Technological Progress Has Made Us Lazy

Technological progress has made us lazy.

Technological progress is a continuous process, which plays a very important role in our daily lives. However, some people believe that this progress has made us lazy, saying we rely on machines too much. For me, the progress, while not making us lazy, makes human beings more active both physically and mentally.

First of all, machines or high technology don’t help people do less work but help them complete tasks more quickly. With washing machines, vacuum cleaners, other housework machines, people can quickly complete trivial tasks and move on doing other important tasks such as going out with their friends, family, doing exercise, doing their jobs. For instance, parents have more time with their kids after finishing household chores, or have more time for themselves after a hardworking day.

Second, machines as well as other technological achievements like the Internet have helped human do and complete tasks more effectively, and enjoyably. For example, doing exercise becomes much easier and enjoyable, while it becomes more effective. Instead of running on the roads in order to keep our shapes, running machines and other body building machines which are both convenient and safe can help us consume larger amount of calories, and fat.

Finally, we not only physically work harder but also mentally develop along with the technological progress. Communicating means such as the Internet, television and radio daily provide us with large amount of information. Our brains work harder to process the information unless we want to be outdated. We mentally improve the ability to analyze, research, and innovate to understand and get useful information among various sources.

In conclusion, unlike making us lazy, the technological progress helps us effectively work harder, and develop ourselves both physically and mentally.

