Essay On The Effects Of Technology

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Taking a step back and looking at how much the world has changed over thousands of years, it is clear to see that the human race has created technology that has changed the way of life for the world. Some may see these changes as revolutionary and positive, while others see them as detrimental to the overall well-being of humanity. Johnathan Sacks, rabbi and scholar of Judaism says that “technology gives us power, but it does not and cannot tell us how to use that power. Thanks to technology, we can instantly communicate across the world, but it still doesn 't help us know what to say.” This quotation can be applied to the subject of multi-purpose cell phones to suggest that although they have made it easier to connect with others, they …show more content…
According to Dr. Richard Shugarman, a professor of ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami, when looking at a cellphone or tablet screen for an extended period of time, “the pupils get smaller, muscles in the eye adjust the size of the lens, and the two eyes have to converge”(Chan). Dr. Shugarman says that although the damage is not permanent, this can cause “stress headaches,” which can have an effect on the performance and mood of the individual for lengthy periods of time if prolonged exposure persists. Similarly, when individuals use cellphones to remember important appointments and events, they can be causing damage to themselves mentally without even knowing it right away. Using cellphones to remember rather than ones own brain prevents them from training memory skills. Evidently, this can be dangerous if the dependency becomes habit as the brain is like muscle that needs to be exercised otherwise it stops working at its full capacity. The ways in which different parts of the body and mind are affected by prolonged cellphone use might come as a surprise, but it really should not. With the amount of information that is made available with the swipe of a screen, it is almost certain that a diversion to the negative physical effects would …show more content…
In 2013, Doug DeRabbie of the Insurance Bureau of Canada stated that “there have been more fatalities recently with respect to distracted drivers as opposed to impaired driving” (Brennan). DeRabbie goes on to say that approximately 50 fatalities have been caused by distracted driving whereas only about 30 fatalities have been caused by drunk driving. The Canadian Automobile Association’s Elliott Silverstein, says that “people are 23 times more likely to have an accident when they are texting and driving” (Brennan). This is obviously dangerous because not only does the individual who is texting put themselves at risk, but everyone else who is on the road with them, be it another car, a cyclist or a child crossing the road. In addition to this dangerous activity, there is another activity that can also get people into trouble with the law. Sexting, which is the act of sending sexual messages or pictures over text is being seen more and more commonly with young people. In an internet poll conducted by Knowledge Networks in September 2009, it was found that 24 percent of fourteen to seventeen year olds had participated in “some type of naked sexting” (Hoffman). What some people fail to realize is that even if a picture is deleted, it can be restored and retraced. That being said, what someone sends on their phone as a young adult

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