Living A Life That Could Potentially Never Be Lived: Why Individuals Suffer from the Powerful Yet Negative Effects Technology Can Bring

How Technology Devices Have the Power To Allow Individuals to Miss Out on Life

Life is a gift to be lived full everyday; However, are individuals really living life to its fullest potential today? We all hear stories about how individuals meet their spouse, learn from their children, and have life changing experiences, which, therefore, creates the life they always dreamed of. However, there is a strong force acting against the possibility of individuals living life to the fullest. Undoubtedly, the prevalence of technology in everyday life is inhibiting individuals from living a "normal" every day life. Unfortunately, in today's society, individuals are so involved in what's going on with social media that they are distracted from what is right in front of them. 

Technology can stop individuals from actually looking up and appreciating what is right there. We depend too much on technology and too little on the outside world. By just looking down at a cell phone when crossing the street, unlimited opportunities can be greatly missed. These opportunities can range from cherishing every moment with family members to even potentially meeting a soul mate. An example of this is through an emotionally filled video called, “look up,” This inspirational video shows a life that was never lived because an individual never took the time to actually look up and appreciate what was right in front of him. If he looked up from his cell phone at the moment his “could have been” wife passed by, he would’ve been able to live the life he was never given the chance to live.

Cell Phone Owners' Actions Involving Cell Phones

As the saying goes, “you learn what you see.” Children are always watching what they see in order to learn the norms of society. Yet, this can be extremely detrimental. Children today sit at dinner tables playing on I-pads, I-phones, and many other technology devices. This teaches them to rely on using these devices when out with others. Overusing technology devices has unfortunately become the norm of society. According to Pew Research Center, 67% of cell phone owners find themselves checking their phones for messages without even hearing a ring or a vibrate, 44% of cell phone owners sleep with their phone next to them so they don't miss out on a text or a phone call, 29% of cell phone owners  describe their cell phone as "something they can not live without," and lastly, 90% of adults own a cell phone. Although technology is helpful in countless ways, it is not used right today, leading individuals to truly miss out on numerous opportunities. As previously stated, life is a gift that should be lived full every day; however, this life can’t be lived full if we as a society spend all our time investing in only communicating through a simple text message and not looking at what is right in front of us.

Harmful Health Consequences Technology Devices Can Give to Individuals

Percentage of Individuals' Feelings on Whether
or Not Technology Affects Their Communication Skills

Technology does much more than distract individuals from the real world. The overuse of technology devices and what goes on behind these devices is overwhelming society. In other words, the overuse of computers causes more than one can believe. This includes feelings of anxiety, addiction, depression and more. According to the article, “Is Social Media Dependence A Mental Health Issue,” Emma Stone believes the addiction to social media can lead to other addictions as well. In a survey done by CASA, the relationship between teenagers, social media use, and drug abuse was studied. The results state that, “70 percent of teenagers age 12 to 17 spend time on a social media site in a typical day, which amounts to 17 million teenage users.” In addition, it provides support that one addiction can therefore lead to numerous addictions in the outside world. The results also state, “Those that interact via social media on a daily basis are five times likelier to use tobacco, three times likelier to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana.” The overuse of technology shouldn't have to get to the point of causing individuals to become addicted.

Moreover, in a study conducted by researchers at Salford University Business School, 298 people were given a survey involving their own experience with social media and how it affects them. Psychologist Dr. Linda Blair states, “one of the issues appears to be people are behaving as if technology is in control of them, instead of the other way around. Technology is causing anxiety and other health issues due to obsession. Blair also states, “we can switch the gadgets off but a lot of us have forgotten how to.” Additionally, the study found that “more than half of the respondents said that their use of social media sites had changed their behavior, with half of those saying the impact had been negative.” Other respondents state the addiction would cause sleeping impairment and difficulty when it comes to relaxing. The response that was most troubling was that, “a quarter of respondents said after having confrontations online, they experience difficulties in personal and work relationships. Social skills are being impaired due to technology devices and what lies within them. The reason for this is the anxiety and addiction involved when trying to put a technology device away.

How Technology Should Really Be Used Today Without Preventing Individuals from Countless Opportunities

This individual giving proof that we as a society need to "look up"

With the advancement of technology expanding every day, society feels they always need to keep up. The invention of FaceBook, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, I-phones, led individuals to feel that they should rely on these devices rather than be their own self. In Emma Steins article, Is Social Media Dependence A Mental Health Issue, there are many reasons as to why individuals feel social media is beneficial; yet, there are too many consequences when it comes to overusing it. Stone states, “while many are quick to praise Facebook for transforming our social landscape by connecting millions of people, the conversation that examines whether our dependence on it is reaching destructive levels is a few steps behind.” She also feels that, “today social media is praised as a sought-after career skill by plenty of employers, but what if it’s harming the younger generations who can’t even fathom a life without profile pictures and follower counts?” In conclusion, it's clear that the way in which technology should really be used should therefore be taught to individuals.

On the other hand, according to securedgenetworks, “if used correctly, technology will help prepare students for their future careers…” In addition, when used the right way, students can get a lot out of technology whether its writing an essay for school, completing an assignment, reading the news, and more. The problem is that students do not just use technology for what it can do; Students use technology for what they want to do, which leads to the addiction to social media sites and never actually looking up. Technology has overpowered the minds of numerous individuals today, which therefore proves a change must be made. Individuals should use technology for the ways in which it would help them with their future. Phones, computers, and I-pads should be put away when interacting with others so social skills will not be affected. Individuals should focus on what they have outside their door rather than what they have inside their phone or computer. As Walt Disney says , “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious..and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” However, these paths can not be taken if we don’t take the time to actually look up from our cellphones and see what has been there the whole time.