Is technology making us lazy?
Results so far: Yes | | 56% | 1032 votes | Total: 1842 votes | No | | 44% | 810 votes | | Yes by Russell Waldron
Created on: March 21, 2010
Baby boomers will easily recall watching movies and cartoons which portrayed how easy life would be in the future. Remember the Jetsons? A myriad of people scoffed at what they called “the vivid imaginations of those intrigued with technology.” Yet screenplay writers were eerily close to perfection. Did they not show life as being extremely simplistic? Where one barely had to lift a finger to cook a meal, wash clothes, talk to friends and loved ones far away and so much more. We are right in that very time frame, and this is all thanks to technology. We no longer need to do back breaking work around the house. The washing is done automatically, meals can be cooked in the microwave at the press of a button, mobile phones allow us to send instant messages, the internet lets us see family and friends in other countries, and while this all takes place the obesity crisis escalates. Why? Because technology has made a majority of the world’s population so lazy. Just the other day a friend’s son bemoaned the fact that he no longer had credit on his cell phone. He was upset because he could not contact his girlfriend who was on holidays oversees until his next pay packet arrived. Raising the eyebrows the boy’s father said “Well write her a letter!” The young lad’s jaw dropped, he gasped in shock and said “Are you kidding dad? Writing letters went out with straw hats!” His father later confided to the author that the boy’s spelling was atrocious due to having become used to text message jargon. Games can be played via the internet and this distances people from the great outdoors, fresh air, green grass, sunshine and the realities of life. It also distances people from ‘real exercise.’ Unfortunately computer games can sometimes give a person a false impression of real life. At times they become so fixated on computer games that they lack the skills needed to differentiate between fantasy and reality. This then leads to some thinking that they can get through life a little like they get through the games they play. Where video games have people dying, being bought back to life, being indestructible and so forth, real life differs. Therefore one needs to be out in the real world, not hiding behind technology for the rest of their lives. Technology has made a myriad of people couch potatoes, everything is done at the push of a button and most people like the fact that it is. The internet is used for study and taking a leisurely stroll to the local library is almost obsolete now. Why walk to the library when all the information you could ever want is at your fingertips? Search engines on the internet make study and learning so easy. But if one misinterprets the information, they have nothing to gain. Washing machines and clothes dryers make housework so much easier. Dishwashers do as well, but what happened to an honest days work? No longer is there a need to sweep the floors when we have all purpose vacuum cleaners. And we don’t need to rush to the bank before closing time anymore. With internet banking you can pay all your bills on line or even do your grocery shopping. We don’t even need to walk to the post office anymore, we can send news to others via the fax machine. From automatic toilet cleaners to self defrosting fridges and freezers, there is very little manual work involved in a host of chores these days. Gosh one doesn’t even need to get out in the sun to looked bronze and well tanned these days. Simply head on over to your local solarium for a spray on tan. Going camping? Well lucky you, head on over to your nearest camping store and you can purchase a fifty second pop-up tent or a self-inflating mattress. Ah such strenuous work camping is huh? Need a new dress, shoes, sports coat? Buy them online and save your feet. Let the fingers do the walking. Might as well throw in a pair of label brand sports shoes as well, you want to look the part even though you know they won’t be used. Admit it, you break out in a sweat just watching re-runs of Saturday Night Fever. Honestly, few people even walk to the store these days to get their photos developed. Simply plug in your digital camera and print your own photos straight from your own computer. Paint your house with a spray gun, gather up all the leaves with a leaf blower, let your kids consistently use a pocket calculator and they’ll never excel at maths. Trim your hedge with a hedge trimmer. Hop on your ride-on mower and do the lawn then head back indoors to sit underneath the air-conditioner before you take a shower. Need to go to the toilet before you do? Ah well install a bidet, press a button and all will be cleaned automatically. Has technology made us lazy? You bet your automatic dog-walker it has! No by Patrick Darski
Created on: October 18, 2009
Is technology making us lazy? It's a common question asked frequently by all types of people, from doctors, to government agents, and of course, concerned parents. This question is in a way, totally subjective, and depends heavily on one's definition of "lazy", which for me, when used to describe a person, simply means that the person rather do something easy, but relaxing, than something possibly difficult, but rewarding. Technology can help us in both. For example, a lazy person can stream videos of stand-up comedians all day long on YouTube, while a productive person can research a topic interesting to him/her. That being said, I think that most people are not "lazy", especially most of the time. We all have periods of time that we become lazy, which is perfectly normal and healthy, but most of us realize that being productive is ultimately more rewarding than just lounging around. Ultimately, it does depend on the person, because no matter how you look at it, technology opens a door which leads to a forked path. One with various commodities that are "just for fun", and the other which is nothing but productive. Every time we boot up a computer, turn on our cell-phones, take out our mp3 players, turn on the television, or plug in practically any other appliance, we choose the road which we want to go down. Technology itself, is perfectly neutral, it has no preference as to what we do with it, this holds true no matter if we are speaking of the scientific definition of Technology, or the more mainstream definition. Making the point that technology is totally neutral in it's judgment, or rather, lack thereof, is extremely important to this stance. This is because if we look at it, it becomes obvious that technology opens up the door to many more useful tasks, than it does to useless ones. It can also make us more willing to do tasks that we might otherwise want to ignore. For example, thanks to technology, it is a simple matter of a few keystrokes to send a message across the world. Just 50 years ago, this was a task that required thought, time, and patience. Oftentimes, for practicality's sake, one just wouldn't bother to send said message, technology makes sending that same message a breeze. Try to imagine the world without any tools, and that would ultimately be a world without technology. Now certainly, that wouldn't be a very comfortable place to live, and we couldn't afford to be lazy simply because our survival would depend on it. All the technology that we have today doesn't make us lazy at all, it just gives us more choices. Sure technology takes away the effort you would have to put into things otherwise, but that doesn't mean it makes us lazy, it just makes it easier to complete an otherwise strenuous, boring, repetitive task. Imagine mowing a lawn with scissors versus mowing the lawn with any sort of lawn-mower. In conclusion, technology doesn't make humans lazy, it makes things easier to do, serving it's original purpose. How we use the technology is totally up to us, and so it simply isn't fair to blame technology for people becoming lazy, that is almost always a personal choice. I believe that blaming technology for laziness is akin to blaming a pen for miss-spelled words. Ultimately, it's the people who decide how to utilize technology, technology does not decide for people how they should use it. Yes

by Freyda Tartak
Created on: October 10, 2009 Last Updated: July 01, 2010 Congratulations! You have a cell phone, a laptop, and your fridge even tells you how much water it has filled your cup with. Technology has made it possible to be everywhere without actually being anywhere. So now we are faced with a universal trend toward mediocrity. With so much information and access to choice people are becoming satisfied with just getting by rather than striving for excellence. There is more value placed on the quantity of things that we can do, rather than quality of our output. It is a sad state of events and is the reason why bridges fall down and planes fall out of the sky. It is the reason why carbon offset credits are considered an effective way to save the planet. Certainly, there are many perks and positives to having such an unprecedented array of tools that are so readily available for relatively little expense. They are used to save lives, bring clean water to places that have none, allow people to have a voice where they are being suppressed and denied basic human rights. Technology is clearly a great thing. It has the capacity to automate redundant tasks and provide endless hours of entertainment. It negates the need to leave the home, the room, the chair we sit in. Back in the summer of 2003 the entire Eastern sea board went without electricity. People panicked! They had no idea how to exist without something that powered so many of the things now considered essential. Some, did the truly unusual: They gathered everything that could go bad in their fridge and that of their neighbors, went outside, fired up the barbecue, hibachi, and the crank radio and had a picnic. When the power came back on, they rushed back inside and went back to surfing the net and watching TV. Nobody is saying that we are now lazy because we do not have to go out to the well for fresh water each day, or stand in line at the market early each morning because there is no such thing as a refrigerator. We can warm up food in seconds using microwaves and stand in the middle of a forest and call for help on a PDA. We can call the police from half a world away because somebody we don't even know is crying out for help in a chat room. Sure, there are benefits. But, let's be realistic. Most people do not simply use technology for essential needs. They have turned it into life sustaining tools and avoid tasks and chores by flicking a switch or pressing a button. Society has become helpless when unplugged. We used to have to get up and go to the library to research projects for school. Now, libraries are depleted of truly useful volumes. Even librarians point to the web as the place to go instead of aisle EE 647 - 749. Anybody who has ever tried to find information online should be able to attest to how easy it is to get distracted and find far more and far less than what was aimed at. While we are on the topic, the quality of information put out there is not the same. Much of it is unreliable and unverified. Anybody can publish anything and we are all too busy multitasking to dig deep enough to get true insight. No

