This is a response to Losing The 'We Need A Photo' Mentality Greatly Improved My Friendships.
As technology increases intelligence in today’s world, there are many components that individuals do not take into consideration.
Technology was supposed to be this great thing for democracy. Don’t get me wrong, there have been numerous occasions where technology has bettered the present, specifically in the medical field, but as for everyone's state of wellbeing, not so much so.
Taking social media as the prime example, this has led to less human interaction, not more. It has also suppressed human development, not stimulated it. As technology has marched onward, we have relapsed, which makes it extremely difficult to get back to a strong way of living.
Social media generates us so that we are less happy, more jealous, and even more antisocial. When people spend a lot of time passively consuming anything on their device, they wind up feeling worse. Just 10 minutes on any app is enough to depress; clicking and liking a multitude of posts and links that have a negative effect on everyone's mind.
We have gotten to the point where individuals have convinced themselves that “catching up” on the phone is a practical alternative to in-person socializing. It is not the equivalent of online chatting as some may argue, but rather a way to brush off the idea of actually seeing the person somewhere outside of technology.
Streaming sites such as Netflix have an auto-play feature where the next episode of a show counts down to play next. After watching an episode of a show that has a cliffhanger, usually someone begins to think, “I’ll just watch one more episode”. The cliffhanger is, of course, always replaced by another cliffhanger, therefore the streaming turns into watching another 3 episodes or completely binge watching the whole entire season. We spend more time in front of a screen and yet we still feel unsatisfied. When social media apps like Instagram and Twitter tack on their pages and update their news feeds, the effect manifests itself again.
The 2020 quarantine is the perfect example of technology takeover. Participating in online school where students would clock into their Zoom meetings, would basically stare at and learn from their screen all day. Students would cheat on tests and quizzes, go on their phones and not pay attention, or not even bother to show up to class at all. Somewhat back to normal learning now, most students are lacking the interpersonal communication with their teachers and peers which creates a barrier between them and their education.
We as a society are becoming unthinkingly addicted and reliant on the use of technology at the expense of quality. We are walking trash cans for Internet content that half of the time we don't even need, and that eventually, over time, damages our mental health.
