This century is the century of technology. Everything around us is functioning with the help of technology. Efforts of making human life easier and comfortable have led the world on the horizon of an era completely dependent on the technology. In last three decades, the human race has taken a leap of faith on the technology. The natural resources that the technology uses are rapidly depleting. Alternative ways of clean energy is the last hope that human race have to survive in this period. Apart from the materialistic effects of technology, there are some social and psychological effects of technology, too. The objective of this paper is to assess the social and psychological impacts of the technology on the human lives.
Because of the wide-spread interjection of technology in human lives, the various interpretation and uses of technology are coming into the picture. Many people are intentionally or unintentionally using technology as shields to avoid social contact. Because of the latest mobile phones, computers, portable business devices and other high-end technology gears, the human touch is lost in every field of life. If we observe carefully, then we shall find a huge reduction in human contacts due to intervention of technology.
It is true that the prime purpose is to bring people together and reduce the virtual distance between people. But, instead of its good effects, it is causing more negative effects on the psyche of human beings. Many of the young kids use ‘Facebook’ and ‘what’s app’ as tools to avoid human contact as much as possible. Rather than going out and physically meeting the family and friends, people prefer to chat or video call them. The confusing use of technology due to half-knowledge have led the benefits of technology into psychological and social disasters. There is no fault of anybody in his process. It is solely dependent upon the decision of individual’s conscious to use the technology for uplifting of the life or to deplete the quality of life.
Many people are smart enough to use the technology as the parameters and means to upgrade their social life and professional life. Use of technology in an apt manner can lead to advantages beyond imagination. People can be cautious and edit the parts that are useless or non-productive out of their lives with the help of the technology. Earlier the human error was the factor in the interactions and conversations. Nowadays, with the help of the technology, people can subtract and divide the social interactions and present only valuables to the others. This can give initial benefits to the person, but in the long run the outcomes are artificial and meaningless.
Conclusion
Thus, the just use of technology to balance the social, psychological, personal and professional life is the true way to go. We have to always remember that the virtual world that the technology provides to us is only to assist us in the smooth transaction of our daily business.
References
- "Evidence Grows That Online Social Networks Have Insidious Negative Effects."http://www.technologyreview.com/. 29 Aug. 2014. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.technologyreview.com/view/530401/evidence-grows-that-online-social-networks-have-insidious-negative-effects/>.
- ganguly, Ramanuj . http://www.academia.edu/. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.academia.edu/1737404/Social_Effects_of_Technology>.
