25 Negative Effects of Technology

June 8, 2013

The impact of technology on our social, mental, physical and environmental health can be
devastating if we don’t keep ourselves in check. There’s no denying the benefits we have gained
from technological advancements, but as with all things in life moderation is key. Being aware of the
harmful aspects of the overuse of electronics will help you avoid any unnecessary pitfalls. We have
also compiled a list of reading material that delves deeper into this relatively new area of study.

Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap

Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment
Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction–and a Winning Strategy for
Recovery
The Digital Diet: The 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life
iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us

Here are 25 negative effects technology can have:

1. Isolation

Social isolation is characterized by a lack of contact with other people in normal daily living, such as,
the workplace, with friends and in social activities. We isolate ourselves by walking around in our
own little world, listening to our iPods or staring at the screen of the latest mobile device even when
we are around other people. Studies have shown that people who are socially isolated will live
shorter lives.

2. Lack of Social Skills

The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less frequency
resulting in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and social
cues in other people.

3. Obesity

The more time people are spending engrossed in video games, talking to friends online and
watching funny cat videos on YouTube, they are spending less time being active or exercising. Also
the likelihood of mindlessly eating unhealthy food increases as people are hypnotized by the latest
episode of Honey Boo Boo.

4. Depression

Technology creates the perfect recipe for depression with the lack of human contact, overeating and
lack of exercise. There is a reason the use of antidepressants are on the rise and the blame can’t be
completely dumped on the pharmaceutical companies. They aren’t carting people into the doctor’s
office and force feeding them the pills. This isn’t to say that depression isn’t a real problem, but some
people could cure their depression by living a healthier lifestyle.

5. Poor Sleep Habits

Some of the negative effects of technology can be linked to the effect it has on sleep habits. We get
sucked into online activities that keep us up too late and the constant stream of information can
make it difficult to turn off our brains. Also, the ambient glow from screens can affect the release of
melatonin, the sleep chemical. Keeping technology out of the bedroom would be a very healthy habit
to acquire.

6. Pollution

With the rapid-changing world of electronics and technology, the turnover rate for upgrades is
staggering. This constant stream of out with the old, in with the new is adding to the levels of toxicity
in our air and land. E-waste is not always disposed of properly, causing deadly chemicals to leach
into the ground. Plants that manufacture the electronics are emitting toxic fumes into the air. Plus
there is little to no regulations on the disposal of personal E-waste.

7. Increased Bullying

The use of technology has caused an increase in bullying and escalated the degree of severity. Kids
are no longer able to escape their tormentors once they reach the safety of their own homes. Bullies
infiltrate the security of their victims’ homes through online avenues. It is also easier to get more kids
involved in bullying because people are more likely to say things online that they wouldn’t say in
person. The increase in cyber-bullying has also led to an increase in teen suicides.

8. Lack of Privacy

The internet has stripped the world of privacy. Long gone are the days of having an unlisted
telephone number and staying offline to keep your information safe from prying eyes. With a few
flicks on a keyboard the average person can find anyone’s address and contact information. For
those with more sinister intentions, the use of phishing, viruses and hacking helps to find any
information they wish to obtain. Plus, people have no sense of privacy online. They don’t think twice
about tweeting every move they make, freely giving out their location on Google Map and putting
their entire life story on Facebook.

9. Higher Level of Deceit

On the flip side of having no privacy, people use the internet to deceive others. Most people don’t dig
too deeply when doing a search on someone to check them out. By creating a few false profiles,
people are able to pretend to be whomever they want. People are being “catfished” on dating sites.
Hell, you could be talking to someone on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list and not realize it until
you see them getting arrested on the news.

10. Warped Sense of Reality

Using the internet as an escape from real life is very easy to do. In real life you only speak to a few
people each day, there’s no Photoshop or avatar for the reflection in your mirror, bills must be paid
and saying smartass things is frowned upon. However, online you are a freaking rock star! You have
enough “friends” to form a small country, you look great in your pics or you have a kickass avatar,
plus you get rewards or points for saying clever things (more if the clever thing is also mean-
spirited). Unfortunately we must live in the real world whether we like it or not.

11. Stress
Constantly being “plugged in” and “connected” causes an extra layer of stress that wasn’t present
before the overuse of technology.

12. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb

Tendonitis in the thumb, a.k.a. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb, is a form of repetitive strain injury caused
by the frequent use of thumbs to press buttons on mobile devices. The same injury can also be
obtained from playing too many video games.

13. Lack of Social Boundaries

Much in the same way that people over share on social media sites, there is an increasing tendency
to cross social boundaries. Cyber stalking someone or sending unsolicited nude photos are
examples of grossly crossing social boundaries.

