo Clinic, and can lead to symptoms such as headaches, difficulty concentrating, and watery, dry, itchy, burning, sore, or tired eyes. Overuse can also cause blurred or double vision and increased sensitivity to light” (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019). Adding in more visits to the eye doctor, more than one visit every two years. Mobile devices also have affected alertness at bedtime, leading to delays in sleep. "Using these devices before turning in delays the onset of REM sleep, reduces the total amount of REM sleep, and compromises alertness the next morning. Over time, these effects can add up to a significant, chronic deficiency in sleep” (9 Subtle Ways Technology Is Making Humanity Worse, 2019). Health is a person's livelihood, and it can affect someone’s future, therefore it is important to not allow your mobile device to affect your overall health; mentally, physically, and emotionally.

References

9 subtle ways technology is making humanity worse. (2019b, August 23). Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/technology-negative-bad-effects-society-2019-8?international=true&r=US&IR=T