25 Negative Effects of Technology (June 8, 2013)

The impact of technology on our social, mental, physical and environmental health can be devastating
if we don’t keep ourselves in check. There’s no denying the benefits we have gained from technological
advancements, but as with all things in life moderation is key. Being aware of the harmful aspects of the
overuse of electronics will help you avoid any unnecessary pitfalls. We have also compiled a list of
reading material that delves deeper into this relatively new area of study.

Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap

Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment

Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction–and a Winning Strategy for
Recovery

The Digital Diet: The 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life

I Disorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us

Here are 25 negative effects technology can have:

1. Isolation

Social isolation is characterized by a lack of contact with other people in normal daily living, such as, the
workplace, with friends and in social activities. We isolate ourselves by walking around in our own little
world, listening to our iPods or staring at the screen of the latest mobile device even when we are
around other people. Studies have shown that people who are socially isolated will live shorter lives.

2. Lack of Social Skills

The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less frequency resulting
in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and social cues in other
people.

3. Obesity

The more time people are spending engrossed in video games, talking to friends online and watching
funny cat videos on YouTube, they are spending less time being active or exercising. Also the likelihood
of mindlessly eating unhealthy food increases as people are hypnotized by the latest episode of Honey
Boo Boo.

4. Depression

Technology creates the perfect recipe for depression with the lack of human contact, overeating and
lack of exercise. There is a reason the use of antidepressants are on the rise and the blame can’t be
completely dumped on the pharmaceutical companies. They aren’t carting people into the doctor’s
office and force feeding them the pills. This isn’t to say that depression isn’t a real problem, but some
people could cure their depression by living a healthier lifestyle.

5. Poor Sleep Habits

Some of the negative effects of technology can be linked to the effect it has on sleep habits. We get
sucked into online activities that keep us up too late and the constant stream of information can make it
difficult to turn off our brains. Also, the ambient glow from screens can affect the release of melatonin,
the sleep chemical. Keeping technology out of the bedroom would be a very healthy habit to acquire.

6. Pollution

With the rapid-changing world of electronics and technology, the turnover rate for upgrades is
staggering. This constant stream of out with the old, in with the new is adding to the levels of toxicity in
our air and land. E-waste is not always disposed of properly, causing deadly chemicals to leach into the
ground. Plants that manufacture the electronics are emitting toxic fumes into the air. Plus there is little
to no regulations on the disposal of personal E-waste.

7. Increased Bullying

The use of technology has caused an increase in bullying and escalated the degree of severity. Kids are
no longer able to escape their tormentors once they reach the safety of their own homes. Bullies
infiltrate the security of their victims’ homes through online avenues. It is also easier to get more kids
involved in bullying because people are more likely to say things online that they wouldn’t say in person.
The increase in cyber-bullying has also led to an increase in teen suicides.

8. Lack of Privacy

The internet has stripped the world of privacy. Long gone are the days of having an unlisted telephone
number and staying offline to keep your information safe from prying eyes. With a few flicks on a
keyboard the average person can find anyone’s address and contact information. For those with more
sinister intentions, the use of phishing, viruses and hacking helps to find any information they wish to
obtain. Plus, people have no sense of privacy online. They don’t think twice about tweeting every move
they make, freely giving out their location on Google Map and putting their entire life story on
Facebook.

9. Higher Level of Deceit

On the flip side of having no privacy, people use the internet to deceive others. Most people don’t dig
too deeply when doing a search on someone to check them out. By creating a few false profiles, people
are able to pretend to be whomever they want. People are being “catfished” on dating sites. Hell, you
could be talking to someone on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list and not realize it until you see them
getting arrested on the news.

10. Warped Sense of Reality

Using the internet as an escape from real life is very easy to do. In real life you only speak to a few
people each day, there’s no Photoshop or avatar for the reflection in your mirror, bills must be paid and
saying smartass things is frowned upon. However, online you are a freaking rock star! You have enough
“friends” to form a small country, you look great in your pics or you have a kickass avatar, plus you get
rewards or points for saying clever things (more if the clever thing is also mean-spirited). Unfortunately
we must live in the real world whether we like it or not.

11. Stress

Constantly being “plugged in” and “connected” causes an extra layer of stress that wasn’t present
before the overuse of technology.

12. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb

Tendonitis in the thumb, a.k.a. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb, is a form of repetitive strain injury caused by
the frequent use of thumbs to press buttons on mobile devices. The same injury can also be obtained
from playing too many video games.

13. Lack of Social Boundaries

Much in the same way that people over share on social media sites, there is an increasing tendency to
cross social boundaries. Cyber stalking someone or sending unsolicited nude photos are examples of
grossly crossing social boundaries.

14. Lack of Sexual Boundaries

Exposure to sexual content is more likely to happen at a much younger age. Before the internet the only
chance a child had of being exposed to pornography was if their dad didn’t hide his Playboy magazine
well enough. Now, well, let’s just say you pray your filters are doing their job when your kid searches for
“Puss and Donkey” from Shrek.

Sexting is also a concern with technology being used at such a young age. There is no way in hell a girl
would have taken a nude photo of herself and handed it to a guy before the popularity of texting. Yet,
using your phone to snap a quick boob shot and texting it to your boyfriend seems to be no big deal. If
you wouldn’t print the picture out and hand it to the guy, then you shouldn’t text it. And guys — girls do
not want pictures of your penis. So stop sending them.

15. Lack of Social Bonds

Creating a lasting bond with other people requires face-to-face interaction. The more we isolate
ourselves with technology the fewer bonds we will form. People are expected to do more work at home
which takes away time they would be spending with their families. Also, younger people prefer
communicating online versus face-to-face. When people are in the same room and communicating via
text or instant messaging instead of speaking to each other, there’s a problem.

16. Constant Distraction

When we are focused on a device instead of what’s going on around us we miss a great deal. Think of
the number of times you have been texting or talking to a friend and missed the opportunity to flirt with
the hot guy standing beside you. There is also a rise in the number of injuries incurred by people texting
while walking.

17. Neck and Head Pain

Constantly looking down at devices can cause neck pain and over time will cause the neck to lose its
natural curve. Eyestrain can also cause headaches, blurred vision and migraines.

18. Shortened Attention Span

The use of social media has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Constant news
feeds, getting information in 140 characters and videos that are 10 minutes or less has literally rewired
our brains. People who are online an average of 5 hours a day have trouble remembering people’s
names, forget pots on the stove and even their own birthday.

19. Addiction

People are not only dependent on technology they are also addicted to it. Studies have shown that
when cell phones are taken away subjects heard or felt fathom vibrations, continuously reached for
phones that weren’t there and became fidgety and restless. These are some of the same withdrawal
symptoms you would expect from doing drugs.

20. Lack of Empathy

The constant stream of violent scenes on video games, TV, movies and YouTube causes people to
become desensitized to destruction of any kind. The normalizing of bad things happening and the
culture of narcissism created by social media creates a society of people who lack empathy. When
people stop caring, the world goes to hell in a hand basket.

21. More Violence

After people lose empathy and are accustomed to violence, it becomes the social norm. Teenage girls
are videoing themselves violently beating another girl; the number of school shootings are rising and
videos of people attacking homeless people are a few examples of violent behavior caused by media.

22. Higher Energy Consumption

Although individual devices are becoming more energy efficient, the increased overall use is causing a
higher consumption of energy. People don’t turn their devices off; they keep computers on or plugged
in, mobile devices charging and televisions plugged in. Also manufacturing all of these high tech toys
causes an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

23. Developmental Issues in Children

Children are using more technology now than they have ever used in the past. All of the negative effects
that social media and television is having on adults are far greater when it comes to the developing
minds of children. There is no way to know what long term effect technology will have on our children
because this is the first generation to have unlimited access.

24. Neurosis

Technology causes people to suffer from mental and emotional disturbances, such as anxiety, phobias
and delusions, which are all symptoms of neurosis. Being convinced you’re very ill after looking up
strange diseases on WebMD or thinking you are famous because you have had a viral video are a couple
of ways technology neurosis manifests itself.

25. Loss of Hearing and Eyesight

Using headphones and ear buds can cause people to lose their hearing over time. Likewise, straining
your eyes looking at computer and device screens can cause people to need glasses much earlier in life.

Be more mindful of the time you spend using technology. If you have longer conversations with Siri than
you do with real people, it’s probably time to put the phone down. Force yourself to have an electronic-
free day or weekend. When you go on vacation, don’t take your phone or at least put it on “do not
disturb”. Creating balance will help you enjoy the benefits of technology without becoming a mindless
internet zombie.