14. Lack of Sexual Boundaries

Exposure to sexual content is more likely to happen at a much younger age. Before the internet the
only chance a child had of being exposed to pornography was if their dad didn’t hide his Playboy
magazine well enough. Now, well, let’s just say you pray your filters are doing their job when your kid
searches for “Puss and Donkey” from Shrek.

Sexting is also a concern with technology being used at such a young age. There is no way in hell a
girl would have taken a nude photo of herself and handed it to a guy before the popularity of texting.
Yet, using your phone to snap a quick boob shot and texting it to your boyfriend seems to be no big
deal. If you wouldn’t print the picture out and hand it to the guy, then you shouldn’t text it. And guys
— girls do not want pictures of your penis. So stop sending them.

15. Lack of Social Bonds

Creating a lasting bond with other people requires face-to-face interaction. The more we isolate
ourselves with technology the fewer bonds we will form. People are expected to do more work at
home which takes away time they would be spending with their families. Also, younger people prefer
communicating online versus face-to-face. When people are in the same room and communicating
via text or instant messaging instead of speaking to each other, there’s a problem.

16. Constant Distraction

When we are focused on a device instead of what’s going on around us we miss a great deal. Think
of the number of times you have been texting or talking to a friend and missed the opportunity to flirt
with the hot guy standing beside you. There is also a rise in the number of injuries incurred by
people texting while walking.

17. Neck and Head Pain

Constantly looking down at devices can cause neck pain and over time will cause the neck to lose its
natural curve. Eyestrain can also cause headaches, blurred vision and migraines.

18. Shortened Attention Span

The use of social media has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Constant
news feeds, getting information in 140 characters and videos that are 10 minutes or less has literally
rewired our brains. People who are online an average of 5 hours a day have trouble remembering
people’s names, forget pots on the stove and even their own birthday.

19. Addiction

People are not only dependent on technology they are also addicted to it. Studies have shown that
when cell phones are taken away subjects heard or felt fathom vibrations, continuously reached for
phones that weren’t there and became fidgety and restless. These are some of the same withdrawal
symptoms you would expect from doing drugs.

20. Lack of Empathy

The constant stream of violent scenes on video games, TV, movies and YouTube causes people to
become desensitized to destruction of any kind. The normalizing of bad things happening and the
culture of narcissism created by social media creates a society of people who lack empathy. When
people stop caring, the world goes to hell in a hand basket.

21. More Violence

After people lose empathy and are accustomed to violence, it becomes the social norm. Teenage
girls are videoing themselves violently beating another girl; the number of school shootings are rising
and videos of people attacking homeless people are a few examples of violent behavior caused by
media.

22. Higher Energy Consumption

Although individual devices are becoming more energy efficient, the increased overall use is causing
a higher consumption of energy. People don’t turn their devices off; they keep computers on or
plugged in, mobile devices charging and televisions plugged in. Also manufacturing all of these high
tech toys causes an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

23. Developmental Issues in Children

Children are using more technology now than they have ever used in the past. All of the negative
effects that social media and television is having on adults are far greater when it comes to the
developing minds of children. There is no way to know what long term effect technology will have on
our children because this is the first generation to have unlimited access.

24. Neurosis

Technology causes people to suffer from mental and emotional disturbances, such as anxiety,
phobias and delusions, which are all symptoms of neurosis. Being convinced you’re very ill after
looking up strange diseases on WebMD or thinking you are famous because you have had a viral
video are a couple of ways technology neurosis manifests itself.

25. Loss of Hearing and Eyesight

 Using headphones and ear buds can cause people to lose their hearing over time. Likewise,
straining your eyes looking at computer and device screens can cause people to need glasses much
earlier in life.

Be more mindful of the time you spend using technology. If you have longer conversations with Siri
than you do with real people, it’s probably time to put the phone down. Force yourself to have an
electronic-free day or weekend. When you go on vacation, don’t take your phone or at least put it on
“do not disturb”. Creating balance will help you enjoy the benefits of technology without becoming a
mindless internet zombie.

Check out more great content:

14 Self-Defense Tips Every Woman Should Know

12 Delicious Fruits That Will Increase Your Sex Drive and Make You Extremely Horny!

Best 17 Scary Horror Movies You Probably Haven't Seen (But Should)

Share !




 inShare
 23Save

Tagged with: COMPUTERS EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ISOLATION

About Sheri Hosale

Sheri Hosale is a writer, former ballroom dancer and opinionated redhead. She likes British humor,
Alabama football and picking through people’s brains like a knowledge-hungry zombie.

Previous: 31 Ideas on How to Cheer Someone Up

Next: 15 Tips on How to be Happy in Life

18 comments

1.
 3o5pHeNoM

November 20, 2013 at 6:11 pm

I cant wait for the new iphone 6!

