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Mary Moreck
May 6, 2015
Opinion Piece
Riley (Teach) Welcker
Technology Addiction: IT ISNT (entirely) YOUR FAULT!
You can never have too much of a good thing, right? Wrong. Too much of
anything can be bad; everything in life requires balance. Specifically, Im talking about
technology. It seems great and weve become capable of so much with its advancement.
Things have become so much easier and more efficient than before. How can this be bad?
And what the heck was I talking about when I said it isnt your fault? This essay will
explore effects and the root cause of technology addiction and present a solution to that
effect which attempts to restore the liveliness of those who have lost it to technology.
How does technology addiction affect our lives directly? Well, on the flip side of
all the positive things about technology, I believe it has also consumed our daily lives in
ways we may not always consciously realize. I cant be the only one who goes mad when
Ive forgotten my phone in the car and have already left the parking lothow sad! And
how unfortunately accurate is it to say that our attention spans have shrunk due to our
habitual technology use? Most people cant even hit a red light anymore without taking a
quick peek for any new phone notifications (Lee, n.d., pg. 1). Kids are glued to their
phones nowadays instead of being outside playing with each other like I used to when I
was younger. Technology use at such a young age takes over a childs development while
simultaneously creating a lack of other needs such as human interaction and physical

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activity. Put them together and it becomes nearly impossible for a child to ever catch up
to where they should be (Rowan, 2013, pg. 1).
Does this stuff actually happen to REAL people though? Sure it can; think about
your own daily life, and if youre honest enough, Im sure you can think of certain ways
technology has consumed you or put you in danger. Take it from someone whos been
there and done that. Recovering internet addict Isaac Veisberg (2013) admits it used to be
heartbreaking for him to leave World of Warcraft to pick up food deliveries downstairs.
He lost his scholarship and gained weight before finally finding the motivation to join an
internet addiction recovery program. Afterwards he claimed My parents are happy, my
family is happy. I feel a million times better than I even did before (pg.1).
How is it possible for technology to achieve such drastic effects though? This had
boggled my mind for so longsince before I was even in this classso I dug deep
because I knew there HAD to be something beyond technology just being fun and
consequently habitual. I hypothesized that it was something neurological so I set out to
learn how technology affects the brain. Ironically, technology itself led me to more
logical explanations and I brought myself to the root of the problem; it was indeed
something neurological as I had suspected. This is why I say it isnt (entirely) your fault:
through my searching endeavors I discovered that technology use releases dopamine into
the brains pleasure centers, causing obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior (Davidow,
2012, pg. 1). Not only this, but television screens coincidentally use flicker rates which
put the left brain to sleep and leave the right brain dominant. This changes ones
brainwaves and, in a sense, opens a path into the subconscious. What we view can now
insert whatever it desires into our vulnerable minds (Janes, 2008, pg. 1).

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Hear me out, Im not claiming that technology is the devil and we all need to back
away now before the world crumbles and combusts into uncontrollable flames.
Technology has brought us to a point where we can speak to friends and relatives across
the globe with clicks of a button. Its responsible for so many privileges and leisurely
activities today that we get to enjoy which those before us didnt even have the capacity
to imagine. Task efficiency has become unthinkably high. However, it is one thing to use
technology and another thing to abuse it. Should we spend 10 hours a day watching
reality TV? Should we text our friends and share pictures of our meals while someone is
right there at the table with us? These are all abuses of technology which simply take it
too far. These types of behaviors cause us to miss real life experiences through our own
eyes and minds because were so caught up in capturing 17 different angles of our
children blowing out their birthday candles rather than standing next to them and
comically pushing their face into the cake afterwards. Looking up a food recipe, calling
your mom to tell her to pick you up from school, taking a picture of your new haircut for
your deployed spouse, or even playing a video game for an hour after youve finished all
your homeworknow those are acceptable technological behaviors. We shouldnt
discontinue all technology useits a great thingbut if we can learn to use our devices
properly while being aware of how they directly affect our bodies, itll be nearly
impossible for the big guys to take us over. Find a balance and remember, awareness is
the key to staying in control. As Mahatma Ghandi once said, I will not let anyone walk
through my mind with their dirty feet.

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References
Davidow, B. (2012). Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/
Janes, N. (2008). Mass Mind Control is Upon Us. Retreieved from
http://www.pupaganda.com/
Lee, S. (n.d.). 5 Ways Tech Addiction Is Changing Human Behaviour. Retrieved from
http://www.hongkiat.com/
Rowan, C. (2013, May). The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child. Retrieved
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Vaisberg, I. Why internet addiction is a controversial diagnosis. Retreived from
http://www.cbc.ca/