GOALS

Standards. Adopt and support rigorous academic content and performance standards in the four core
subjects for kindergarten and grades 1 through 12.
Achievement. Ensure that all students are performing at grade level or higher, particularly in reading
and math, at the end of each school year, recognizing that a small number of exceptional needs
students must be expected, challenged, and assisted to achieve at an individually determined and
appropriately high level. Advocate for mandatory intervention for every child not at grade level. Do
everything possible to ensure that "the job is done right in the first place".

Assessment. Maintain policies assuring that all students receive the same nationally normed and
standards-based assessments, grades 2 through 11, again recognizing that a small number of
exceptional needs students must be separately and individually assessed using appropriate
alternative means to determine achievement and progress.

The Negative Ecological Impacts of Technology

One of the biggest problems the world faces today is the amount of energy that is consumed globally.
With almost all of the world's businesses using computer technology to operate, the energy
consumption of the industrial world is constantly on the increase. Countries such as the United States
where the average employee works more than 40 hours a week, as a result, the energy consumption of
a typical office in the United States is likely to be higher than that of an office in a country where the
average work week does not exceed 40 hours. (Hayden and Shandra 576) Many offices run their
computer systems on a mainframe server. This server is usually running 24 hours a day and is rarely shut
down. To keep these servers from overheating, fans are installed within the hard drives. With the
combined energy of the fans and the operation of the servers, the amount of energy being consumed is
huge and results in a very high thermal count. (Courtney 48)

According to the International Energy Agency or, IEA, around 4% of the world's energy consumption in
2008 was due to the mass use of information communications technologies. (Courtney 48) This figure is
predicted to rise to an incredible 40% by the time the year 2030 arrives. (Courtney 48) By this time, the
demands on the world's electricity sources will have also doubled globally and companies will need to
have a viable solution to prevent computer technologies from being a major drain on the world's energy
resources. (Courtney 48)

As it currently stands, many of the world's organizations have not begun to actively look for greener
more ecologically sound methods for producing the energy they need. (Courtney 48) Today, many of
these companies are not thinking of ways to improve their carbon footprint, yet it is an issue that needs
to be addressed sooner rather than later.
But it is not just information communications technologies that have affected the ecology of the planet.
A number of the ecological and environmental problems that are occurring are due to the rapid growth
of new industrialized countries such as South Korea and China. (Jorgenson and Jorgenson 365) With so
many countries now outsourcing their manufacturing to these industrialized nations, more and more
factories are being constructed as a result. To run these factories, a large amount of energy
consumption is needed as many of the factories operate 24 hours a day. The emissions these factories
produce are amongst some of the highest in the world and contribute significantly to the amount
noxious gases that pollute the air. (Hayden and Shandra 582)

Industry aside, there are many other ways technology has had a negative, ecological impact on the
world. In the modern home, there are numerous high technology gadgets designed to make our lives
easier and more pleasant. These gadgets range from the microwave to the electric kettle to
refrigeration. One of the largest contributors to gases in the atmosphere are the gases produced by the
combustion process used to produce energy. (Williams 36)

In the United States alone, 83% of this energy comes from a combustion process. (Williams 36) The
combustion process is an effective way to produce energy for a wide range sources. The negative aspect
of the combustion process however, is the amount of harmful gases that it produces. These gases can
have a devastating impact on the ozone layer and contribute to what is known as the "Greenhouse
Effect". What this effect essentially does is add to the increase in the warm air that filters around the
globe through air currents such as the Gulf Stream. (Kilian 366) Often referred to as a thermal balance,
these warm air currents affect the climate and seasons. As a result, there can unseasonably warm
winters or, cool summer periods. More devastatingly though, is the harmful effect the increased thermal
balance has on the Poles. (Kilian 365) It is due to the increase in thermal balance that the Polar Icecaps
are melting at an alarming rate, causing a significant rise in the world's oceans. This, as it is well known,
has a ripple effect around the planet. The change in thermal balance can also be seen as contributing to
the increased frequency of natural disasters as certain regions of the world experience more devastating
floods, typhoons and a higher number of violent storms. (Kilian 365)

