The Effects of Technology in Society

By
Patrice McAllister
English Comp1
10/30/2014

All technology has a profound effect on all of us. Technology is the basis of a society, and it affects all civilization past, present, and future. Technology is like Newton’s third law of motion,” For every action there is an opposite reaction. Ways on how technology affect can affect us Technology has many benefits but at the same time it can have negative consequences. Technology affects our society significantly. For example one of the most advanced inventions is the computer. The computer might be considered the greatest invention ever (next to the telephone and light bulb) and we are constantly finding new ways to improve it. Computers influence many aspects of our lives, including: medicine, communications, mathematics, entertainment, business, agriculture, and all other sciences. While computers are beneficial to us we depend on them too much; this makes us vulnerable to computer hackers who seek to destroy all we have created. What about inappropriate websites? chat rooms? These can also be negative. Have you ever heard of a story concerning computers that turned out to be negative? We tend to think of inventions as modern gadgets, yet there are Stone Age innovations that we still use today. Think of inventions that still exist in the 21stcentury. Some examples might be farming, cooking, games etc. Velcro inventor George de Mistral wanted more stringent patent (excludes other from using invention for a period of time) laws. How would extending the life of a patent benefit inventors? What would be the effects on the rest of society? How would this affect drug manufacturers as we discussed in unit 1? The cotton gin is a vivid example of how an invention can have positive (boosting the textile industry) and negative (creating a strong new economic incentive for owning slaves) effects on society. Are there other inventions that have (positive and negative aspects)? Some may include airplanes, automobiles, cell -phones, computers, etc. Name the positive and negative of each of the inventions!!! Society pushes us to invent and innovated new products every day. We as a society demand more and better products all the time. Do we stop to look at the affect this has on us as a society and a nation. Stop and think about how technology affects you both positively and negatively every day. Some negative ways

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.

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.

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.

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.

Poor Sleep Habits
Some of the