The Impact of Technology on Public Health

Technology in the 21st century is becoming a necessity for almost every aspect of living in today’s society. It controls employment rates, it is a requirement to understand certain technologies in schools, and it takes over extracurricular activities for children as well as adults. Not only does technology basically require people to use it, but it also makes it almost impossible to live without it. The abundance of laptops, iPads, and smartphones is overwhelming, and the youth of the world has to learn to manage it almost as well as an adult would. Technology is going to be of the utmost importance for the future of children everywhere and the better they are at it, the more likely they will be to acquire better jobs and to establish themselves in the workforce when they finally arrive there.

Sadly, technology is taking the place of some of the most important aspects of youth. There is a large case of children who rarely go outside to play anymore, and while their parents are distracted on their phones and laptops, perhaps doing work or perhaps just for fun, they are neglecting children’s needs to act like children. The same can also be true for adults; as adults, some may feel the need to justify using technology all day, whether it’s to update a social networking site or check an e-mail from work, the excuses are endless. It is beginning to look like technology is taking the place of basic human nature. Many researchers have proved that technology seems to have more of a negative effect on people than it does a positive one. There are a number of theories that better represent why technology does have such a negative power over people rather than the positive outcomes it has. Technology has been known to cause depression, hinder sleep, add to stress and anxiety, as well as cause feelings of insecurity and isolation. These issues should be taken into account when researching technology and its effects on mental health because it could be seriously detrimental to people who are required to use technology every day.

It seems that because of technology, people are more intent on their phones or some other screen rather than on each other. Interaction and communicating between people is a huge part of mental health. To stay stable and not turn into introverts, human beings must interact with one another constantly. That’s not to say it’s not okay to be alone with one’s own thoughts or take a vacation by oneself, but it must be taken into account that science has proven that human touch and communication certainly has an impact on a person’s mood. As Daniela Lamas explains “The institute's studies have shown touch can reduce pain and stress hormones, alleviate symptoms of depression” (P.1) Rather than using technology in place of human contact, whether it be having a conversation or just giving someone a hug, there is no way to supplement human interaction and there should never be. Sadly it seems that society is trying to replace this activity with the use of technology. It can be seen even when a client calls to pay a credit card bill or do anything over the phone for that matter. The only thing on the other end of the phone is a computer.

Too much technology and a lack of emotional interactions can lead to a depressive state. As Volpi (2012) suggests “the relationship between technology and stress, sleep disorders and depression has more to do with the overuse of technology in our society, especially among young people.” This is certainly true of what adults do to either entertain or help to raise children. Whether they put them in front of a T.V. screen or hand them one in general, they may not know the damage they are causing for the future when doing that.

When a person cannot find their cell phone or does not have it by their side, a sense of loss can ensue. This feeling comes from being detached from everything that is going on around them. A phenomenon that researchers are beginning to call “Fear of Missing Out.” Although this particular saying does not pertain directly to technology or the lack of it, it is one of the most fitting and common phrases used to describe what the technological advances have created for modern-day society. One of the best-described reasons for this comes from psychologist John Grohol when he says “Teens who believe they need to be available 24/7 to their friends, because, you know, someone might get dumped or into an argument with their parents. They need instant gratification and solace. Nobody can wait anymore — not because they can’t — but because they don’t need to” (P.1) what should be noted is that Grohol bolded the last line “because they don’t need to” this is entirely the problem. Technology is made so available to everyone that there are really no restrictions on it. Television in the past used to be a privilege and now it is just something to take up time. When someone demands instant gratification, usually it cannot be done, but when it comes to technology, problems can be solved almost instantly. Whether it’s getting in touch with another person or being able to update a status, any spontaneous activity can be conversed about and a result will come from it.

