Psychological effects of technology, which everyone should be aware of


We live in the age of the network society. Now, what does that actually mean? It is a society with no spatial barriers where the world has become a global village. The Internet, mainly social media networks remove the orthodox limits of social communication. We are constantly connected, plugged in, and available offline. With this change in society where individuals are connected continuously arise many questions regarding our health and happiness.

So, how does technology affect our lives?


The Internet provides us with the opportunity of accessing vast amounts of knowledge with minimum effort. With so much information at our fingertips, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of websites, social media posts, and videos. It is quite possible that the internet could be a dangerous place. For some people, this online overload can cause cognitive disorders and other mental health issues. According to a survey, the biggest negative effect of technology is psychological issues which are faced by 50% of the users (Valkenburg and Piotrowski, 2016)[1].

Negative effects of technology on mental health

Overuse or dependence on technology may have adverse psychological effects, including isolation, depression, and anxiety.

Isolation

Technologies such as social media are designed to bring people together, yet they have the potential to affect negatively in some cases.
A study on young adults aged 19-32 years says that people with higher social media use were more than three times as likely to feel socially isolated than those who did not use social media as often (Primack et al, 2017)[2].

Photo Courtesy of Loneliness NZ

Finding ways to reduce social media use, such as setting time limits for social apps, may help reduce feelings of isolation in some people.

Depression and Anxiety

One of the most troubling things about technology is its correlation with increased rates of depression, particularly in people who spend a lot of time on computers. It's not surprising though, once you realize that computers can ruin our sleep habits and affect us in other ways mentally.

According to a research journal, those who receive more negative interactions online and were susceptible to social comparison face higher levels of depression and anxiety. Greater social media use, night-time specific social media use, and emotional investment in social media are all associated with poorer sleep, and higher levels of anxiety and depression (Woods, and Scott, 2016)[3].


However, the reverse was also true. The authors of a 2016 systematic review discussed the link between social networking and mental health issues. According to their result, people who had more positive interactions and social support on these platforms appeared to have lower levels of depression and anxiety (Seabrook, Kern, and Rickard, 2016)[4].

So, while there does appear to be a link between social media and mental health, a significant determining factor is the types of interactions people feel they are having on these platforms.



In conclusion, the recent boom in technology has changed the average lifestyle of human beings. While technology has many positive effects, there are some possible risks. Anyone uncertain about the effects that technology has on them may want to take steps to cut back on their use of devices and screen time and re-evaluate how they feel with and without these devices.


References:

  1. P. M. Valkenburg, and J. T. Piotrowski (2016), “Plugged In, How Media Attract and Affect Youth”

  2. Brian A. Primack, Ariel Shensa, Jaime E. Sidani, Erin O. Whaite, Liu yi Lin, D. Rosen, Jason B. Colditz, Ana Radovic, Elizabeth Miller (2017), “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.”
    [https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(17)30016-8/fulltext]

  3. Woods, and H. Scott (2016), “#Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem”, Journal of Adolescence, pp. 41- 49. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140197116300343]

  4. Elizabeth M Seabrook, Margaret L Kern, and Nikki S Rickard (2016), “Social Networking Sites, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review” [https://mental.jmir.org/2016/4/e50/]


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Human Relationship

Image
There are many forms of human relationships. Relations between the members of a family, two persons who are in love, and between teacher and student are all different varieties of relationships. Firstly, in a family, all the members try to help each other. If one of them is in trouble another person comes forward to help out. From ancient times, people tried to survive natural calamities and food shortages by accommodating each other. Family bonding is mainly important for children to grow as good human beings. The affection and care of the family members help them to develop mental stability for their future life. Love and romanticism have a special place in human society. Especially during puberty, two people fall in love and develop a romantic relationship which sometimes leads to marriage. The couple then gives birth to beautiful children and devotes their lives to raising them. Another holy relationship is seen between a teacher and a student. A teacher helps a child to find their...
Read more

Bionic eye! But can the blind see?

Image
I n the 21st Century,  Mark Humayun , a professor of ophthalmology and Biomedical engineering in the University of Southern California of Los Angeles, has developed the bionic eye to restore vision to many blind people. Through the process of merging medical science and engineering, this invention is a miracle for people suffering from hereditary retinal deteriorating diseases that results in blindness at an old age. Bionic Eye  B ionic E ye is an artificially made eye that provides visual impressions to the brain. It consists of microprocessor, receivers, radio transmitters, retinal chips as well as an electronic system that has image sensors. In the present world, it is estimated that almost 40 to 45 million people are suffering from blindness and almost 135 million suffer from low visions. The motive of bionic eye is to restore visual signal for those who are suffering from various eye diseases.  The bionic eye has a computer chip that is placed in the back of an eff...
Read more