8 Downsides of Technology

Technology has made our lives easier. We can send messages instantly by SMS or email. We can take photos and upload them easily on Facebook. We can access information in a few seconds. And we can create new works quickly.

On the other hand, technology has some negative effects in our lives. If we’re not careful, we may end up letting technology control us. Here are eight downsides of technology that we may have taken for granted:

Isolation

Isolation is caused by lack of regular social interaction with other humans in daily life, such as work mates in the office or friends in social events. Staring in front of the computer screen, iPod, or phones regularly even in the presence of other people is a sign of social isolation. Studies have proven that socially isolated beings lead shorter lives than those with strong social networks.

Sleep deprivation

We are so engrossed with their devices that we end up sleeping very late at night. The constant barrage of information keeps us from shutting off our brains when we need to sleep. The glow from screens affects the release of the sleep chemical melatonin. If possible, keep computers away from bedrooms. But if this is impossible, at least don’t bring your gadgets to bed.

Increased deception

Many people use the Internet to trick others. They put up false profiles and create personas to present to others. And most people fall for these fake personas (especially on dating sites) because they don’t search others’ backgrounds thoroughly. You won’t know that you’re talking to an international criminal until you watch about his arrest on TV.

Tendonitis

Also known as iPhone or Blackberry Thumb, tendonitis is caused by repetitive strain caused by frequent use of thumbs to press buttons on your voip pbx, mobile phone, or tablets. Playing too much video games can also strain the rest of your fingers.

Less sexual boundaries

Before, children are exposed to sex only if the adult males around them didn’t hide their porn magazines well. Now, more young people are exposed to sexual content. They may accidentally encounter something else when they search for “pussy.”

Texting sexually or sending sexual content is becoming the norm for young couples these days. Before texting, no girl in her right mind would take a nude photo of herself, have it developed, and send it to her boyfriend. Now, couples take videos of themselves making out, which puts their sexual content at risk of being leaked on Youtube.

More violence

Violence has been a staple of mainstream TV content, but it’s worse online. Teenage girls video themselves beating up other girls. So are crimes such as hazing, robberies, and animal cruelty.

Decreased attention span

For most people, their attention spans have been reduced from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Twitter’s 140-character limit, news feeds, and 10-minute videos have changed the way our minds are wired. Those who are online for more than 5 hours a day have difficulty remembering others’ names, chores, or even birthdays.

Impatience

We are impatient these days compared to our grandparents. If someone doesn’t reply to an email immediately, we become restless. If a huge chunk of text is incomprehensible, we easily give up reading it out of frustration. Our culture of instant gratification has made us forget about the virtue of patience.