Smartphones Are Making Us Stupid

1866 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Smartphones negative effect

As asked by the English alternative rock band Muse in their famous song “Screenager,” “Who’s so phoney and always surrounded?” This song perfectly depicts the effects of technology on America. People are engulfed by different types of technology everywhere they go and even carry around technology such as phones, laptops, and iPods. These items may seem like a blessing, but they are potentially dividing America. Every day, eight to eighteen-year-olds watch four and a half hours of TV, listen to two and a half hours of music, use the computer for an hour and a half, and spend two and a half hours on their cell phones, two hours for texting and one half hour for talking. This adds up to eleven hours dedicated on the media per day (Crawford). In addition, people visit an average of forty websites a day. Technology can cause stress and make it hard to remember and focus on tasks. As stated by Matt Ricthel in Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, “our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information” (Richtel). Steven Johnson has a different approach to the interest in technology flooding the United States. In his book Everything Bad Is Good for You, Johnson says, “the most debased forms of mass diversion-video games and violent television dramas and juvenile sitcoms-turn out to be nutritional after all” (Johnson 21), because they improve visual memory skills (Johnson 23) and analytical skills (Johnson 33). Others say our brains are adapting to technology (Walters), but nothing can make up for the damage electronics can cause. All aspects of the health of Americans, including physical, social, and mental health are being impaired by entertainment technology. Bullying is a tremendous problem brought about by technolog... ... middle of paper ... ...ess Study Shows Pervasiveness of Cyberbullying, Digital Discrimination and Sexting." Entertainment Close-up. 30 Sep. 2011: n. page. Print. . Fernandez, Elvina. "Teaching Families about Dangers in Cyberworld." New Straits Times [Kuala Lumpur] 12 Oct. 2011, n. pag. Print. . "Study Reveals Text Dangers." Nottingham Evening Post 7 Oct. 2011, n. pag. Print. . Ramachandran, Priya. "Is Technology Killing Your Love Life? [Man-Woman]." Times of India 16 Oct. 2011, n. pag. Print. . Walters, Conrad. "Are Smart Phones Making Us Stupid?." Sydney Morning Herald 21 Nov. 2010, n. pag. Print. . Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Toda'ys Popular Culuture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. New York City: Penguin Group, 2005. Print.

Show More
Related

  • How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds By Nicholas Carr

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nicholas Carr wrote ‘How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds’ published in the Wall Street Journal in 2017. Carr believes that as the brain becomes reliant on smartphones the intellect diminishes.

    Read More

  • Can You Hear Me Now?

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Are technology and the media shedding the very fabric of the existence we have known? As technology and the media spread their influence, the debate over the inherent advantages and disadvantages intensifies. Although opinions vary widely on the subject, two writers offer similar views: Professor Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, in her article “Can You Hear Me Now” and Naomi Rockler-Gladen, who formerly taught media studies at Colorado State University, with her article “Me Against the Media: From the Trenches of a Media Lit Class.” Turkle asserts that technology has changed how people develop and view themselves, while at the same time affecting their concepts of time management and focus (270). Similarly, Rockler-Gladen believes media and its inherent advertising have had a profound effect on the values and thinking of the public (284). I could not agree more with Professor Turkle and Ms. Rockler-Gladen; the effects technology and media have worried and annoyed me for quite so time. The benefits of technology and media are undeniable, but so then are the flaws. People are beginning to shift their focus away from the physical world to the virtual world as they find it easier and more comfortable. The intended purpose of technology and media was to be a tool to improve the quality of life, not shackles to tie people to their devices. I no longer recognize this changed world and long for the simple world of my youth.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Christine Rosen's 'Our Cell Phones Ourselves'

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the article entitled, “Our Cell Phones Ourselves”, Christine Rosen describes how cell phones have changed the way we communicate. Rosen tells the readers the main purpose for cell phone use in the past, versus present day. Her purpose is to make society aware of how cell phones have influenced our lives in order to inspire change as to how we view our cell phones. Rosen directs her writing to everyone in the present day by describing the negative results of cell phone use and how it impacts our lives and those around us. Without a doubt, cell phones are going to be a part of our world, but it is the responsibility of every cell phone owner to exercise self control and understand that a cell phone is nothing more than a device.

    Read More

  • Driven to Distraction by Technology

    1865 Words  | 4 Pages

    The past two decades have overwhelmed the human experience with technology, along with all its distractions. The direct relationship between the mind and the body’s ability to adjust from these distractions can be extremely difficult .Further research has shown that it has become an addiction for many. Technology has significantly improved our lives as a whole through experiences such as Global Positioning System (GPS), cell phones and social networking allowing us to communicate with different people around the world. These technologies make our daily lives easier and more efficient. However, this also discusses the effects of technology on various aspects of our everyday personal experiences both with each other and with the world around us. On the other hand technologies such as cell phones have become a problem in getting students to focus in class and distracting drivers and thus, resulting in vehicle accidents. Technology is beneficial, but can also become an inescapable distraction in our lives. It is important to view technology as having the ability to make our lives better or worse, yet also as having the ability to change our personal lives and behavioral patterns.

    Read More

  • Effects of Technology on Today's Society

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology is unavoidable in our modern lifestyle. You wake up, you use technology; you use technology while cooking, while eating, while driving. While you’re lying in bed before you fall asleep, you use technology, technology wakes you up in the morning. Is all the technology around you good for you, or is it harmful to your health? Was our society healthier or safer before all the advancements? So many questions and concerns about all of the technology we crave, but there are very few people who know the answers. Technology affects all parts of human life. It can create jobs, motivate people to get active, and assist people in learning, but this does not balance out that there are dangers that follow the use of technology.

