Dependence on Technology Research Paper

We have lost touch with technology's benefits because we are too connected. Our society is dependent on our technology, and this dependence is rewiring our brains. In the digital age, we are consumed with information overload. We often find ourselves staring blankly into screens for hours. This can happen by accident, time gets lost from our perception, but way too frequently it happens on purpose. The responsibilities and business in our school, work, and relationships are extremely demanding, and in the digital age, an escape from these responsibilities and business is just a click away. We are experiencing negative consequences in our inner lives, relationships, and our work due to our obsession with technology.

We have lost a real connection with our inner selves. In the book, Hamlet’s Blackberry the author, William Powers, states,“In order to find peace and contentment, we must accept our fundamental separateness from others. Happiness is about knowing how to enjoy one’s own company”(638). In the digital age, we are always connected to a variety of mass media, which portrays the needs, interests, and opinions that others may have; alone time lets us think for, and focus on ourselves. We are bored and even lost without our technology. We have lost creativity, empathy, and contentment in our inner lives because of our dependence on technology, and our fear of being alone. Having time to ourselves is critical for growth and personal development. We must disconnect to achieve a real connection with our inner selves.

Our obsession with technology is ruining our relationships. In the article "Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” the author, Matt Ritchel, writes,“Even after he unplugs, he craves the stimulation he gets from his electronic gadgets. He forgets things like dinner plans, and he has trouble focusing on his family. This is your brain on computers”(1). Our brains on technology are distracted from our families and friends. In the digital age, we are on alert for a buzz from our pocket or a certain notification ding. We quickly react and reach for our cellular,“@JustinBieber just made a Tweet!” Tap, scroll, wait,“what did you say?” We all have done it a few hundred times; we are choosing to answer notifications instead of the person right in front of us. Our gadgets are the only thing that separates us between quality, face-to-face interactions with our families and friends. Face-to-face interactions provides the ability to make core memories that cannot be achieved remotely; face-to-face interactions convey sentiment and emotion. While technology offers greater connectivity among people and things than ever before, we are forgetting the value of face-to-face interactions. 

Technology has negatively affected our speed and efficiency in our work. In the article, "Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” the author, Matt Ritchel, writes,“Heavy multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress. And scientists are discovering that even after the multitasking ends, fractured thinking and lack of focus persist. In other words, this is also your brain off computers”(1). Although we may feel more productive while multitasking, research shows otherwise. Research shows multitasking leads to distractedness and difficulty focusing, as well as increased levels of stress. When we multitask, we are switching our attention back and forth between two tasks—and as a result, we perform worse at both. Multitasking reduces our efficiency and performance because our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. More importantly, the researchers found that even after we disconnected, interruptions in reasoning and inattention persisted. Since quality focus and attention are required for learning, multitasking hinders our ability to learn and interpret information effectively. 

Technology has breached a real connection we once had in our inner lives, relationships, and our work. Our obsession with technology is rendering severe negative consequences. Our dependency on technology and fear of loneliness has led us to lose creativity, empathy, and contentment in our inner lives. Our technology is distracting us from emotion and sentiment, which can only be found through face-to-face interactions. While multitasking through an information overload we are fracturing our thinking and lacking in focus. We are becoming emotionless and thoughtless. Our technology is eroding our human character, and building us into robots. We must look up, disconnect, unplug, and take our lives back.