A Look at the Negative Consequences of Over-Reliance on Technology

The days of our parents and grandparents, with the lack of technology available on such a big scale, seem so far away that millennials, generation Z, and younger people can’t even picture the way life was back then. And can we blame them for that? I for one find it highly difficult to imagine the flow of my day if I had no instant internet access, social media, news,  digital interfaces, information, and ways of communicating with friends and family directly in my back pocket. 

‍

Think about it for a second. Leaving home to go to college meant that you’d only hear from your parents on scarce occasions, either when you’d visit or through a wired phone or even letters. And yes, nostalgia comes back sometimes even for people who did not experience those times - especially when we face the consequences of today’s “normality”. There are plenty of negative consequences of our technology with digital interfaces that surround us. It, for sure, helped us greatly, don’t get me wrong, but everything should be taken with measure, and we are never too moderate about anything that we like.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to consider whether we are losing touch with humanity and our everyday reality by over-relying on technology and digital interfaces. You probably thought of this too, at one point. And are you not sick and tired of online shenanigans from time to time? 

‍

Here’s the deal. It’s easier to drown in the flood of information that technology brings us as it has become inevitable because of the high degree of accessibility. According to Statista, as of 2023, there are more than 5 billion people who have internet access. That’s more than 60% of the world’s population. And the number of people that use social media out of this total is just as big.  

But it’s important to never lose sight of the importance of human connection. After all, who wants to become the inspiration for a new Black Mirror season? 

You are afraid that you are losing touch with your friends and family even though you speak daily? That’s because new technology can never replicate the real feeling of actually talking to someone. Nothing compares to meeting up with friends for a drink. Or with family for lunch. But paradoxically, because of future technology, many people find it easier and at the same time harder to communicate with people. When they finally go out can experience difficulties engaging in conversations or feel uneasy in the presence of large groups. 

‍

There is no point in denying that new technology, but most notably social media usage can hook our attention so badly that we lose and can start experiencing higher levels of anxiety, lack of purpose, or even depression. 

‍

Even though it might sound counterintuitive, having breaks from social media can actually get people to feel more connected to their peers and especially to themselves. Sometimes technology just changes our perception of how a conversation should go or where should we be at a certain point in our lives. And combined with a pronounced consumeristic and superficial life philosophy we can quickly get rooted in false expectations of what we should have, or how we should be like. 

We sit in front of our screens for so long that we forget to move our bodies. And this is not an exaggeration! Health issues will appear because of this. Some people do not get outside for days and don’t get me started on the lack of overall physical activity correlated with the dependency on new technology. For some reason we get the idea that there is so much going on, so many things we need to know or could know if only we used our internet a little longer. For this reason, days pass without something meaningful happening for many, and it is not a happy landscape. 

‍

Furthermore, the blue light generated by the screen has proved to interfere with human sleeping patterns. Should I say it, or do you already know it? Using your phone before going to sleep can highly impact the quality of your sleep. You’ll wake up more tired, lacking the energy to do something more engaging throughout the day, and you’ll dwell on new technology once again to fuel your day, leading to a pronounced feeling of anguish. 

It might sound too harsh, but I think it’s better to address things as they are, rather than hiding behind some false ideas that we are not addicted to our future technology. People find it hard to even read a book these days. And if you think that books are not necessary anyway in today’s world, some people can’t watch something on Netflix without having attention span problems and checking their phones. 

You hear it everywhere - sustainability this, sustainability that. And wonder what can you do to improve our planet. Well, reading this on a screen means you already contribute to the harmful effects that technology has on the environment. Sure, not necessarily directly - as isolating completely from anything related to future technology is not the way to go. 

‍

But electronics manufacturing and disposal contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues much more than we think. The range estimated for the greenhouse gas emissions of digital technologies is somewhere between 1.5 and 5% of the world’s total. You do not need to change your phone or laptop every year because a new one has hit the market. And companies in this sector should be encouraged by us to adopt a more fierce environmentally friendly approach to doing business.