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of Social Media

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Teenage Girls Face Dangers Online." USA Today Magazine 130.2685 (2002): 10. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Essay About Sexting

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Walker, S., Sanci, L., & Temple-Smith, M. (2013). Sexting: Young Women 's and Men 's Views on Its Nature and Origins. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(6), 697-701. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.01.026

    Read More

  • Is Google Making Us Stupid?

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nicholas Carr argues in his controversial article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” that technology, specifically; the Internet and the devices we use to access the Internet (smartphones, computers, and tablets) are having detrimental effects on mental cognition. I do not think these effects are limited to just the way we are reading. It is beyond...

    Read More

  • The Effect of Technology on Children

    1973 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to The Huffington Post, people are on their devices for, on average, about eleven hours and fifty-two minutes a day. That is almost half a day and a lot longer than most people sleep or work. People have not yet realized how they or their families are being affected by this constant use of technology. As a result of technology increasing, children are experiencing health problems, school issues, and social problems. First and foremost, health problems due to the increase in technology usage is becoming a bigger issue than one might think.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact Of Technology On Children

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    There has been a long lasting debate in the resent years on whether or not technology has a positive or negative impact on today’s kids. As the years move on, the negative effects have begun to outnumber the positive. The generations previous spent their childhood making forts, fishing, and using their imaginations, contrary to today’s generations who spend their free time texting, playing video games, and watching videos. Damaging effects such as decreases in school performances, addiction to electronics, and lack of brain development have all been linked to the electronic media stimulation. In order to prevent the future generation from following in the current generations footsteps, one must full comprehend just how much technology impacts

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Technology on Society

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology has more negative effects on today’s society than positive. Due to technology in the past few decades Canine Shock Collars have been increasingly popular. Students in school pay more attention to texting than they do their classes. Violent addictive video games have made their way into American homes. Parents encourage their children to not text as much, but them to face the problem of constant communication. The Internet gives the students easier ways to cheat in school, and reinforces laziness. Internet Porn gives every bored male a chance to look at the seediest film in the comfort of his own home. Technology has taken the innocence and mystery away from the American family.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Technology

    2086 Words  | 5 Pages

    Technology is one of life’s most impressive and incredible phenomena’s. The main reason being the shockingly high degree to which our society uses technology in our everyday lives. It occupies every single realm, affecting people both positively and negatively. There are so many different forms of technology but the two most often used are cell phones, and the internet/computers in general. Today’s younger generation was raised alongside technological development. Kids now a days learn how to operate computers and cell phones at a very early age, whether it be through their own technological possessions, a friend’s, or their parents. They grow up knowing how easily accessible technology is, and the endless amount of ways in which it can be used. This paper will be largely focused on the effects of technology on the younger generation because your childhood is when these effects have the largest impact. I am very aware of the subject because I am the younger generation. Aside from major effects on study and communication skills, there also exist the media’s effects on teen’s self-esteem and mental health. Maybe more importantly, there is our world’s growing problem of over priced and unnecessary consumerism. Over time, our society has created a very unhealthy form of reliance and dependency on technology as a whole. People essentially live through their devices. Cell phones are always with people making it nearly impossible to not be able to reach someone at anytime, day or night. In 2011, there were 2.4 trillion text messages sent, and 28,641 cell phone towers were added across the US. 1 We use our phones and Internet for directions, communication, information, self-diagnosis, games, movies, music, schoolwork, work, photos, shoppi...

    Read More

  • Is Technology Making Us Dumb?

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    There used to be a time where students would have the responsibility of learning the material at hand by using their memories instead of depending on technology. Now, calculators do all the hard math problems, spell check takes care of grammar, and books are becoming fossils because who needs a book for research when you can have a siri? Kids used to be outside everyday playing sports or riding bikes, but now their eyes are attached to their video games, while their butts are glued to the couch. And don`t forget that in order to get a date people actually had to talk to each other face to face instead of relying on internet dating services or apps like Tinder. It`s hard to believe isn`t it? Society has become so dependent on technology that it wouldn`t know how to function without it. So the question at hand is, is smarter technology making us dumber? In this paper, the three perspectives being observed are how technology is depriving society of the ability to be mentally independent, how it is making people incapable to have a physical relationship with each other, and how people are being pushed into having an unhealthy lifestyle because of it.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects from Technology Use on Teens

    1701 Words  | 4 Pages

    Technology use was on the rise but has shown a significant increased rate in recent years. Technology was a beneficial tool that was used on a daily basis. Technology industries had developed many devices like computers, laptops, smartphones, iPods, and many other devices that made technology easier to access from anywhere and anytime. Technology expanded every day and the usage increased which had an effect on society especially targeting teens. Teens abused the use of technology that caused them to have serious problems mentally and physically. Teens mainly focused on technology use and caused a social disconnection from the real world. Technology use has a negative effect on teens by causing health problems and social disconnection.

    Read More

  • Overdependence on Technology

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology addiction is almost similar to drug addiction. Technology is useful in many ways. Using computer, internet, cellphone, television etc. make peoples’ life easier and comfortable. Young people are the most user of it. They cannot think of a single day without use technical device. Tara Parker-Pope is an author of books on health topics and a columnist for the New York Times. In her article , she expressed that, “The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda at the University of Maryland asked 200 students to refrain from using electronic media for a day. The reports from students after the study suggest that giving up technology cold turkey not only makes life logistically difficult, but also changes our ability to connect with others.” ( Parker-Pope, “An Ugly Toll of Technology: Inpatients”). Her point is that, for the young generation it is quite impossible to give up from becoming addict...

    Read More

More about Smartphones Are Making Us Stupid

Open Document