Tech Addiction

[BorkedSystem32]

Hey there,

So with the rise and dominance of smartphones and big tech companies, we seem to have gone on a downward spiral where digital technology seems to have become more ingrained in our daily lives: your alarm is on your phone, every message is sent through text or email, your shopping is done online, your music/films/TV shows are all stored on a cloud server, most writing is done on a blank screen instead of pen and paper - you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that we have things like instant communication and are able to use media at the click of a button, but i wonder: are we becoming too addicted to technology? I think when you put your own screen down for a second and look around you, I think so. A lot of people(particularly younger generations) are always staring at their screens and for some of them, they end up getting into a bit of mishap because they didn't look where they were going; social media has features such as like(Facebook, Instagram) or voting(Reddit) systems which can influence our perception of ourselves and the world - any positive feedback stimulates our minds to crave more of this positive feedback; many people use video games as a form of escapism, when I'd argue that there are better, much healthier forms such as walking in a park or some form of creative therapy(i.e. art or music) and many actually become hooked on video games because of the systems they have in place(such as loot boxes and microtransactions - again, younger people are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of practices). There's a lot more I could cover here either in one big post or several posts, but I would be here all day when I simply want to get the ball rolling on an important discussion - if anybody wishes, I can link to some articles later on to back up my case.

It's easy to say 'I don't spend a lot of time on my phone/computer/TV/brand new funky device' when we have tools to track device usage now - every Android and iPhone comes installed with these features, so I ask that you repeat that phrase and then check to see how long you actually spend on your device, since the result may surprise you.

If you have any methods in place of cutting down your device usage, what are you doing? As some examples, I myself have put my messages on silent so that I only check them occasionally and I'm not bombarded with notifications; I also try to restrict my use of technology to when it will benefit me(such as communication, studying or reading up on something); I try to spend time away from technologies doing activities which don't require it(e.g. reading a book, playing an instrument or drawing what's in front of me rather than using an online reference) and I try to go outside as much as possible now as a way to spend time away from tech.

I take these measures because I know from experience that once you become addicted to technology, it's very frustrating trying to get out of that addiction. I'm frightened for the upcoming generations whose parents will essentially rely on technology to raise the kids whilst the parents use technology for their own enjoyment - the internet is especially easy to access and so kids will be exposed to a lot of dangerous/radical content which could harm their upbringing or have the structure of their minds shaped to the point where long-term focus is difficult because they've been raised on content that provides instant gratification(i.e. TikTok's short videos).

Happy debate/discussion!

 

[Antero360]

Hey there,

So with the rise and dominance of smartphones and big tech companies, we seem to have gone on a downward spiral where digital technology seems to have become more ingrained in our daily lives: your alarm is on your phone, every message is sent through text or email, your shopping is done online, your music/films/TV shows are all stored on a cloud server, most writing is done on a blank screen instead of pen and paper - you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that we have things like instant communication and are able to use media at the click of a button, but i wonder: are we becoming too addicted to technology? I think when you put your own screen down for a second and look around you, I think so. A lot of people(particularly younger generations) are always staring at their screens and for some of them, they end up getting into a bit of mishap because they didn't look where they were going; social media has features such as like(Facebook, Instagram) or voting(Reddit) systems which can influence our perception of ourselves and the world - any positive feedback stimulates our minds to crave more of this positive feedback; many people use video games as a form of escapism, when I'd argue that there are better, much healthier forms such as walking in a park or some form of creative therapy(i.e. art or music) and many actually become hooked on video games because of the systems they have in place(such as loot boxes and microtransactions - again, younger people are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of practices). There's a lot more I could cover here either in one big post or several posts, but I would be here all day when I simply want to get the ball rolling on an important discussion - if anybody wishes, I can link to some articles later on to back up my case.

It's easy to say 'I don't spend a lot of time on my phone/computer/TV/brand new funky device' when we have tools to track device usage now - every Android and iPhone comes installed with these features, so I ask that you repeat that phrase and then check to see how long you actually spend on your device, since the result may surprise you.

If you have any methods in place of cutting down your device usage, what are you doing? As some examples, I myself have put my messages on silent so that I only check them occasionally and I'm not bombarded with notifications; I also try to restrict my use of technology to when it will benefit me(such as communication, studying or reading up on something); I try to spend time away from technologies doing activities which don't require it(e.g. reading a book, playing an instrument or drawing what's in front of me rather than using an online reference) and I try to go outside as much as possible now as a way to spend time away from tech.