Based on the Fear of Missing Out, others can be deeply set into isolation if they are surrounded by technological devices too long. Isolation can come from a lack of human interaction and it is either because the individual has become too involved in electronics themselves and have become completely inaccessible to others, or because they feel that others are isolating themselves away. This is not to say that people don’t still desire face to face contact, it just stems back to social gratification. People have the ability to be lazy and picky about what type of communication they choose to use. As Keith Hampton (et al) states in a study that he did to prove isolation was truly a problem for people using technology on a constant basis “They depicted the rise of internet and mobile phones as one of the major trends that pulls people away from traditional social settings, neighborhoods, voluntary associations, and public spaces that have been associated with large and diverse core networks.” This confirms that people who are more socially involved through technology may find themselves severely isolated later in life. Mental health and isolation are certainly linked and isolation can lead to a number of other mental health problems. Not only does it cause depression but it can also cause anxiety as well as diving further into anti-social behaviors.

Stress can lead to anti-social behavior, but more specifically anxiety. Anxiety can be caused by a number of different scenarios, and it is one of the leading mental health disorders along with depression. These disorders have a snowball effect, sometimes one can cause the other and it grows worse when something is influencing it. A study in the UK confirmed that many people felt more anxiety after an increase in technology use. The anxieties felt by these people were mild but it was obvious that it would affect them in the future should they continue on the path they were on technologically Terri Torevell stated of the study, “Further investigation revealed factors such as negatively comparing themselves to others, spending too much time in front of a computer, having trouble being able to disconnect and relax, as well as becoming confrontational online, thus causing problems in their relationships or job.” (P.1) This study proves that while there are many reasons that anxiety can sprout from too much technology, it can also affect their social lives and even their job. The inability to disconnect and relax certainly makes it difficult to enjoy any type of social life, while always having a feeling in the back of one’s mind that they’re “missing out” can add to deep feelings of regret and anxiety.

The pressures of a young person’s life are usually harder to disconnect from than an adult. As an adult has lived and experienced certain things that children or teenagers have not, it is harder to socially accept what is going on around them without instant gratification. Unfortunately, there are too many instances where kids think too far into something based solely on what a social networking site may say. They are not using technology for the right reasons, but instead are using it to replace their social lives entirely, which makes for a difficult time in trying to disconnect from something entirely. Technology is not something that can be turned on and off, it becomes part of someone’s world and is ingrained in them, which becomes a huge problem for a lot of people. As the study showed the increase of anxiety went up based on social matters, and even lead to increased aggression. This can be a terrible thing considering all the past tragedies that have occurred that questioned technology. Most people would agree that technology is becoming overwhelming, but they cannot justify their own actions while they continue to take part in the world of technology themselves.

Technology affecting the mental health of the public is certainly an issue that is being contended with right now. Almost everyone who owns a computer or a smartphone is involved in a social phenomenon right now that seems to be having a more than negative backlash. Technology is in some ways the greatest thing to continue to expand, allowing companies to thrive and the economy to be stimulated, however it also a great downfall. From pulling people away from their roots and the basic human instinct to detailing every aspect of one’s life for the world to see. Unfortunately there is no escape from it, as it grows, the people must learn to adapt or be left behind. Only time will tell if human beings can get back to their roots to remember that technology is not everything and they have lived without it before. Society must learn to find a balance between real life and technology or the public health of people will begin to fail, and there will be nothing left to continue expanding technological world.

Works Cited

Grohol, John. “FOMO Addiction: The fear of missing out.” Psych Central n/a (2013): 1. Print

Hampton, Keith, Lauren Goulet, Eun Her, and Lee Rainie. “Social Isolation and New Technology.” Pew Research Center n/a (2009): 1. Print.

Lamas, Daniela. "Human touch has many health benefits, especially for children." The Seattle Times Knight Ridder Newspapers (2004): 1. Print.

Torevell, Terri. “Anxiety UK study finds technology can increase anxiety.” Anxiety UK n/a (2012): 1. Print

Volpi, David. "Heavy Technology Use Linked to Fatigue, Stress and Depression in Young Adults." Huff Post Healthy Living n/a (2012): 1. Print.