F I L M 2 4 0 F L I P B O O K A S S I G N M E N T T A Y L O R V A L L I E R

Technology: Changing Human Behaviour

Image: Pixabay (A)

In a world where technology takes many forms and can completely

encompass crucial aspects of life, it is easy to

become ensnared in the wonder of

it all…

However, at what cost are we consuming technology?

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T I M E H A S T H E A B I L I T Y T O C H A N G E M O S T T H I N G S , H O W E V E R , T O W H A T E X T E N T C A N W E T W I S T A N D A L T E R T H E W A Y T H A T W E

D E V E L O P W I T H O U T S O M E T H I N G I N T E R F E R I N G A L O N G T H E W A Y ?

Technology & (Human) Development

The Impact of Technology: Developing Minds...

“Children’s developing sensory, motor, and attachment systems have biologically not evolved to accommodate this

sedentary, yet frenzied and chaotic nature of today’s technology. The impact of rapidly advancing technology on

the developing child has seen an increase of physical, psychological and behavior disorders that the health and education systems are just beginning to detect, much less

understand.” 7

Cris Rowan – The Huffington Post

The impact of increased technology usage on development of young minds has caused

noticeable changes over the years in terms of physical activity, psychological and behavioral disorders. However, it is important to note that

there is still more research that needs to be pursued in order to determine exact cause and

affect relationships.

Lauren Klein, University of

California, says that the in the

digital age generation Z has been raised in a

group that is always wired in and in turn has “reduced social

capital.” 4

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KleinreferstoastudyconductedbyBarbaraFredricksoninwhichitissuggestedthatsmartphonescouldinfactbe“takingatollonourbiologicalcapacitytoconnectwithpeople.”4

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Technology & Human Interaction

Lauren Klein states that the effect of being raised in environments that enable individuals to be constantly “wired in” presents the issue of developing “reduced social capital.”4 Reduced social capital, according to a Sociology publication written by Madeleine Leonard, is loosely defined as the “quality of relationships among people.”5 This quality of relationship is determined by the “interactions between and among actors.”

Through review of research it can be determined that in environments that keep individuals always ‘plugged in’ there can be noticeable effects on the relationships

they are able to develop and maintain throughout their journey to adulthood.

These effects can be observed through their ‘reduced

social capital’ and the quality of relationships that they individuals have.

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“Everybody says they’re communicating more with

their kids by text… That’s the paradox of this:

We’re communicating more but we’re not communicating

deeply. That’s the disconnect.” 2

Does contacting someone mean connecting?

A critical issue that our technologically savvy societies have presented is that people seem to

believe that they are making “connections” through their devices. However, they fail to

realize that they might be able to contact someone, but they are not truly connecting on a deeper level with others; technology limits this. Contacting someone does not mean connecting,

you can contact complete strangers through technology whom you have never had a deep

emotional connection with.

Failure to make connections…

“We live in an extrospective society, one that thinks happiness is found in the outside world,”8 says Mateo Sol.

We no longer slow down enough to truly experience life, but we want to record/share/upload our lives in order to feel as though we

are connected to the world.

The world has become tangled in the snare that technological connections create. We forget to disconnect in order to make a more meaningful kind of connection; emotional and intellectual.

When we fail to disconnect from devices we effectively fail to create meaningful and bonded relationships which creates a reduced

social capital.

Consider this…

When thinking about relationships that are affected or essentially very limited due to the interference of

technology, consider the mental health of individuals.

The issue that arises for, especially teenagers, seems to be that technology becomes their only outlet… Therefore the negativity that can be a

daunting shadow from too much screen time or negative aspects of technology (such as social

media) can be a heavy anchor on the mental health of youth.

How can caretakers help to ensure that

the inability to deeply connect that

children may experience, due to

inevitable exposure to technology, does

not negatively impact their self-

perception?

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"We take the approach that it is better to help youth navigate what is going on in their lives rather than banning it. As a

parent, the tendency might be to take the phone away. But we know that social media is not a separate thing to them, it is part of

their lives.” 6 Lauren Dobson-Hughes

Lauren Dobson-Hughes, president of Planned Parenthood Ottawa, believes that issues will not be resolved simply by taking

away devices or forcing your children to delete their social media accounts…

There is a strength that comes with helping children to navigate the tricky waters that

accompany being a citizen of the technologically-connected world they live in.

