Computer Addiction

Since the advent of modernity and civilization, computer technology has played a pivotal role in the development of humanity. With the advancement of technology and consequently the use of computers in the 21st century, the human race has witnessed improvements in education, medicine, commerce, and communication. In fact, most research studies have shown that no aspect of human life has been left “untouched” by using computers in technology in one way or another. Addiction is the continued use of a substance or behavior despite poor dependency consequences. It can be a neurological injury that leads to such behaviors. Computer addiction describes the excessive use of computers to a level that it interferes with daily life. As a result, too much use explains problems in social interaction, personality, relationships, thought processes, work ethic, or sleep deprivation.

Most addictions are related to drugs, use of alcohol, gambling, and pornography. Habits associated with addiction are characterized by immediate gratification with delayed effects. The main objective of this essay is to present compelling arguments in order to explain how human beings have become dependent on computers with consequences and benefits.

Many scholars argue that the relationship between humans and computer technology can be described as “synergetic”. Although some people believe that technology has been beneficial to the human race, others argue that people have become overly dependent on computers. Computer addiction has led to a number of developments. It has aided in improving the economy by saving time and meeting of deadlines. Online banking is done by relying on computers. One is also enabled to process payment online, and conduct meetings through video conferencing. As a result, people are able to make transactions any time of the day in an efficient mode devoid of hassles of queuing in the bank. In addition, the business world has witnessed substantial use of computer technology in the stock exchange market to provide up to date and reliable information on exchange rates and stock indices, thus improving business transactions.

The reliance on computers has led to massive improvements in communication, making it extremely informative, efficient and robust. With the use of computers, information can be transmitted all over the world in a span of seconds. For example, soldiers fighting in war-torn areas are able to use VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to be in touch with their families and assure them of their safety (Klososky 358).

For recruitment purposes by human resource managers, computers come in handy in the storage of employee information. Through the Internet, employers are able to find relevant information on current and potential employees’ social activities, thus knowing the right people for jobs.

Frequent usage of computers has necessitated online education thereby eliminating space and time constraints. The use of online education has enabled students to interconnect through virtual learning, where they interact over the Internet, hold classroom discussions and acquire online degrees. Through the use of computers, the process of communication has been simplified. People all over the world use different social media platforms such as Google Chat, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, Skype, MySpace and Twitter to communicate and share pertinent information. Technology has significantly enhanced interconnectivity and relationships among people in society.

The connection between computer technology and education is described as symbiotic. While computer technology assists education, education propels the use of computers. Since we live in the age of technological innovations, it is paramount to stay abreast with the latest inventions. With the application of computers and technology, people become better educated thus improving their interaction and interconnection in the society.

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In the field of education, technology has enabled students to develop a positive attitude towards learning and increased their skills. The classroom has become more entertaining meanwhile the chalkboard has been replaced by computers and other interactive audio-visual mediums, such as projectors. Research has shown that the use of technology has profoundly influenced and increased the student’s concentration levels in classrooms (Bradbury 41). As a result of technology, education has become more customized to suit the curriculum and needs of students. Experts in the education industry have utilized technology (Internet websites) to conduct research studies that have positively influenced society.

Use of computers in education has positively transformed society and increased interconnection among people. The greatest impact of technology on education is the paradigm shift of people’s thinking from local to global. Technology has enabled and enhanced sharing of ideas across the globe, thereby enriching the lives of millions of people. Although technology has its own limitations, it is evident that its benefits to society far much outweigh its disadvantages.

The use of modern computers has had a profound effect on the field of education. Many institutions of higher learning have utilized advancements in computer usage in order to develop modules on-line learning, thus enabling students from all over the world to earn degrees without going to the classrooms. Besides, students and scholars have used the Internet to conduct research studies that have influenced society (Davison).

The use of computer technology in diverse spheres of life has totally revolutionized human lifestyles, and especially in sports where coaches have made use of computerized systems to simulate players in competition and training, and in the analysis of player performance. In the past fifteen years, the soccer fraternity has been using two methods for the analysis of soccer performance both in real-time and post-match. The basic game systems allow basic input of data, which provides the player’s statistical information such as the number of tackles, shots, and passes. During a post-match analysis, coaches are able to extract and visualize vital information through the use of the video montage software. The use of video cassettes to record a soccer match has been replaced by modern digital cameras, which have better image quality, and can be fixed on a computer for easy post-match analysis. However, the basic game system software has been criticized with grounds that it is slow on speed, which may result in the provision of inaccurate data (Fleming & Jones 46).

However, the overdependence of computers in technology has led to an addiction to extreme measures, thus affecting human development. For instance, Khosrowpour (75) observes that in the United States, many employers have expressed concern over the high cases of employees spending close to two hours every week, glued on computer screens to visit on social networking sites during work hours. This has negatively affected productivity, occasioning a company loss of approximately $ 2.50 billion (Khosrowpour 325).

Although computers have led to positive developments in communication, over-reliance has reduced face to face human interaction. When human beings become overly dependent on computers, it decreases interpersonal communication and affects the development of the relationship. For example, the use of Facebook, Skype, Twitter, text messages and email has led to the loss of facial expressions, voice communication, gestures and eye contact loss since many people are glued to computers, which is leading to less expressive communication. In addition, overdependence on computers has also affected child development. Psychologists argue that the current use of computers intrudes on the socialization process, thus children become lazy. Today, children have been reduced to “couch potatoes” since they spend most of their time on the couch playing computer games, accordingly reducing interaction with others. Since most people spend their time at home, they are becoming more dysfunctional in society (Khosrowpour 375).

The growing dependence on computers in education has affected the writing and reading skills of students. Unlike handwritten assignments, which are prone to spelling and grammatical errors, the use of computer operating systems assists the student to avoid grammatical mistakes. However, overdependence on these programs has made students lazy and develop habits, which are difficult to eradicate. For example, students have difficulties in constructing comprehensible English sentences and writing constructive grammar without the help of these programs (Davison).

Overuse of computers has had a negative impact on students since their research writing skills have been affected. Besides, when there is a lot of information on the Internet, people have a difficult task of sieving the right information from personal opinions. Khosrowpour (79) argues that overreliance on computers and technology affects people’s research skills since they become weak at sifting information. As a result, people must have outstanding skills to be able to identify information that is relevant (Klososky 289).

Conclusion

From the above debate presented above, it is evident that computer usage has had a profound effect on humanity. While it is arguably true that computers have been associated with positive effects in virtually every facet of human life, overdependence on it has become a disservice to society too. Although overdependence on computers is detrimental to human lives, it should be embraced to certain degrees that help in the advancement of innovation and development. Therefore, it is vital for people to develop the art of harnessing the useful components of technology and discarding the detrimental ones, instead of overly depend on it.

When people rely so much on the computer is doing everything, the brain always does go to “sleep”. Loe & Wang (25) argue that for human beings to have a healthy lifestyle, the brain must be active. However, over-relying so much on the computer will hinder the neurons from developing and affect the transmission of information. Furthermore, when the brain is not active, the synaptic connections will not be strong enough to ensure the proper functioning of the entire body.

Although over-reliance on computers is not appropriate for the brain, we should not entirely shy away from them. Human beings should strike an equilibrium between using the computer and making the brain active. Computers should only be used to solve complex issues that require electronic manipulation. Otherwise, the human brain should be actively engaged at all times.