Essay Sample on Digital Technology

As the past few decades have marked the rise of digital technology, it has become an influential factor in our lives. No matter what age we are, from the moment we wake up, to the time we go to sleep, we use some form of tech almost continuously. Even schoolchildren are taught how to interact and utilize devices from a young age. However, does this mean that all of this is beneficial to everyone? I believe that it is, but only to some extent. 

A primary factor in determining if the digital advancements that are being made are favorable is safety. Digital safety is a term that encompasses many things—one of those being privacy. A large portion of the data collected from users worldwide is being sold to third-party companies. This data can include details about the user such as gender, age, interests, and many more. The fact that companies can access personal information about millions of people easily means that hackers or malicious software may be able to find that information and use it in the wrong ways. This means that most people have to be extremely careful about what they post, send, and give to websites or apps. 

Another factor that must be taken into consideration is distraction. I’m not talking about the countless people who have gotten injured or killed texting while driving, or getting into accidents while being consumed by their devices. Here, I’m talking about the technology distraction from the real world. For instance, small things like deciding to do something unproductive instead of studying or working could affect someone in the long term. The freedom to do anything on the internet can be distracting and adversely affect us. 

Lastly, screen time addiction is a large problem nowadays, with many seeking help and recovering from it. Some will even go the way of changing their entire lifestyle to take it out of their lives. But why is this the case? One of the problems of having so many devices to resort to is that you rely on them so much. We use digital tech for a wide variety of things like entertainment, work, and hobbies, so it seems like everything we need is on a screen. Because of that, some people lose sight and interest in what's in the real world and in front of them. 

All in all, digital tech has come a long way in the past years, but it is important to pace ourselves and not get caught up into it for our own good. Since we use one form of device or another every day, for hours at a time, we must all set goals and limits for ourselves to make the most of it.