Technology dependence: what it is and what it can lead to

November 29, 2024

Technology dependence: what it is and what it can lead to

I think everyone can agree that the recent advancement of technology in the last 50 years has benefited society in a way that no one could have imagined. We are now connected to people more than ever and in the palm of your hands you could be holding a mini super computer that allows you to communicate with someone from Kazakhstan or El Salvador. Or you could communicate with an AI like “Alexa” and ask her to dim the lights in your apartment or ask “her” to find a gluten free croquette recipe for dinner, it’s amazing. But I think it’s important to question why we have certain technologies and if it’s truly necessary. Ask yourself “why does a fridge have a touch screen that lets me check the weather, cut off the lights, and can become transparent so that I can look inside?” You don’t need a screen to look inside of your fridge, just grab the door and open it. This is not necessary technology and is truthfully a way of flexing spending power. This brings me to my next question, are we becoming too dependent on technology? And if so, when does it become an addiction and how does that addiction affect our behavior and possibly society?

It doesn't matter your age, race, nationality, gender, economic status, most of us are users of smartphones whether you like them or not. Most of us would never leave the house without our phone because what if we have to look something up, what if you need to use your GPS, what if you're at your parents house and your cousin made the dinner awkward so you need a distraction by playing candy crush? We use our phones so much that when they aren’t charged we begin to panic and try to find anywhere to charge our phones. But I want to circle back to the use of a GPS, most people don’t know how to read a map anymore. I can barely read a traditional map anymore, and I want everyone to think about the last paper map that they saw. Maybe it was at an amusement park but think about how simple and dumbed down maps have become, compare the maps that you saw as a child to the ones you see now; it should be night and day. This right here is a sign of technology dependence, we have grown so accustomed to a GPS guiding us that when there’s not one we don’t know what to do.

If that is not enough, when's the last time you remembered someone's phone number by heart that wasn't your parents or when’s the last time you’ve paid for a bill in person. Do you talk to someone at your bank or have you done everything through a banking app? A phone has become the center of so many peoples lives and what ties not only our phones together but most technologies is the internet. It might sound weird to say but yes the internet is technology and while i believe that most of us spend too much time on the internet and indulging in TV shows and streaming services a little too much, I think most of are still relatively normal and live very productive lives outside of our phones, computers, and other overly cyberized junk. There are some people that are addicted to technology and have a very hard time not using it.

Technology can be abused like any other material, lots of people drink but most people aren’t alcoholics, lots of people smoke but most people aren’t smoking 2 packs a day, lots of people gamble, myself included but most of us aren’t spending thousands a month. There are people that are addicted to eating blocks of cornstarch, anything can become addictive and that where most technology obsessions start. When it comes to technology the most common subgroups are social media addiction, porn addiction, online gambling, and internet gaming disorder which has an DSM-5 entry meaning that this is a genuine mental disorder and has been said to mirror some behaviors found in OCD. This is very personal to me because I have a clinical diagnosis of OCD and very nearly developed internet gaming disorder in my early teens.

Let me break the 4 most common types.

Social media addiction: problematic and compulsive use of social media, obsessive posting and checking which leads to disrupting real life relationships.

Porn addiction: Compulsive use of online pornographic material, impacting personal relationships, mental health, and physical well being (not being able to have an erection)

Online gambling: gambling online through apps, games, and various websites.

Internet gaming disorder: Excessive use of online or video games, leading to deteriorating physical health and neglect of responsibilities.

I was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 11 but had been experiencing symptoms for at least 3 years. The most important symptom of OCD is compulsion, it's literally in the name and when it comes to technology obsession what is the most common symptom expressed, “Compulsion”. It goes hand in hand.

Compulsion: an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes.

I used to spend hours playing video games and would forget to do my chores and sometimes even eat. I remember finishing my homework at school or on the bus so that once I got home I was able to turn on my Xbox and play all day. I would get frustrated when someone wanted to watch TV or get mad when I was told to go to bed. It had gotten so bad that I would pretend to sleep at night then would pull my Nintendo DS out and play all night. This is not normal. While addictions are common they are not normal. Experiencing lack of control and becoming withdrawn are all too common with technology obsession and I know what that's like. While most people will never get to the obsession faze most people will become dependent and is that so bad?

Well yes, especially regarding the children. An i-pad kid, these children are known for throwing tantrums, being emotionally stunted, not having compassion, and shorter attention spans. The parents of these children are giving them a tablet which in turn is starting technology dependence at an early age and this makes the possibility of developing an obsession/addiction to technology extremely high. Ryan Lowe a child psychotherapist said that “they’re not learning the basic skills of patience and containing themselves long enough to manage something difficult or frustrating.” and “The children will have no strategies and no experience of managing their feelings or dealing with frustration,”. Eventually these children will grow up and what kind of person will they be? Will they be emotionally intelligent and can cope with difficult situations? Will they have empathy? No one is sure yet as the oldest children are only 14 currently but teachers have expressed that these kids are very mean and many of them can’t read past a 2nd grade level. It’s scary to think about because children are the future and they will eventually become members of society and if our members of society are unempathetic, mean, and can't problem solve there is going to be a big problem and technology while not 100% of the issue it definitely has to take some of the blame.

But despite everything I still love technology. I love to see new inventions, even the dumb ones. I have accepted that our society is leaning very heavily into cyberization and it’s all on the individual to not become too dependent. So turn your phone off or at the very least on silent and walk around a park or nature trail. Read a physical book instead of listening to an audio book, go out to a cafe or bar and mingle with people. Technology is amazing but don’t get distracted by it and miss out on life, remember we are organic and we need organic stimulation to function.