I take these measures because I know from experience that once you become addicted to technology, it's very frustrating trying to get out of that addiction. I'm frightened for the upcoming generations whose parents will essentially rely on technology to raise the kids whilst the parents use technology for their own enjoyment - the internet is especially easy to access and so kids will be exposed to a lot of dangerous/radical content which could harm their upbringing or have the structure of their minds shaped to the point where long-term focus is difficult because they've been raised on content that provides instant gratification(i.e. TikTok's short videos).

Happy debate/discussion!

I whole heartedly agree with you on the fact that tech has become the venom to the human mind. Many of the tasks that were once vital for "proper" education, like actually going to the public library and opening up the encyclopedia to find what you are looking for, or telling the time off of a clock with no numbers/with Roman Numerals, knowing what it is to write properly, have now become about as obsolete as cave paintings. Although I agree with the effects tech has has on us as a society, A) it isn't something that will be going away any time soon, B) out of the mayhem and disruption that tech has created, it has also created a universe of its own where the opportunities are endless, much like the universe outside our safe-space we call planet. Let us not forget all the amazing conveniences and privileges tech has given us.

 

[EkBass]

There is a point what you say, however i dont see everything in same manner.

For example, "visit library instead" or "read a book" is something i have hard to understand. Just like in internet, there is chance of misinformation on written books too. Usually books at library has more accurate content, but they might be outdated as well. I think we should learn to validate the info and source of data we read instead ot telling that library has better data than in ternet. Modern kids are teached at schools to validate the data they get. That includes even the teachers, because its possible that he or she has outdated information.
So instead of believing blindly to what written books claims, peoples learn to validate the data no matter where they are getting it. I see that only as a good thing.

But many peoples propably has a problems to find the balance bewteen modern technology and social life. I think our kids are in better position. They learn that technology is part of life, not life itself. I think the problem is more about peoples at age range of 20 to 50, around.

 

[BorkedSystem32]

I whole heartedly agree with you on the fact that tech has become the venom to the human mind. Many of the tasks that were once vital for "proper" education, like actually going to the public library and opening up the encyclopedia to find what you are looking for, or telling the time off of a clock with no numbers/with Roman Numerals, knowing what it is to write properly, have now become about as obsolete as cave paintings. Although I agree with the effects tech has has on us as a society, A) it isn't something that will be going away any time soon, B) out of the mayhem and disruption that tech has created, it has also created a universe of its own where the opportunities are endless, much like the universe outside our safe-space we call planet. Let us not forget all the amazing conveniences and privileges tech has given us.

Yeah, there's quite a few people I know who can't read analogue time which I find worrying - I mean, time is typically symbolised either by an hourglass or an analogue clock, so will those symbols stop being used or continue to be used but the actual item phased out? If we're doing a lot of writing nowadays on computers/phones nowadays, will notetaking in classrooms no longer be on paper despite handwriting notes shown to be more effective for retaining notes in memory than with a computer?

I do agree that tech has been beneficial in many ways, for example, by making education much more accessible and communication is obviously faster so we don't need to wait weeks for a letter to come through the mail. But I find the over reliance on it nowadays to be quite detrimental to the point where I can't really tell myself whether it still is beneficial or harmful - maybe it's beneficial to some groups, but for the rest of us it's harmful. Who knows.

For example, "visit library instead" or "read a book" is something i have hard to understand. Just like in internet, there is chance of misinformation on written books too. Usually books at library has more accurate content, but they might be outdated as well. I think we should learn to validate the info and source of data we read instead ot telling that library has better data than in ternet. Modern kids are teached at schools to validate the data they get. That includes even the teachers, because its possible that he or she has outdated information.
So instead of believing blindly to what written books claims, peoples learn to validate the data no matter where they are getting it. I see that only as a good thing.

You're correct, there is, but just because we say these things about books doesn't mean that we wholeheartedly trust them - skepticism must be employed everywhere when gathering information. Now, of course, the same problem still exists for books, but I think with the internet, misinformation is able to spread faster and easier and at that point, the technology is detrimental. With many less educated groups of people gaining access to the internet, they could be more susceptible to radicalisation. It's important to continue teaching critical thinking skills now and I think we should be trying to spread those skills to less educated groups too - ironically, the internet is the best way to do that!

