Introduction
The world is continuously changing. Over the years, there have been a series of advancements and revolutions, thereby directly impacting people’s lives. In this regard, it is vital to note that the twenty-first century is particularly characterized by advanced technological inventions and innovations. While all these changes are good, a societal gap arises. Often, people from all ages and all walks of life, regardless of their age, gender, socio-economic background, or any other form of stratification, often tend to overuse technology. The overuse is often realized in overreliance on social media. With this knowledge, various scholars have ventured into research to establish some of the adverse effects of technology overuse. Some of these scholars include Susan Anderson and Jenny Ladika, whose works this essay significantly borrow from.
Technology overuse can lead to addiction. Ladika notes that just like drug addiction, technology addiction is an equally critical societal concern. The premise is guided by the fact that its overuse, technology overuse, affects the brain in a similar way as drug overuse. She further notes vital input from various scholars and psychologists who argue that technology overuse evolves from an underlying often psychological problem including but not limited to stress, ADD, anxiety, and many others (Ladika 341). Furthermore, the author includes the information that companies design their technology products, such as social media, to be addictive to their users. While most social media companies deny this claim, one can justifiably infer its validity. For example, any Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube user can attest to the fact that these social media platforms often recommend pictures and videos as per the consumer’s interests. In other words, these platforms rely on maintaining the social media user hooked to the platform by suggesting feeds as per their preferences. With this knowledge, therefore, it is justifiable to infer the addictive aspect of social media as specifically tailored by its developers and creators.
Therefore, with this knowledge, it is critical to note that children are often the victims of technology overuse and consequent addiction. Hence, various stakeholders, such as child advocates, are pushing for policies to help curb technology overuse and consequently shield children from the same. In some countries, the governments have to greater heights of sponsoring and facilitating rehabilitation centers whereby children and adolescents believed to be addicts go to for treatment and rehabilitation (Ladika 341). Research institutions and bodies are yet to clearly draw a link between social media and technology overuse to addiction. However, research by various research bodies is underway to establish the link between the two phenomena. For example, although APA has not directly linked social media usage to addiction, they acknowledge that online gaming is a field worth scholarly examination (Ladika 341).
Anderson also gives equally critical insights on the subject matter. In her article, she suggests that it is time that the scholarly world reviews the definition of the term addiction. She further notes that the existing definition only encompasses the excessive use of drugs and excessive gambling. However, it fails to encompass an equally important societal aspect, technology overuse in children. Therefore, this essay examines both Ladika’s and Anderson’s viewpoints on the subject matter to establish whether social media and technology overuse should be viewed as an addiction and therefore analyze its adverse effects.
Technology and Social Media Overuse Leads to Addiction
Technology and social media overuse lead to addiction. Various researchers have established this fact. However, before presenting data on the connection between technology and social media usage and addiction, it is vital to point out that there is a category of scholars who believe that overusing technology signifies an underlying psychological issue. According to such scholars, technology and social media users tend to overuse it due as a scapegoat to manage their stress, anxiety, or ADH. While this category offers a valid viewpoint on the subject matter, the additional viewpoint is more logical and justifiable. According to a case study in Ladika’s article, Charlie Bracke started playing video games as a child (Ladika 343). Years later, into his adulthood, the habit had turned into an obsession that adversely affected his life in that he dropped out from three colleges, lost a job, affected his love life, and even brought in suicidal ideations culminating in a suicide attempt. Therefore, borrowing from Charles Bracke’s example, technology overuse leads to adverse effects. In this case, it can negatively affect a person’s academic life leading to bad academic habits such as truancy, poor performance, and eventually dropping out of school. Often, social media and technology addicts excessively spend more time on their devices at the expense of their studies.
Furthermore, addiction can also affect a person’s career. In this regard, a person addicted to technology and social media is more likely to spend more time on these platforms at the expense of their work. Consequently, they are likely to miss deadlines or deliver poor-quality work. Therefore, due to work incompetency, technology, and social media, addicts often end up unemployed. Bracke’s case study also brings in a new perspective on the adverse side effects of technology and social media addiction. As he notes, his love life was negatively affected, which led to him breaking up with his girlfriend. His example illustrates that technology addiction and excessive social media usage affect a person’s social life negatively, leading to poor interactional relationships. As a result, a person often ends up more disillusioned and depressed. Some end up suffering from psychological disorders such as suicide ideations and suicide e attempts.
