Addicted to Technology Podcast

Kayli Tolleson

Bob Haas

English 1103-06

April 12, 2018

4^thHour: Addicted to Technology

We are surrounded by technology every day. Since cellphones and computers have been able to be acquired by almost anyone, we have started to depend on technology to satisfy our daily needs. Whenever we go out or are somewhere where we are not being entertained, we pull out our technology to help keep us busy even if we had just checked it 10 minutes before. This overuse and overdependence on technology has started to create a technology addiction throughout society. Many will argue that the overuse of technology is not an issue in society and that it is just another part of the advancements of the world; when in fact it is an issue because people have started to lose their attention span and rely on a small screen to give them the same satisfaction human interaction once had. 

Addiction is, “Some activity that you engage in compulsively. You return to it over and over again, its pleasurable in the short term but it diminishes your wellbeing in the long-term.” According to Adam Alter, the author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology. With the rise in technology and living in a society where everything is given to us at such a fast pace, we are addicted to the little screens in our pocket and look to them to give us the gratification we crave. When first developing cellphones, they were just meant to call others and reach out to those who may not be close to us. We have now had so many developments in cellphones that it has made them easier than ever to do anything on. Instead of taking in the world around us when sitting outside or talking to others, we stare at a phone screen and engage in conversation about what we see online. It is in moments like these when we notice how much hold technology has on us and how much of an addiction it is actually causing within people. 

I am also guilty of this behavior. I personally feel that I fall under the category of having some sort of addiction to my phone and technology in general. If I am bored or even doing something but feel that I am missing out, I immediately pull out my phone and check all social media, even if there is nothing new. This behavior is not ok because technology is going to keep advancing and as an individual my attention span, eyesight and way of living are all going to be impacted in a negative way. Learning to put down technology will not only help us as a society interact with each other again, but it will allow us to stop relying on material objects to give us joy and please our desires of staying connected.