Technology is taking over like never before, this simply goes without saying! Also, we all have witnessed several changes among different industries across the globe, again due to the ever-changing or ever-evolving technological advancements such as from desktops to laptops to smartphones, tablets, mobile apps and the list goes on. I hope you do realize that in one way or another technological advancements have definitely made our lives easier and better. For example, the activities which took a hell lot of time and effort can be accomplished in minutes. For example, shopping for new clothes is possible from anywhere, just choose the right eCommerce app and you are done! Apart from this, if you are not willing to cook food, you can simply order online from your favorite restaurant. These are just some of the basic examples, there are many other ways through which technology has enhanced our lifestyle through automation and innovation.
Now we all have been exposed to these emerging technologies, especially children and teenagers, you see they seem to have a very tender age, no wonder these fellows have found comfort in the tech realm. Moreover, not just these kids but even we seem to have gotten this on our nerves or our dopamine centers. Time to pop the digital bubble. Mindless scrolling and browsing have become a core aspect of our day-to-day lives.
So what I exactly want to say is that every coin has two sides, the good side, the bad side and sometimes the worst side and the technology realm is no different. With unbelievable and the most fascinating advancements happening around the globe comes a fair share of controversies as well. Though it seems to have impacted our day-to-day lives to the core, at the same time, these technological advancements can have severe negative impacts as well. And that's what we will be focusing on in the following post. Here we will be talking about some of the major positive and negative effects of using technology, especially on students. But first, let us generalize these impacts, I mean what are the positive and negative effects of technology on society as a whole?
Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on the Society
#1 Improved Healthcare – With the increase in technical advancements, a sudden enhancement in health and healthcare systems is found. The AI-powered clinical or medical trials can be monitored easily with the help of wearables. Also, telehealth and telemedicine ensure the healthcare realm is more equitable and accessible. Technology seems to be enjoyed by a wide range of patients as well as healthcare professionals due to its immense potential and efficiency. Moreover, these hospital management softwares have the potential to minimize maximum healthcare expenditures, detect abnormalities way ahead of time and ensure proper medications or treatment. It may quite interest you to know that virtual reality is used to treat patients with severe trauma or fears and you know what it did turn out to be immensely successful.
#2 Education – Another interesting benefit gained by incorporating technology is in the education industry. In the present scenario, you are bound to come across different learning platforms featuring amazing courses, videos, interactive boards or games. Thus, education not only seems to be easily accessible but also way more interesting than before. Do you think technical advancements in the education industry are limited to virtual learning? Of course, not! Machine learning to virtual reality, Artificial Intelligence, neuroscience, and learning sciences, and so many more technical aspects seem to have entered the realm and are seen making a huge difference.
So from watching lectures, participating in different group discussions, and accomplishing different assignments, online learning seamlessly covers every small and large aspect and makes learning easier and better. #
#3 Smart Cities – We all know what the concept of smart cities is. It's when a plethora of tech solutions are being used to reduce unnecessary pollution and ensure optimized usage of different resources. Slowly and steadily electric cars came into being and are pretty much favored by people all across the world. IoT solutions seem to have deliberately enhanced our day to day lives, no two ways about it!
So what's the issue? Well, time to focus on the negative impact. For starters, an increase in screen time has led to behavioral problems, less time for play, obesity, disturbed sleep cycles, unnecessary tantrums and whatnot. Sometimes it can lead to social isolation whether it's your office premises or friends or participating in any social activities. More or less, it has been proven that technology reduces creativity, memory, and the ability to solve any problem or think critically. Say, for example, the usage of auto-correct has definitely reduced our ability to learn or memorize different spellings. This definitely turns out to be worse than expected. Now we have different machines telling when exactly to take turns and how to park. Instead of visiting in person, we are wasting time in connecting via social media platforms. Another major concern has become a lack of privacy, every piece of information and data is available around and this leads to an increase in phishing viruses and insane hacking.
Now enough said from the societal point of view, time to focus on how technology has positive and negative effects on students these days.
Positive Effect of Technology on Students
#1 Highly Equipped – The first and foremost benefit of using technology is that students are highly equipped and well-knowledgeable with the latest kind of computing devices and softwares. The use of computers is pretty common in classrooms these days. In fact, due to this, students are becoming pretty proficient and staying ahead of time. Also, when they face the world in reality, they perform in the best manner.
#2 Easy access of Information – The next benefit gained from making the most of technological advancements is that students can get easy access to any information. Not just access but also updating any information is pretty easy. Apart from students, even teachers can easily access and stay updated with what's happening around them. You see what used to happen was, teachers could not update themselves with the latest or current affairs and due to this students remained lame and had to face the world in a different manner. Today, to know about any specific information, one has to simply type a search query in Google or any other relevant search engine such as Yahoo or Bing and Voila!
#3 Develops Problem-Solving Skills – Today it's no longer all about becoming successful, survival of the fittest is also equally important. It's like being in survival mode. Now, If you love playing video games I am sure you will understand what exactly I am talking about. For those who don't know, it's a function where the player is asked to survive for the longest period of time in comparison to his or her opponents. Players are dropped into different environments and they are asked to survive for the longest period and outlive their opponents.
Similarly, by incorporating technological advancements, kids are compelled to achieve a specific goal even if they have to face a vivid range of roadblocks and challenges. This is how they can generate problem-solving skills.
And above all, technological advancements within the education realm are pretty time-saving. Here ample time can be saved as both students and teachers can be provided with instant answers. This surely eliminates the need for spending hours and hours looking for specific kinds of information and data. In addition, the more you use tech, the more likely you are to innovate. Basically, you can widen your knowledge sitting at your home by accessing millions of websites and books online.
And now comes the controversial part. Time to shift focus towards the negative effect of technology.
Negative Effect of Technology on Students
#1 Reduces socialization – The first and foremost massive negative impact of using technology is that you become less sociable. Students instead of talking to each other are found immersing their heads in their respective computing devices such as smartphones and tablets. Also, other than socialization, lazy thinking is another aspect that shouldn't be ignored at any rate. When you have everything on your plate, you won't even bother to research and learn from your surroundings. Also, students won't be using any creativity to make things work differently.
Above all, technology does lead to severe addiction which again leads to reduced socialization and avoiding group studying or brainstorming sessions.
#2 Distraction – Another negative impact of technology is that it can serve as a huge distraction. You see there are a plethora of ill-fitted and inappropriate things that can attract students and result in pretty negative kinds of consequences. As a result, it has a huge impact on their learning and turns out to be morally dangerous. So as a solution, it is advisable for both teachers and parents to have strict boundaries and time frames.
#3 Health – Last but certainly not least, technology has a huge impact on overall health. It can harm severely on our bodies including neck and head pain especially when you constantly look down at the devices. In addition to this, blurred vision, migraines, and unnecessary eye strains are possible. The overuse of technology definitely adds an extra level of stress and issue. Even while you are sleeping and you don't turn off these devices, they tend to consume a high amount of your energy. In fact, heart diseases and high blood pressures are pretty common health issues found after the excessive usage of technology here.
Final Words
So yes, this is it! This is what the overall scenario of technology looks like. I hope you did find the post worth the read. If so, share among your peers and help us in spreading the word. Overall, technology is something we cannot ignore at any rate. Like it or not, it has become one of the core aspects of our lives. However, when used in the right manner, technology can enhance our lives to a great extent.
In case, if you have any doubts or queries, feel free to get in touch in the comment section below.