While some experts argue that technology overuse has similar effects as drugs and alcohol abuse, others bring in an equally valid point that the overuse is an indication of an underlying psychological condition. The latter argue that the people who overuse technology, video games, or social media often turn to them as a scapegoat to relieve psychological stress, anxiety, or depression (Ladika 343). Research findings from different scholars also offer disheartening data on addiction levels among teenagers and overall smartphone users in the USA. Borrowing from a survey conducted in 2016 on people’s dependency on technology and social media, the data collected revealed that 50% of the teenage sample population admitted that they were heavily dependent on social media and technology (Ladika 344). The information implies that half of the adolescent population in the USA, ranging between twelve to eighteen years suffer from technology and social media addiction. The information also means that a significant number of cases of school dropout, poor academic performance, and truancy can be significantly reduced by reducing the number of social media and technology addicts. Furthermore, Out of this population, 25% of the parents also feel that they are also addicted (Ladika 344). Therefore, this implies that the social life at the family level is significantly affected. This is because social media addiction adversely affects relationships at all levels. Moreover, different statistics show that on an average basis, an average American checks their phone approximately forty-seven times a day (Ladika 345). Furthermore, approximately 80% of smartphone owners check their phones an hour before or after going to bed (Ladika 345). While some people are cautious about such warning technology and social media usage, some tend to ignore it. 40% of the cautious population has attempted to limit their social media and technology usage, with only 30% achieving their set goals in this regard (Ladika 345). Ladika also refers to a 2017 study revealing that people spend approximately fifty-six minutes a day on technology. Further breakdown of this time reveals that technology users spend 30% of their time on personal emails, 28% on social media, 9% and 6% on sporting sites and mobile games, respectively, with users spending 5% of their time on online shopping and 3% on entertainment sites (Ladika 345). Therefore, this piece of information evidences the fact that social media and technology addiction is a societal problem worthy of scholarly and professional scrutiny to come up with relevant and efficient solutions.
In a different article authored by Jenny Anderson, the primary argument is that although technology is not a drug, excessive usage leads to similar consequences as drug addiction (Anderson 1). Basically, technology usage excites the brain and kills neurons due to the release of dopamine. If, for instance, a person overuses it, dopamine production becomes high, which consequently leads to over-dependence and addiction. Additionally, excessive technology and social media usage cause brain stress. As a result, this affects the hippocampus, thereby causing memory problems (Anderson 1). It is equally critical to note that children and adolescents are most vulnerable to technology addiction and the health consequences therein. This is because their minds are normally not fully developed during the time that they are introduced to technology. Typically, brain development takes place in the formative years of any person. Therefore, since first-time users are more prone to addiction than long-term technology users, teenagers and children often suffer the most and experience severe neurological disorders from such addiction. In other words, teenagers’ and children’s brains are normally not fully developed by the time they are introduced to technology. For example, most parents often rely on technological devices for entertainment purposes or simply to easily babysit their children. Hence, early exposure to technology leads to brain damage leading to stress, excessive dopamine production, and memory loss.
With this knowledge, it is critical to note that some countries in Europe and Asia consider technology addiction as a disorder (Lakida 354). Therefore, these countries have put up intervention measures to help curb the situation. For example, South Korea has set up two hundred rehabilitation and treatment facilities to help technology addicts. 10% of the teenagers in this country have been reported to be addicts (Lakida 354). Additionally, there are 300 treatment centers in China. Japan has also incorporated internet fasting camps to help social media and internet addicts overcome their addiction through abstinence. The interventions in the above-mentioned countries justify the fact that excessive internet and social media usage leads to addiction which can be viewed as a psychological disorder.
Conclusively, it is justifiable to infer that excessive social media and technology usage has adverse side effects. While it is critical to acknowledge the positive effects of technology and social media, such as aiding easy interaction and transactions, this essay proves beyond doubt the close connection that excessive social media and technology usage has on people’s health, career, and social life. For example, it is a justifiable fact that overusing social media and technology leads to a person neglecting other aspects of their lives, such as careers. The consequence of such neglect is often losing one’s job. In a different example, students that are social media and technology addicts often have academic difficulties as they often end up neglecting their studies. As a result, they perform poorly, become truants, and often drop out of school. Furthermore, excessive technology and social media usage significantly and adversely affects a person’s social life. Often, such users neglect their social responsibilities towards their friends and families, thereby affecting their friendships and relationships. Excessive usage of technology and social media also leads to addiction. Through dopamine production in the brain, such users end up being addicts. Addiction often stresses the mind and affects neurons responsible for memory. Therefore, such addicts often suffer from memory loss. With this knowledge, different stakeholders, including several governments, have set up institutions to rehabilitate technology and social media addicts as they view addiction as a psychological disorder.
Works Cited
Anderson, Jenny. “‘It’s Not a Drug, but It May as Well Be’: Expert Opinions on Whether Kids Are Addicted to Tech.” Quartz, 9 Feb. 2018, qz.com/1202888/are-kids-actually-addicted-to-technology. Accessed 8 Apr. 2023.
Ladika, Susan. Technology Addiction. CQ Press, 2018.
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