Although it can be argues these changes in our weather systems have just as much to do with Mother
Nature as technology. It is hard to ignore the correlation between the rise in technology use and the
increased frequency of environmental disasters
Technology has bad effects on environment

Published: 23, March 2015

Industrialization coupled with technological advancement has continued to affect the environment in a
negative way. Industrial benefits resulting from technological adaptation in major activities has
indirectly contributed towards higher living standards though bad part on technology manifest more.
This is evidenced by increasing international discussions and consultations through conferences and
meetings. A major theme in such meetings is on environmental violations resulting from technology.
Complaints and issues associated with effects of technology are arising globally (Ausubel &
Sladovich,1999).

Environmental degradation is a growing concern as continued industrialization is being witnessed mostly

in developed countries. There are three major negative impacts of technology on environment discussed
in this essay. First, environmental pollution resulting from waste output is a resultant factor of
technology. Contribution to global warming is the second effect of the growing technology. Lastly,
depletion of natural resources and ecological imbalances experienced today result from technology.

To start, environmental pollution occurs as a result of technology mismanagement and lack of control
measures. Technological improvement in recent years has seen production of more machines, weapons
and automobiles. Increased consumption of improved facilities triggers demand which in turn influences
supply of required quality of products that are major effectors of industrialization using improved
technology. Importance of technology in such cases is attributed to satisfaction of human wants. Though
adverse pollution of environment due to increased production in the manufacturing and processing
industries, weapons testing and high usage of automobiles such as cars. Air pollution, water and noise
pollution are the key components of an environment that has been continually polluted as a result of
technology. Emission of large quantity of gases such as CO2 in the air by large industries causes air
pollution which in turn has degraded environment immensely. Again, disposal of waste into the rivers
and water systems by industries and other institutions is an environmental hazard through water
pollution. Similarly, a lot of noise pollution from weapons testing and usage, industries in their routine
production processes and automobiles is causative of environmental dilapidation (Ausubel & Sladovich,
1999).

Furthermore, technology contributes towards depletion of resources. Development and usage of

technology is contributing to increase industrial activity that requires raw material from natural
resources such as coal, timber and wild animals. As well, extensive agricultural activities as experienced
in Bangladesh is beneficial in terms of productivity but depletion of natural resources such as forest
cover, water and soil fertility and its organisms composition is a likely event. Farming activities such as
burning of bushes, deforestation and usage of chemicals to enhance soil fertility is an environmental
exploitive. As well extensive mining of gold, diamond and other minerals is an activity that is
contributing towards depletion of resources at an alarming rate. Overexploitation of fossil fuel and other
resources ceases to be beneficial and becomes an environmental threat.

In addition, ecological systems imbalances and disruptions result from technological advancements in
the modern world. Collapse of ecological life and extinction of organisms from their natural habitats is a
direct probable result of technology. Wildlife extinction from their natural habitat to create more space
for farming activities and home for increasing population is an evidence of how technology causes
ecological imbalances. Availability of improved technology causes people to device convenient ways of
satisfying their basic needs and increased productivity requirement. Human embark of activities such as
deforestation, extensive farming activities, environmental pollution which lead to changes in the natural
lifecycles that maintain ecosystem. Though ecosystems can rebound from these negative effects,
continued of environmental degradation through destructive human activities affected by technology
will eventually lead to collapse.

Lastly, current issues on global warming are negative effects of technology and environmental factors.
Unchecked technology advancement and utilization specifically in areas causing air and water pollution
leads to atmospheric gases imbalances (Ausubel & Sladovich, 1999). Emission of harmful gases such as
CO2 in large amounts forms greenhouse effects that are the major components of global warming.
Green house gases result from activities such poor farming methods, transport systems, manufacturing
processes and renewable power generation activities especially using coal. Fossil fuel extraction through
burning and clearing of farming lands through burning concentrates harmful gases hence affecting
climate.

In conclusion, higher percentage of environmental problems is a direct result of technology

mismanagement by innovators and users. A small portion of environmental issues relate to economic,
social and natural changes resulting from human activities. Environmental pollution, ecological systems
disturbances, depletion of natural resources and climatic changes resulting from global warming are
technological influenced. Technology is significant in development and increased productivity to satisfy
human need, but uncontrolled technology impacts environment negatively.