Reply

2.

Shawn P. Ellis

September 24, 2014 at 4:49 am

Excellent article. Another point is the lack of family interaction, which leads to decreased time
for parent / children teaching moments. This is highly noticed when families go out to eat and
instead of talking, they all sit around playing on their phones. These are teachable moments
that enhance the parental or family bond.

Reply

Bunny Hopper

May 31, 2015 at 7:50 am

Thats right

Reply

josearzate

October 6, 2015 at 8:55 pm

lets be real us people get distracted a lot by good and bad things for
example our phones are a bad distraction people isolate themselves and
they don’t really contact with people as much their families are torn apart
and they let themselves get pushed around

Reply
3.

FordMoreLies

February 4, 2015 at 8:09 pm

Lack of exercise

Reply

4.

Asma Adam

April 28, 2015 at 12:54 am

it’s kind of ironic since you’re using technology to share this with other people

Reply

Jeff

October 29, 2015 at 12:05 am

Remember technology is not always bad though, if you know how to manage your
time and control yourself from bad stuff, Technology is actually an amazing thing

Reply

Susan Jk

November 6, 2015 at 4:30 am

Perhaps, but as long as it’s not excessive, it’s considered somewhat OK, in my
experience. Technology has become an integral part of our lives that is very hard to
ignore, so it must be utilized at least part of the time.

Reply
 o

Father

November 23, 2015 at 12:35 pm

AHHH see what you did there

Reply

Brittaini Anderson

December 2, 2015 at 3:45 pm

you right. the irony is real with this one.

Reply

5.

rossomfangirl

October 13, 2015 at 6:13 pm

why would you put this ON TECHNOLOGY if its saying dont use technology

Reply

6.

?_?

October 18, 2015 at 9:36 pm

Does anyone actually believe this crap?! Technology is one of the best things that ever came
to be, you know why? Because it allows you to talk to family that is far away and it can help
you make real friends, AND it allows me to find a job to make money. Look, I may be the
only one who realizes that 99% of the stuff here is bs but, I have found myself not interacting
with family, you know why? Because they are all at work! And the isolation? 70% of the time
I am on my computer or something is with real people. So yeah that is my opinion
 Have a nice day

Reply

7.

Deez Nuts

October 22, 2015 at 1:17 pm

literally the entire article is an opinion i can’t believe this

Reply

8.

Kylie Swartz

January 7, 2016 at 10:40 pm

I know i am not the best person to say this but i completely agree with this. I am 13 years old
and when i was reading this i saw some things that i could easily bring into my life because
of the technology with my phone. I feel like i will be on my phone less now in the new year
because i read this article and i will spen dmore time working out and being healthy

Reply

9.

Pete

January 23, 2016 at 3:23 am

technology is evil

Reply

10.

Gosaah

January 30, 2016 at 10:24 am

 It also put books in danger.

Reply

11.

Benny

February 10, 2016 at 11:01 am

Hello Sheri. Pls what are some of your references on these points mentioned in your article?
It’s an excellent write up. I would appreciate the references so I can read further. Thank you.
I’m working on a project.

Reply

12.

Foster Igbinisa JR.

February 14, 2016 at 6:57 pm

The write up/article definitely makes a point. However, as a student of New Communication
Technology, I feel Technology has helped and improved communication immensely in more
ways than it’s mentioned in the article. The key importance of communication is proper
dissemination of information or news and this has been achievable by the New
Communication Technologies. More so, it has helped to strengthen inter-personal
communication through chat applications and social media. Through these websites, there’s
need for constant and effortless contact with people you know and even new people.
Another advantage is the easy access to information via the Internet. Reporters today even
source their articles from the internet. As a matter of fact, you did use a gadget of technology
to share this information, didn’t you?
You cannot blame technology for the reasons you have mentioned. You blame what people
are doing with technology.
Foster Igbinosa Jr (Caleb University, Mass Communication – 200 Level).

Reply

Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Post Comment 889 0

https%3A//w w w c0e58a83a6679c
<input type="hidden" name="JS04X7" value="NS1"
/><p><strong>Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure
JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page.</strong> <a href="http://enable-
javascript.com/" rel="nofollow external" >Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in
your browser.</a></p>
 1014followers
 0likes
 60posts
 136comments

Recent Posts
 One Week Diet Meal Plan, Lose 6 – 9 Pounds by Spring
 Engagement Ring Designs and Designers – Art Deco, Halo, Floral, Vintage
 30 Fun and Easy Craft Ideas for Kids with Instructions
 Top Women’s Winter Ski Jackets
 The Top 10 Laptops for Students
 35 Cell Phones For Kids

Find us on Facebook

Content in Pictures