Impact of Technology on Young People Essay Example

The correlation between technology and society is corresponding. Society advances technology and technology in turn structures society. American youth is familiar with the concept of how societies prosper by utilizing objects to develop new technologies such as the internet and have witnessed how new technologies, in succession, shaped their societies. Technologies may have abrupt outcomes which become evident when technology becomes compelling or influential. Although technology assists young people in forming an identity, it negatively affects today’s youth because it sabotages their ability to differentiate between their  online identity and real identity and leads to physiological and physical issues. 

By analyzing the influence of technology on young people the inconvertible statements are proven convertible. Although technology negatively affects today's youth, some critics are convinced technology assists young people in forming an identity. Social media opens up people to the world and offers them choices on their identity which were previously unavailable. “Growing up digital: How the Internet affects teen identity” by Chandra Johnson states, “Social media allows kids to broadcast everything while connecting them to experiences they might not have encountered a generation ago.” This statement demonstrating the vast choices of identity is incorrect as it exposes teens to immense derision and escalates the feeling of being unnoticeable that can alter how they view themselves. “Growing up digital: How the Internet affects teen identity” by Chandra Johnson also states, “Technology can also make it more difficult to form an identity. There are more versions of self than ever before, which gives kids who may already be struggling to figure out who they are even more to juggle.” This statement undoubtedly proves technology makes it more strenuous to form an identity instead of making it effortless. The problem with offering innumerable choices of identity is young people can not decide what to choose leading to stress which is the exact opposite of technology having positive outcomes.

The novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury introduces a society diverted from its obstacles and dependent on technology. Whilst the dependence on technology is abundant to keep people unenlightened, books are burnt by firefighters to guarantee that no one is influenced by its ideas. All of the technology creates an environment where people are always preoccupied to think which keeps them from realizing the dilemma of their society. Text 14, line 17 states, “I'm afraid of children my own age. They kill each other. Did it always used to be that way? My uncle says no. Six of my friends have been shot in the last year alone. Ten of them died in car wrecks. I'm afraid of them and they don't like me because I'm afraid. My uncle says his grandfather remembered when children didn't kill each other. But that was a long time ago when they had things different. They believed in responsibility.” Teenagers are flourishing off threatening forms of entertainment in this dystopian society and believe losing your life is normal and protecting life is not worth it. This quote demonstrates the generality of violence among the youth. Fahrenheit 451 discloses that the impact of technology modified the passage of our current society.

Technology contributes to significant physiological problems like depression. Acceptance by and connection with friends is an important component of young people’s life. Depression could start in some people because of the harshness of the online world. “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families” by The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “As with offline depression, preadolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for help that may promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.” American youth is addicted to social media and with it only continuing to advance, they may find themselves depressed. Depression leads American youth down a road of immoral choice that will ultimately make their situation worse. There is an explicit relationship between technology and depression.

To conclude, even though technology may help young people in forming an identity, it negatively affects today’s youth because it renders them incapable of finding the difference between their online identity and real identity and leads to severe physiological and physical issues. Technology offers too many choices for identities which leaves teenagers feeling invisible or stressed out and not being able to choose. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury features a technologically addicted society that normalized not valuing life and thrives off of entertainment. Technology may start depression in young people because of the intensity of social media and having a constant feeling of not being accepted. Technology is amazing if you want to connect with your friends or if you simply want to learn but that does not mean people should ignore the negatives because that could lead to devastating problems for the youth.