Rather than forcing children away from technology caretakers should give them the, theoretical, tools to successfully respond to

potentially overwhelming situations that they will inevitably encounter in their futures instead of taking away their opportunity to learn how to cope with these issues throughout adolescence.

The desire of individuals, to never be unplugged from technology is representative of the way that digital interactions are diminishing the ability to effectively interact with other humans.

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The disconnect that humans have developed from each other due to technologies has made it difficult to build

foundational relationships with people as well as have a clear and focused mind…

We have become creatures of the web; we want information and we want it now.

When conducting a Google search there is immediately thousands of hits in seconds. The digital generation has always had rapid access to information. This created a desire to obtain instant access and it is expected. The flood of information that we receive on a day-to-day basis can not only be overwhelming to sort but it also “promises to propagate endlessly,” says Dominic Basulto.1

Simple pleasures of life have been replaced by technology which has influenced our need/desire to consume information

as quickly as possible. Ashlee Vance, author, expressed her opinion of “speed-listening” in an article written by Megan

Garber…

Vance states that, “Speed-listening,” whether the speed comes from a sped-up playback or a sophisticated algorithm, brings some added efficiency to the equation. But it also removes the silence that can, in context, be meaningful in and of itself.” 3

The technology to have books read to you, so that you do not have to focus all of your attention on one particular task is a

prime example of the loss of focus and imagination that technology seems to have brought to the world… Machines that we made to make lives easier have actually been taking

away crucial aspects of human development.

The continuously changing world of technology has created issues for human connection, both to ourselves

and to others. Humans have issues regulating consumption of technologies which seems to create physical, psychological and behavioral issues. There

needs to be additional research on the effect that technology has on developing minds and their personal

and interpersonal relationships.

It is important to find methods in which to navigate our ever-changing technological world instead of ways

to avoid it.

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References

1. Basulto, Dominic. “Information Overload? There Has Always Been Too Much To Know.” Big Think. Web. 10 May 2016.   2. Bielski, Zosia. "A Break From Technology ." GALE: Canadian Periodicals Index Quarterly . Globe & Mail , 23 Aug. 2013. Web. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.dop=CPI&sw=w&u=queensulaw&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA340512760&it=r&asid=9225ee9a0f79783a6affe5182caa651d>.   3. Garber, Megan. "The Rise of 'Speed-Listening'" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 24 June 2015. Web. <https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/the-rise-of-speed-listening/396740/>.   4. Klein, Lauren. "Does Technology Cut Us Off From Other People?" Greater Good The Science of Meaningful Life. The Greater Good Science Center, University of California, 12 Mar. 2014. Web.  

References

5. Leonard, Madeleine. "Children, Childhood and Social Capital: Exploring the Links." Sfu.ca. SAGE Publications , 2005. Web. <http://www.sfu.ca/media-lab/426/kiddie%20cultural%20capital.pdf>.   6. Payne, Elizabeth. "Teens' poor mental health linked to social media use." ProQuest . The Ottawa Citizen, 8 Aug. 2015. Web. <http://search.proquest.com.proxy.queensu.ca/docview/1702249271?accountid=6180>.   7. Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html>.   8. Sol, Mateo. "Eternally Connected: How Technology Disconnects You From Yourself LonerWolf." LonerWolf. 2013. Web.

Links For CC Images Used… A: https://pixabay.com/en/hand-robot-human-machine-face-1571851/ B: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-face-head-networks-1328418/ C: https://pixabay.com/en/apple-iphone-6s-plus-mobile-1034300/ D: http://pixabay.com/en/children-learning-video-games-888892/ E: https://pixabay.com/en/kid-children-baby-kiddie-summer-1365105/ F: https://pixabay.com/en/laptop-computer-pc-notebook-green-2055521/   G: https://pixabay.com/en/head-brain-thoughts-human-body-1965686/   H: https://pixabay.com/en/apple-bed-computer-laptop-macbook-1835805/ I: https://pixabay.com/en/technology-mobile-phone-touchscreen-791242/ *All images used are from pixabay.com