Impact of Technology on Our Lives

Technology plays a major role in today’s society. It has been rapidly developed and changed many people’s lives in many ways. It’s this equipment that the majority of people today, won’t go a day without. It’s that device that the majority of young people today say they “can’t live without.” But, it’s much more than just a simple device that turns on. It’s this machine that can quickly help you with information and connect with others. There’re many people out there who might think that technology is the worst thing that anyone could have invented, while others might think that it’s the greatest. I for one, think it’s both good and bad. I constantly check my phone and depend on it to go to school, work, or check up on friends and family. Technology offers many benefits including fast access to an abundance of information, while also potentially compromising the thinking process, health, and families.

Internet usage has changed the way people think. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr admits, ‘Never has communication system played so many roles in our lives – or exerted, such broad influence over our thoughts”. He believes that when we see something on the Internet, the information automatically begins to impact our own thoughts. I agree to his statement, but then I also disagree. The accounts people tend to go into, such as Twitter and Facebook using their device, is the reason why it affects the thinking process. Let’s just say, you go on social media and see an image of any kind and you begin to make your own thoughts and ideas about it. When you go check up on the comment section, it’s the opposite of what you thought and you’ll begin to take their side. Children in school don’t actually learn anything. They’re passing their class by searching up the answers and passing it along to their classmates. About a month ago, my younger sister was doing her homework, when she was also using this app called “photo math.” It’s an app where you take a picture of the equation and it solves it for you, giving you the steps in which it’s been done. I for one, am also guilty of copying my friend’s homework and searching up the answers online to some questions. I’d say, it’s a way of manipulating us because we tend to make the mistake of going by what others say and think, without putting in the effort to find answers for ourselves. The way you think is a part of what describes you. Be you. Feel free to think whatever you’d like. Share it. Post it. Don’t be ashamed of being criticized by others.

Health plays a major role in life. If anyone is planning to live a happy, full, adventurous life, they’ll have to take care of themselves. Technology has made this difficult for many people. Humans tend to be stuck on a device whether it’s a computer, a Ps4 or an Xbox, for many hours in a day. You start to feel like you aren’t yourself. You begin to gain weight, feel shortage of breath, and you’re tired all the time. Next thing you know, you’ve already developed type 2 diabetes, you have heart problems, and you’re obese. In the article, “The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child” Chris Rowan states, those “who overdose technology report persistent body sensations of overall “shaking”, increased breathing and heart rate, and a general state of “unease”. I agree. What Rowan is trying to say is, they went over the limit with using too much technology and it’s already making affect. This is because most didn’t take the time to go out, exercise, communicate, and enjoy life due to the amount of screen time they’ve consumed.

Technology has a way of improving and making each and every device bigger and better, but this progress has also compromised families. In the article, “The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child” Chris Rowan mentions “The dining room table was a central place where families came together to eat and talk about their day, and after dinner became the center for baking, crafts and homework”. I agree with Rowan because families today, don’t really enjoy a home cooked meal. They rather order something for the family and go on their devices to watch a movie or so, while they eat. Children are often in their rooms most of the day chatting with others behind a screen. Family doesn’t visit any more, they just call to “checkup.” You don’t see any kind of interactions face to face. There’s no relationship in any kind being built among two separate people. I personally experienced it. My family doesn’t have a full-on conversation unless it’s through text. My family gatherings consist of many kids who are 8 years and over sitting in the living room using their phones.

On the other hand, technology can also be a good thing. We can say it’s also saved lives if you look at it from a different perspective. The machine that’s been making weird noises in the women’s hospital room, is what’s been letting us know about her vitals, and whether she’s alive or not. That French class you’ve been failing, and that science homework you’ve been having trouble with, is now solved do to the help the internet has given you. Your younger brother had trouble finding the difference between two animals, and now he knows. That flat screen TV you saw at Walmart may be cheaper in a different store, so you looked it up and found it to be $30 less. What I’m trying to say is, Technology can save a life and help you find useful information. It’s a good equipment to have on you when you are in serious trouble and need the authorities or medical care. Parent use their phones often to check up on their kids at least 3 to 4 times a day when they aren’t around.

Despite quick access… Thinking abilities are beginning to change due to distractions. People come to rely on quick answers rather than taking the time to truly learn. The adolescent today is the perfect model. Children tend to depend on technology for their math, science, English, and language homework rather than going to the library and actually taking the opportunity to learn it. Children are often distracted from this mechanism, it’s holding them back from getting to know who they truly are and what they are genuinely capable of doing for themselves. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid” Carr states “People have become so machinelike that the most human character turns out to be a machine”. I agree with Carr because humans tend to rely and depend on a machine that the only realistic “human” we have, is a machine. Technology has a way to easily get your attention whether it’s by distracting you from the way it looks, whether it got bigger, or has more apps than the other. For an example, as I’m currently writing, I’m getting messages, phone calls, and social media notifications. I have a choice, turn off my devices, or keep getting distracted. Of course, I don’t want to keep getting distracted, but I also don’t want to turn them off. I made a choice to keep it on and technology won.

Works Cited

1. Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 13
2. June 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-
3. stupid/306868/.
4. Rowan, Cris. “The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child.” HuffPost India, HuffPost
5. India, 6 Dec. 2017,

Cite this page