We breathe in an era in which technology has shaped existence and applicability in practically every facet of man’s life. So, technology can be defined as combining scientific knowledge and machines to enhance and simplify people’s lives. Since technology has helped reduce production’s costs and time management difficulties in every field of life, it has beneficial and harmful consequences.
We use technology so frequently that it is difficult to quantify how much each technology affects our lives and how technology affects our society in return. Yet, despite its numerous and limitless benefits, its widespread use is raising a slew of societal challenges. This is because technology can impact us, but it depends on why it is utilised and how it is employed.
People use it for their benefit. However, there are certain drawbacks as side effects that might be characterised as negative consequences of technology on our society. It is challenging to separate technology from our lives because it provides so many benefits and conveniences in every element of our existence. Our society is reliant on technology.
The Effects of Technology on Society
Without a doubt, technology has an impact on society. We are subjected to this influence daily. It impacts the growth of the economy, our culture, and our level of living. However, it is crucial to remember that the benefits are a two-edged sword, with some being negative and others favourable. Therefore, one must use extreme caution and learn how the effects of society affect business activities and operations.
Technology’s Positive Impact on Health and Lifestyle
Almost everything nowadays has a smartphone application. From games to economics to fitness and health, the digitisation of regulatory standards and practises for optimal health maintenance allows us to get the correct information required for proper body maintenance and staying fit in the foreseeable future. In addition, online doctor consultation has grown more common, providing quick, accurate, and informative ideas and prescribed strategies for dealing with specific health conditions.
Online doctor consultations can now provide medical advice and answers to health-related problems. This eliminates the need to physically schedule appointments and travel to a medical professional’s office.
Electronic Health Records
The implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) has replaced the use of paper for the systematic storage of records and has been a game-changer for many healthcare facilities. Rather than manually entering data such as vital signs, weight, test results, and so on, ERH gives nurses and technicians the ability to enter such data digitally. This makes it easier and faster to assign patients’ data, resulting in more accurate and timely treatment. EHRs also enable clinicians to obtain the relevant patient’s data in a more compact and systematic format much faster, allowing them to provide prompt and effective treatment to their patients.
The Internet and other Online Mediums
With the advent and intricate inclusion of technology in our daily lives, health solutions are becoming more numerous and easily accessible. The internet is a vast space to learn about diseases and how to treat them. Online doctor consultations eliminate the physical barrier, allowing medical experts and patients to communicate more quickly. Online doctor consultation allows medical knowledge and practice to be broader and not be limited to specific places. People from all over the world can seek medical advice and access well-researched, universally reliable medical information.
Smartphone usage
Today, everyone has a smartphone that may be used to obtain medical information and from any location. We can connect healthcare experts and professionals to patients, thanks to advances in information and communication technology. This has been incredibly effective in rural and suburban regions where communication infrastructure and specialised services are lacking.
Telemedicine
The term ‘telemedicine’ can apply to a type of two-way video call for a consultation and the transmission of healthcare data and information. Telemedicine allows healthcare and support to be disseminated to various disciplines of medicine, such as cardiovascular healthcare. In addition, it will enable contemporary medicine to reach farther rural places where necessary facilities for proper health are difficult to obtain.
The impact of technology on health is not entirely positive, just as every coin has two sides. Technology has numerous negative consequences on our health, causing a slew of disorders and medical issues. On the other hand, modern technology and its advancement are becoming indispensable in people’s daily lives. This is causing us to become unduly reliant on such technologies, and it is also the source of some of the negative aspects of one’s health. Modern technology and its advancement are becoming indispensable in people’s daily lives. This is causing us to become unduly reliant on such technologies, and it is also the source of some of the negative aspects of one’s health.
Technology’s Harmful Effects on Health
Usage of Cell Phones
Cell phones or smartphones have taken up an irreplaceable position in the lives of every person’s private and social life as one of the most significant milestones in the line of technological growth. Being without a cell phone nowadays is virtually unfathomable. It is both a blessing and a curse to be equipped with every tool imaginable. People are becoming increasingly obsessed with their phones, and they are losing touch with the humane aspects of their lives. Constantly looking at screens is causing short-sightedness in the human population as a whole. People’s health is jeopardised as a result of decreased concentration and mobility. Continually looking at screens is causing short-sightedness in the human population as a whole. People’s health is threatened as a result of reduced attention and mobility.
Disturbed Sleep
People’s over-reliance and obsession with technology and electronic gadgets force them to have little rest and develop terrible sleeping habits. People in their millennial and youthful years are compulsorily devoting their sleep to spend more time on social media using their devices, resulting in forced insomnia. Staying up late forcibly disturbs the body’s natural sleep cycle and makes people sleepy. As a result, focus and concentration rapidly deteriorate, and the body does not have enough energy to perform correctly throughout the day, resulting in inefficiency.
Development of Children
Children are using more technology than ever before in today’s world. As a result, children and young children have delayed cognitive development, poor eyesight and may even show signs of detachment from society in the years to come. Instead of going out and spending time with friends and family, children stay home and stare at a screen for long periods. If left unchecked, youngsters may come across content that may impact them in the wrong way, resulting in cognitive and emotional disorders.
Incorrect Information
Though it is currently a tremendously promising prospect to discover all health-related information online, it also has a disadvantage. Because of the endless amount of information available, those who do not have the appropriate knowledge and skill in the medical field may have difficulty sorting through it. In addition, there are numerous online doctor consultation services available, but unless one can accurately and carefully engage in the proper consultation, they may receive incorrect information, making issues worse.
Body Ache
Body Ache Excessive use of mobile phones or prolonged sitting at a desk on a laptop or computer can cause significant pressure on the back, neck, and pelvic bones.
Reduced Privacy
This is another form of unhealthy circumstance brought on by technology. Aside from that, it adds to the amount of stress a person is currently under due to their responsibilities, lowering an individual’s morale. In addition, this raises the likelihood of having unstable social relationships, leading to additional emotional health disorders that impede overall productivity.
Final Words
Technology and its advancement are an essential component of human life. It is a criterion for increasing living efficiency and is also critical for the advancement of the human species. However, if this expansion is unregulated and appropriate countermeasures to limit its harmful elements are not implemented, technology may cause more harm than good. For example, online medical consultations, smartphone apps, EHR, and other technologies in medicine significantly impact people’s quality of life. Treatment is now faster, more efficient, and more accurate, and treatments are safer than they were ten years ago. Additionally, remain healthy, and home techniques of fitness regulation are now widespread and easily accessible to the general public. The incorporation of technology has contributed to an increase in the average human’s life expectancy.
On the other hand, the abuse and reliance on technology for basic chores is a concerning issue because, by having more technology, we are both helping to improve health and using it as a source of health deterioration.