Daily living has extremely been impacted by mobile devices’ ubiquity and integration of seamless technology on regular activities like tracking of lactation, reading, and shopping. Younes and Al-Zoubi defined the term “technology” as the tools and approaches developed by society to solve the practical challenges it faces, and cater to community needs. The rise in technology accessibility has also seen a significant increase in the application of the Internet, computers, and smartphones, among others (Schindler, Burkholder, Morad, and Marsh 2). Ozdamli stated that technology minimizes the amount of science-based troubles in human life, and can be applied in all areas (192). On the other hand, Younes and Al-Zoubi reported that technology continues to get more power over human lives with every stage of advancement (82) and the trend is expected to continue into the future. However, the growing demand and supply of technology in different industries comes with both challenges and opportunities. There are risks, crimes, and threats that increase with technology use and raise questions on its applicability in various walks of life.
Technology contributes towards economic disparity across countries. Çaliskan argued that the primary reason for the incorporation of technology into economic activities is to ensure that individuals and enterprises minimize costs while maximizing gains (649). Consequently, new technologies have promoted the production of inexpensive goods and improved capital accumulation. Although technological changes encourage social growth and development of the economy through enhanced income levels, they also cause some social challenges. Ozdamil reported that technology use in an educational context boosted self-esteem in individuals that were demotivated and lost self-confidence following years of disappointment (193). Self-discipline and interest in entrepreneurship also rise with technology use, but technology threatens job security (Çaliskan 650).
Technological advancement has led to the elimination of some jobs, thereby increasing the unemployment rate. Countries that depend heavily on technology, thus, record higher rates of unemployment. Even then, technology is still attractive as it creates new opportunities and provides new ways of handling tasks. This benefit may, however, not be enjoyed by developing countries that struggle with technology production. Countries that produce technology experience economic and military superiority over others (Çaliskan 651). The pace at which technological advances happen also increase economic uncertainty, and make projections difficult. Economic inequalities continue to rise from exposure of different economies to fluctuations, stiff competition, and inadequate security.
The prevalence of violence also increases with the spread of technology. Technology is most widespread in educational and entertainment media (Bevelier, Green, and Dye 692). This implies that producers of these technologies intend them to offer better learning experiences or entertainment to the target audience. In particular, intellectual technology provides the fresh knowledge required to achieve particular goals and solve a wide range of problems (Younes and Al-Zoubi 83). However, some level of violence often come with the content. Bavelier et al. explained that the possibility of adopting aggressive or violent behavior is what worries the public most as far as exposure to media technology are concerned (Bavelier et al. 693). The authors argued that 60% of the television programs that children watch and 94% of video games are marked appropriate for children to have a given level of violence.
The beliefs and social norms of children exposed to such content stem from the experiences they observe, which they deem to be acceptable conduct. Therefore, any programs that show violence is risky and increases the chances of children adopting violence in their adulthood (694). Bavelier’s assessment of several studies revealed a connection between media violence exposures and antisocial conduct, such as aggressive feelings, thoughts, and actions. In the process of resolving issues that affect a child’s development like drug use/abuse, abusive homes, and school performance difficulties, attention should be paid to the negative effects of technology.
The likelihood of becoming pathological may as well increase with technology use. Pathological here means a decline in the overall ability of a person to conduct normal functioning in society (694). This inability is the outcome of spending excessive time on the internet or video games. Although there are individuals capable of using technology for longer hours without showing pathological symptoms, other people may exhibit signs with comparatively light use (695). Professional gamers, for instance, are capable of taking a substantial amount of time training to develop perfect skills and accomplish their mission without showing pathological tendencies. As for other users, there is a fear of technology addiction.
Bavelier and colleagues gave examples of incidents where people have failed to function normally in their lives due to an uncontrolled focus on technology. One such problem is where an individual (28 years old) collapse after spending 50 hours playing Starcraft on his game console. In a second incident, a three-month-old baby starved due to her parents’ obsession with Prius, a game in which they cared for a virtual girl (696). Bavelier et al. stated that these media technologies have the potential to activate the frontostriatal pathway. This pathway is often involved in drug addiction and other behavioral disorders.
Distraction is also a potential outcome of technology use, especially in the area of multi-tasking. Technology presents valuable information that can be accessed constantly or even concurrently, but the behavioral cost of this is divided attention (697). Often, individuals easily browse on laptops while watching the television or even use the internet in the process of messaging. Many of these tasks can be conducted simultaneously but there are increased chances of attentional problems.
Bavelier et al. argued that high concurrent application of various media types minimize student’s ability to detect distracting information from their surroundings, made them bothered by irrelevant memory recalls, and they ended up showing less efficiency switching between tasks. The overall time utilized on technology also caused unfavorable effects on students’ concentration on classwork. These were indicated by teachers’ complaints on lack of adequate attention to classwork (697). Other challenges included poor visual memory, imagination, and lack of proper sleep.
In summary, the application of technology in modern times is a necessity and a measure of a community’s cultural awareness. Technologies enhance service provision, improve quality of life, and encourage communication. The spread of automation in business processes also enables large-scale production of goods within less time. New technologies ignite the desire to learn and acquire a new skill set to land better jobs. This also boosts the bottom-line for a company. However, by reducing the number of required staff for a firm, automation also reduces job opportunities. The increased unemployment rates deprive the people of income, lowers their purchasing power, and leads to poor living conditions. Technologies like social media and others, which eliminate barriers formerly caused by distance, have a negative impact on human relations at family and societal levels. Further research should address problems with pace of technology spread, application, and unwanted outcomes.
