“Technology is of course, a double-edged sword. Fire can cook our food, but it can also burn us.” That quote from Jason Silva best illustrates a life lesson that society has taken too lightly. More and more people are becoming oblivious to the damage that has been caused by technology. Technology has been a useful tool for everyone. It makes peoples’ lives a lot easier no doubt, but only a handful of the population has been paying attention to the serious impact technology has on anxiety. Technology is changing people, affecting their brain chemistry and the way they think, and most do not know how to fix it. Social anxiety is the third largest mental health problem, according to Dr. Thomas A. Richards of Richards (2013). Social anxiety is
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No doubt there is both positive and negative externalities. Alexandra Ossola debates on whether technology or social media are the culprits for the increase in social anxiety in teens. One thing for sure is that Alexandra believes that technology can cause social anxiety. She claims that students don’t look you in the eye and get antsy when having a face-to-face conversation. Social anxiety differs from person to person, so it is understandable that the relationship between technology and anxiety is kind of gray. Dr. Tamyra Pierce states she has personally seen an increase in social anxiety among her plugged-in students over the years she has been teaching. She has also found that the students that spent more time using online communication methods were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety about face-to-face social interactions (Ossola, 2015). UHLS preformed an experiment where 51 sixth graders were taken from a public school and put in isolation at the Pali Institute, an outdoor education and science camp facility located 70 miles outside of Los Angeles. Those students were subjected to only physical, social interaction, meaning they could not use any type of device or technology to interact. This forced them to socialize and work together to complete certain tasks. There were also 54 sixth graders chosen from that same school that was used as the control group. The …show more content…
Dr. Tamyra Pierce, as mentioned earlier, believes that our school system and teachers should take action. The schools have adopted technology way to willingly and it has only fueled the cause. She reaches out to teachers to look out for the symptoms. Looking for the kids always on their phones and or laptops is a good place to start she claims. According to Dr. Peirce, something needs a change and the schools are a good place to start (Ossola, 2015). Substituting language for texts and instant messages has silenced our world. Every time newer tech replaces something it has a potential risk for younger generations. David Zaro claims he has witnessed self-perception decrease throughout his lifetime and is looking to make a change (Zaro,
No doubt there is both positive and negative externalities. Alexandra Ossola debates on whether technology or social media are the culprits for the increase in social anxiety in teens. One thing for sure is that Alexandra believes that technology can cause social anxiety. She claims that students don’t look you in the eye and get antsy when having a face-to-face conversation. Social anxiety differs from person to person, so it is understandable that the relationship between technology and anxiety is kind of gray. Dr. Tamyra Pierce states she has personally seen an increase in social anxiety among her plugged-in students over the years she has been teaching. She has also found that the students that spent more time using online communication methods were more likely to show symptoms of anxiety about face-to-face social interactions (Ossola, 2015). UHLS preformed an experiment where 51 sixth graders were taken from a public school and put in isolation at the Pali Institute, an outdoor education and science camp facility located 70 miles outside of Los Angeles. Those students were subjected to only physical, social interaction, meaning they could not use any type of device or technology to interact. This forced them to socialize and work together to complete certain tasks. There were also 54 sixth graders chosen from that same school that was used as the control group. The …show more content…
Dr. Tamyra Pierce, as mentioned earlier, believes that our school system and teachers should take action. The schools have adopted technology way to willingly and it has only fueled the cause. She reaches out to teachers to look out for the symptoms. Looking for the kids always on their phones and or laptops is a good place to start she claims. According to Dr. Peirce, something needs a change and the schools are a good place to start (Ossola, 2015). Substituting language for texts and instant messages has silenced our world. Every time newer tech replaces something it has a potential risk for younger generations. David Zaro claims he has witnessed self-perception decrease throughout his lifetime and is looking to make a change (Zaro,