Grimstad 1

Joshua Grimstad

Stuewe

English 1301

24 October 2019

Technology Needs To Be Used In Moderation

Everywhere you look you can see an array of technology, much of it introduced within

the last decade or two. It has wormed its way into almost every aspect of our day. We can find

technology present in shopping, entertainment, finding something to eat, communicating, and so

much more. It has increased our standard of living through the accessibility of resources.

However, it has also had its share of negative effects on the population. While technology is a

useful tool we have devoted too much time to the use of it, even to the point of becoming

obsolete without it. If we want to live happier, healthier lives we must limit the amount of

technology we use.

The idea that technology may be bad for us in large doses is an issue that continues to be

ignored, even in the face of all the social and physical problems that have been popping up in its

lifetime. The toll it takes on health, both mental and physical, should not be ignored.

There are a multitude of negative effects of technology use that accompany long periods

of time. The loss of sleep and eye strain are issues that pop up with extended use of portable

devices. The Blue light emitted by the screen of things like T.V.s, smartphones, computers,

disrupts normal sleep patterns (Twenge). Sleep is an essential pillar of wellbeing and if we do

not get enough our bodies and our minds suffer. The way blue light affects the brain is that it

tricks it into thinking it is daytime because both sunlight and electronic display light use blue
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light, and if the body thinks it is daytime it won’t produce melatonin (Twenge). There are some

products mean to combat poor sleep and eye strain such as special lenses in glasses or using a

“night screen” mode, (Feeling) but the best method of protection is still avoiding the devices

before you go to bed.

Another effect that is as mind related as it is related to the body is the fact that without

moderation teens have become addicted to their phones. A series of interviews noted that 50% of

teens admitted they were addicted to their phones(Walker). The dependence on their phones is so

extreme that some children experience withdrawal-like symptoms if their parents try to set limits

or take away their phones. Teenagers are being controlled by their phones, while they are

physically somewhere, they are mentally only on their phones. This distraction means they aren’t

paying attention to the important things in their lives, such as school, friends, family, jobs, and

more. They are missing their lives while they are physically, mentally, and chemically addicted

to small devices that omit special light patterns and make noises to grab their attention. It's

similar to how other addictions affect people, ending up ruining their lives.

Researchers have proven that devices for communication or bringing people together,

such as the phone, have actually pushed people apart and have made our mental health

deteriorate(Wadhwa). The more time we spend passively consuming media the worse we feel.

People are spending time opening tiny windows into the lives of others instead of going out and

experiencing their own lives. Instead of actively living their life it flows right past them until it is

gone, and no one on their deathbed wishes they spent more time meaninglessly scrolling through

Instagram or playing pointless mobile games.

While tech creates a plethora of problems for the wielder it also harms those around

them. In all kinds of relationships if your phone or technology comes first it isn’t healthy. Some
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are putting their phones in front of talking to their friends, significant others, and families. There

are also many putting their tech in front of their future. When phones are allowed into the

classroom, student’s thinking is fragmented and so is their work (Gardiner). Students aren’t

focusing on what actually matters. Instead of focusing on the task at hand or what needs to be

done, they turn to the phone to provide a little dose of serotonin to get a buzz. It is causing a lack

of focus in them, which in turn stops them from doing as well as they could. In my school. I have

seen countless people who are always on their phone getting nothing done, quite often it is these

people who are so full of potential, even being in pre-ap or ap, but they don’t do their work. They

procrastinate, you see them watching videos on youtube, making Tik Toks, texting online

friends, but not really getting any true conversation. These students are procrastinating and can’t

focus on their work. It shows up in their grades, while they could make 90’s or higher they are

either barely passing or horribly failing.

Once I myself might have advocated for more integration of technology and trying to

make it as a commonplace for ease of access, but I no longer agree with this idea. I was

disillusioned to this idea the more I learned about how we made do in the past and how today we

are being changed and not in a good way. My professor, Dr. Stuewe, told me about how when

writing was invented the human brain changed and because we didn’t have to memorize

everything we lost a lot of our ability to memorize things but our brain has become more

analytical and logical in its place. When trying to find more about how technology has changed

our brain in this day and age I have only found that it takes away from us with little to no actual

benefit to our brains. In a Chinese study about the effect on the brain it was found that too much

use or access of the internet leads to functional impairment of cognitive control in IAD and that

the prefrontal cortex abnormalities were consistent with previous substance abuse studies. Our
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white and grey matter has also changed in ways that reduce our cognitive abilities in self-control

and the like. (Yuan)

These issues are exactly why we must self regulate our consumption. We need

technological detox. We need to allow ourselves to use the tools and not have the tools use us.

When we use technology in moderation, such as allowing us a limited amount of online goof-off

time and then only using any other time spent online for getting work done, we can get so much

more done. Not only when we get more stuff done in less time from no online time-wasting we

have more time for the things that matter in life. We cannot allow ourselves to become addicted

to Big Technology. Even though they engineer it to insure us.

Once we find the correct amount of technology in our day to day lives I firmly believe

the standard of living will go up for us and we will become much more effective. Once we have

reached this we will be much happier and be able to deal with the other problems we encounter

today with much more resilience and well-formulated solutions.

Works Cited

Gardiner, Steve. "Students’ Phone Dependency Mimics Chemical Dependency." Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link-gale-
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com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/GHPXBJ784025076/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xid

=6cd578c7. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as "The Student Cellphone

Addiction Is No Joke," Education Week, 26 Apr. 2016.

"Feeling blue? Light sensitivity can affect your sleep, but also your skin." Globe & Mail

[Toronto, Canada], 4 May 2019, p. 2. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-

gale-

com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/A584327189/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xid=10ec7

723. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

Twenge, Jean. "What might explain the unhappiness epidemic?" Gale Opposing Viewpoints

Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/ZGJTGL177951441/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xid

=b93307ba. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as "What might explain the

unhappiness epidemic?" The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2018.

Twenge, Jean. "Worry over kids' excessive smartphone use is more justified than ever before."

Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/STILII443619461/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xid=

71d84a44. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as "Worry over kids' excessive

smartphone use is more justified than ever before," The Conversation, 14 Dec. 2018.

Wadhwa, Vivek. "I was wrong. Too much tech is ruining lives." Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2018.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/A535029442/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xid=1a6a1

aa1. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

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Walker, Tim. "Allowing Cell Phones in Schools Impacts the Learning Experience." Gale

Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.ezp.tccd.edu/apps/doc/VAABQX311303391/OVIC?u=txshracd2560&sid=OVIC&xi

d=c3d836f5. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as "By Opening the Door to

Cell Phones, Are Schools Also Feeding an Addiction?" NEA Today, 20 June 2016.

Yuan K, Qin W, Wang G, Zeng F, Zhao L, Yang X, et al. (2011) Microstructure Abnormalities

in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder. PLoS ONE 6(6): e20708.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020708