But many peoples propably has a problems to find the balance bewteen modern technology and social life. I think our kids are in better position. They learn that technology is part of life, not life itself. I think the problem is more about peoples at age range of 20 to 50, around.

Sure, they all may acknowledge that technology is a part of life, but they struggle to break away from it and so at that point, when can it be considered to be life?

There's a lot of very young children gaining access to technology at ages I'd say they shouldn't have access to it and if they do have access, the parents must really try their best to monitor what they do - controversies like Elsagate, susceptibility to clicking on ads(therefore installing malware by accident) and also being exposed to mature content, I think these are examples of why children really shouldn't be given devices so young. Not only that, but their minds are impressionable and so when they get older, they expect this technology to always be there and on their side, and when it fails, they panic or get angry and they think the world is ending(okay, maybe that last point is an exaggeration).

For all we know, the next generations will either be the ones to break the strong dependency on technology or to further strengthen that dependency. I believe we should be working to break the dependency we have on technology in everyday life, but of course, keep the technology around for work and education and services. We've created a dependency that will be hard to break, if it's even possible to break.

 

[EkBass]

You're correct, there is, but just because we say these things about books doesn't mean that we wholeheartedly trust them - skepticism must be employed everywhere when gathering information. Now, of course, the same problem still exists for books, but I think with the internet, misinformation is able to spread faster and easier and at that point, the technology is detrimental. With many less educated groups of people gaining access to the internet, they could be more susceptible to radicalisation. It's important to continue teaching critical thinking skills now and I think we should be trying to spread those skills to less educated groups too - ironically, the internet is the best way to do that!

Yes, that is a major problem. I think we are close to what religious texts or similar contexts can do for a human. While others read bible and just want to spread the cool things of it, some others may be ready to cut a head of all who don't do as already. Level of education and knowledge variates in our planet so much, that information can be used for bad easily. This makes spreading a good education across the planet important. There is countries where the power of the nation does not want peoples to be educated. This is because of the selfish purposes of dictators etc.

I have 13 and 14 years old kids. I decided not to limit too much their time on internet. Instead, i explained them that whatever they see or read from it, may be good or bad, right or wrong, pleasant or unpleasant and anything between. Now after years of following their growth, i think i did the right call with this. I have talked with them about several things they have seen on internet. Good and bad ones. I think they have better understanding of data and peoples they see on internet than i do. Though, we live in Finland which generally is considered one of top places to be educated.

Could i get same result in some place where education and freedom of speach is not in same level than here? I doubt i could.

 

[BorkedSystem32]

I have 13 and 14 years old kids. I decided not to limit too much their time on internet. Instead, i explained them that whatever they see or read from it, may be good or bad, right or wrong, pleasant or unpleasant and anything between. Now after years of following their growth, i think i did the right call with this. I have talked with them about several things they have seen on internet. Good and bad ones. I think they have better understanding of data and peoples they see on internet than i do. Though, we live in Finland which generally is considered one of top places to be educated.

Could i get same result in some place where education and freedom of speach is not in same level than here? I doubt i could.

Perhaps your more permissive approach to screen time could be better than forcing kids into a routine of only having a device for X hours until bedtime - at the very least, it'll help to foster a better relationship with the parents and perhaps a better relationship with technology too, because the kid won't be trying to defend their argument as to why they should have more screen time. I think in general Scandinavians seem to do a better job of both parenting and technology, but I am aware that not everybody within that region is capable of doing those things well.

Technology doesn't just allow a medium to easily spread misinformation, but also as a means for the state to serve propaganda. If the state knows that most people are on their computers or phones, they will try to serve that propaganda through advertising on websites and social media, and perhaps through more cunning methods such as by inserting posters/banners in video games, where again, a lot of young people hang around in.

What about technology and older people? I think they too, despite not having grown up with much of the technology we have now outside of an early PC, are succumbing to technological addiction - a relative of mine never used to use their phone so much until they signed up for Facebook and now they sit their for up to around 15-20 minute periods(with long breaks in between each session) mindlessly scrolling through posts and videos. He doesn't really post on it, but I fear what content he could be exposed to and how viewing other people's posts let him compare himself to them and what effect that could have on his self-image. Older people I think, are definitely vulnerable considering that once they get to around the 50-60+ range, the mind has began a faster rate of deterioration that will weaken critical thinking skills and thus, technology use(particularly social media which seems to be popular amongst the age range I mentioned) could allow for radicalisation of elders or alter their personality in someway, the same it can do with children and young adults. Tech could also take their motivation away to do other things that they typically used to do, as it does with other age groups.

