OPINION: Technology usage needs to be put on pause
Our daily use of technology is becoming a growing concern. Even the problems arising from it don’t seem enough to persuade us to take a break.
November 8, 2018
It’s a rare day if technology is not all around me. It seems strange these days not being able to have immediate contact to people or having news reported instantly.
Since this generation has grown up with technology, we are not used to a world without it. If the trend continues, people may not be able to function without it. Some people can’t even seem to put their phones down for a few minutes.
There are twenty-four hours in a day and people are able to waste most of their time on electronic devices. People can end up spending hours on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or Twitter.
People end up wasting their time when it could have been spent on something productive like studying or socializing with friends. What’s especially alarming is that teens in the United States spend around nine hours a day on social media.
Technology has also altered our attentions spans and we are now more likely to get distracted. The average attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, which is less than that of a goldfish.
Even though our attention spans have been decreasing, our time spent using technology is on the rise. Nowadays, the average American spends 24 hours a week in front of a screen.
This prolonged exposure causes the blue light from screens to often causes eye strain and lead to retina damage. More people have been needing glasses because their vision has been affected.
It is hard to avoid the use of technology entirely. However, we should definitely be mindful on how much we use it. We need to make sure that we are able to strike a balance, using technology in a manner that doesn’t take over our lives.
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