I think technological addiction affects every age group, but to what extent, it varies from person to person. I think there needs to be a certain criteria to determine if somebody has 'technological addiction', the same way the WHO tried to do with video games - however, it's stated that 'video gaming disorder' only affects a tiny portion of people; how many people would 'technological addiction' affect?

 

[EkBass]

I see good points on what you told. But before and after internet, propaganda has been spreaded. First as mouth-to-mouth stories, then as books, tv-shows, radio and what ever. Modern technology is just another way to spread data which serves individual needs.

My father also went to Facebook, maybe a year ago. He basicly is a person who thinks that internet is that Chrome image on hes computer desktop. I have not bothered to explain more since i dont see reason. It would not change anything in the end, so lets agree internet is that small icon on desktop.

At first, ofcourse, he though that facebook is just a waste of time. Now few weeks went by and i often told how i did see some images or messages from relative and what they are up to. Eventually my father got interested and understand that facebook is a tool to communicate with peoples, just like a phone.

So now, he do spend lots of time with facebook, which he still thinks is a internet, and i exited because its easy way to see what relateives are up to. And yes, he may scroll that browser for an hour stright. But in the end, i dont see much negative results.

Once we had a small problem though. My sister, while having a parties, for some reason decided to make a facebook message that now she is married with one of her friends. As for me and most of the others, it was clearly a joke, my father it was a bit too complex thing to understand. Took a while to explain that in this thing we call internet, the data is not allways correct. But that did end up in a good laugh when my father realised how he was bit outdated of modern world.

Just like we should take care of the olders in normal life, i think we should also guide them through the internet icon on their computer. They are clever peoples, we just need to give them some directions time to time and watch their backs.

 

[EkBass]

In any means, im not defending or offending things. I just think, that often new things and innovations are something between groups of humans.
1. Those who thinks it was better before
2. Those who thinks how world did survive without the innovation

 

[BorkedSystem32]

I see good points on what you told. But before and after internet, propaganda has been spreaded. First as mouth-to-mouth stories, then as books, tv-shows, radio and what ever. Modern technology is just another way to spread data which serves individual needs.

You are not wrong in what you say and perhaps it's a bit naive of me to think this, but I think propaganda would not have spread as fast before the invention of TV and radio - books, banners/posters, and word of mouth were the only ways to spread it, and since it didn't spread as fast, it may or may not have been easier to crackdown on it. With the invention of TV and radio, it was important that as many people as possible owned these devices because then they could be used as a means to serve this propaganda to the masses. With the invention of the computer and the internet, it was the same: websites, video sharing, messaging - they all allowed a means to serve this propaganda. With the internet heavily centralised now, it's now easier than ever to serve propaganda and other false information, and yet, it looks like none of the big sites are looking to do anything about it and instead just let it proliferate.

My father also went to Facebook, maybe a year ago. He basicly is a person who thinks that internet is that Chrome image on hes computer desktop. I have not bothered to explain more since i dont see reason. It would not change anything in the end, so lets agree internet is that small icon on desktop.

At first, ofcourse, he though that facebook is just a waste of time. Now few weeks went by and i often told how i did see some images or messages from relative and what they are up to. Eventually my father got interested and understand that facebook is a tool to communicate with peoples, just like a phone.

So now, he do spend lots of time with facebook, which he still thinks is a internet, and i exited because its easy way to see what relateives are up to. And yes, he may scroll that browser for an hour stright. But in the end, i dont see much negative results.

Once we had a small problem though. My sister, while having a parties, for some reason decided to make a facebook message that now she is married with one of her friends. As for me and most of the others, it was clearly a joke, my father it was a bit too complex thing to understand. Took a while to explain that in this thing we call internet, the data is not allways correct. But that did end up in a good laugh when my father realised how he was bit outdated of modern world.

As I said, it varies from person to person. You may not see negative results, but then I suppose that also depends on how you look at the technology and how it's being used(i.e. are you optimistic or pessimistic) - I myself am pessimistic, because I find social media to be quite harmful to many people and greater society and so I'd rather my father didn't use it. He talks about what other people have put up on it and we listen, but we don't really care much for it, and then there's the videos section which the volume blares out of and that can be quite frustrating when you're enjoying the peace and quiet or you're trying to focus on something and all you can hear is that.

I like that your father acknowledged that he was fooled by the joke, but as we know, a lot of people seem to blindly trust a lot of the things they see online, and often when it comes to things that are political, try to fit things to fit their views.

In any means, im not defending or offending things. I just think, that often new things and innovations are something between groups of humans.
1. Those who thinks it was better before
2. Those who thinks how world did survive without the innovation

That's definitely a good way of looking at it, however, I think there is a middle group that may retain nostalgia for before the technology came about but at the same time tries to see the good in the new technology - I would class myself into this group despite my pessimistic view. For example, I think we would be better without AI in daily life or if it isn't going to be regulated properly, but I do think AI will be beneficial in healthcare settings(such as care homes), logistics, agriculture, and exploration/archaeology. To use smartphones as another example, I think they're good for being a portable computer(and camera) and what they can do, but I don't like how people have became addicted to them due to what they offer in terms of games/services, which often use manipulative tactics to keep you hooked.

I prefer this sort of middle-lane thinking, because it means that we can see the good and bad, and try to figure out what we can do to improve things without battling over ideology.

 

[EkBass]

It is pretty normal behaviour from a human, to resist changes and find negative sides from them. It's not wrong or right, it's how most humans just bahaves.
Developement usually happens with some false steps, just like childrens has to fall few times when learning to walk or do few stupid things before they learn to behave. Its up to a person, how much he wants to hold the kid when he or she is learning to walk and how much he allows these falls to happen. I dont think here is either anything absolute wrong or right.

I think it is important, that we have both kind of peoples. Those who wants to move on and are ready to take some wrong steps and peoples who are looking for possible problems and may warn if its needed to. With a combination of these peoples, we should be able to move on but to keep the speed of development more proper.

 

[yesjerryer]

You are not wrong in what you say and perhaps it's a bit naive of me to think this, but I think propaganda would not have spread as fast before the invention of TV and radio - books, banners/posters, and word of mouth were the only ways to spread it, and since it didn't spread as fast, it may or may not have been easier to crackdown on it. With the invention of TV and radio, it was important that as many people as possible owned these devices because then they could be used as a means to serve this propaganda to the masses. With the invention of the computer and the internet, it was the same: websites, video sharing, messaging - they all allowed a means to serve this propaganda. With the internet heavily centralised now, it's now easier than ever to serve propaganda and other false information, and yet, it looks like none of the big sites are looking to do anything about it and instead just let it proliferate.


As I said, it varies from person to person. You may not see negative results, but then I suppose that also depends on how you look at the technology and how it's being used(i.e. are you optimistic or pessimistic) - I myself am pessimistic, because I find social media to be quite harmful to many people and greater society and so I'd rather my father didn't use it. He talks about what other people have put up on it and we listen, but we don't really care much for it, and then there's the videos section which the volume blares out of and that can be quite frustrating when you're enjoying the peace and quiet or you're trying to focus on something and all you can hear is that.

I like that your father acknowledged that he was fooled by the joke, but as we know, a lot of people seem to blindly trust a lot of the things they see online, and often when it comes to things that are political, try to fit things to fit their views.


That's definitely a good way of looking at it, however, I think there is a middle group that may retain nostalgia for before the technology came about but at the same time tries to see the good in the new technology - I would class myself into this group despite my pessimistic view. For example, I think we would be better without AI in daily life or if it isn't going to be regulated properly, but I do think AI will be beneficial in healthcare settings(such as care homes), logistics, agriculture, and exploration/archaeology. To use smartphones as another example, I think they're good for being a portable computer(and camera) and what they can do, but I don't like how people have became addicted to them due to what they offer in terms of games/services, which often use manipulative tactics to keep you hooked.

I prefer this sort of middle-lane thinking, because it means that we can see the good and bad, and try to figure out what we can do to improve things without battling over ideology.

I will not say you are wrong in taking anyone to the wrong path. I wonder if it can help individuals connect and deepen their relationships. Social media also encourages students to learn and grow. And it can empower businesses to build their audiences and boost their bottom line. The positive effects of social media are plentiful. Some people get confident through Social Media, sharing their life and positivity influence people in a better way. Some people find new friends on Social Media and have fun communicating. Social Media gave us the freedom of speech, sharing our own thoughts, or emotions, and sometimes give a big impact on individuals. For more information, you can visit over here on social media usage.