by Team Vico
Created on: July 06, 2010
I think an individual’s use of Technology will dictate how active or lazy they become. I believe that technology saves heaps of hours and it’s how active you want to be in that newly free time is not imposed and only a personal decision. I have the following list of examples of beneficial and time saving technology used in the workplace, the home and as a part of social networking. I hope by these few examples that I can emphasise that the use of technology is a personal one, how much or how little is 1. Integrate your sporting activities with technology. Go to www.sportypal.com and download this application directly to your phone. This great little application allows you to track your sporting achievements via GPS and is great to work on your goals. 2. Save a significant amount of time and effort in organizing sport events such as weekly football. Your team are notified either via email or text messaging of the upcoming games and team information. Really handy as well when canceling events. Visit: www.teamer.net/ 3. Social Networking utilities such as Facebook take the hassle out of organizing social events and reunions. Sending out a general group invite, for example, saves time and money in trying to locate and contact people by phone, snail mail or email. 4. Instant messenger programs are another great business time saver when used correctly. Again, saving us time and cost in phoning people up if you just have a quick query to ask or something to verify. There is an argument that gaming and over use of the internet, to name but two adverse aspects of the misuse of technology, is what technology is doing to us. I disagree and suggest that moderation is the key here. Overuse of almost anything will have an adverse affect or result. Self-regulation and self-responsibility need to be employed to achieve a balance. Technology can integrate into our lives without being out of balance. We still are in the age of rapidly changing and growing technology. The speed of development and growth is parallel with the speedy pace of life. I think that technology is serving to improve quality of life, supporting day-to-day tasks. Were it not for developments in technology, we would find that we have less time in an age dictated by time and achievement. I give technology a thumbs up and applaud that which serves efficiency and growth in our living and lives.

Yes by Nathan Ciraulo
Created on: December 05, 2009
To dig from the roots of technology would be a long journey through years of experimentation which has brought us to a day and age of convenience. There are limitless items available for virtually any part of life, be it productivity, entertainment, maintenance, etc. We have objects that wake us up at exactly the time we expect. Insulated boxes preserve food for an appropriate time to be consumed. Mechanical frames on wheels transport us in minutes at high speed safely to destinations miles away. The world is connected via endless miles of fiber and copper lines that compile the most sophisticated conglomerate of communication known to mankind. Waves at varying wavelengths are transmitted and received into tiny handheld devices with little delay from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. Despite all these improvements to our way of life, it begs a long look at the question, Are we better for it? Have vast improvements in efficiency cost us endurance and the ability to perform a good day's work? If every vital act we needed to survive was accomplished by a thoughtless piece of equipment, would we ourselves even bother to think? The tendency to become less productive puts us in a position to do less with our own two hands, even forget how. Worse, the attitude and willingness to let it happen despite the clear end of the road arriving in a dismal crater of inactivity deserves the attention of all. But the warnings are being overlooked. Technology has its uses and there are legitimate reasons to use it. There are endless examples of tools used for the medical field, the construction field, information technology field, etc. But to rely solely on it and continue to place more emphasis on its importance than ourselves points to a rift of lazy thoughtlessness. To embrace a microwave dinner mentality is a slippery slope that ends in loss of personal quality. With the option of microwave noodles in cup versus Fettuccine Alfredo, which sounds more desirable? Both will feed and sustain you, but one is more worth the work and time. We have a greater call to remain strong and capable; able to stand on the knowledge and courage passed on to us. We have a duty to strike a balance that keeps us efficient but does not make us forget discipline. Without such, we have only chaos. Those who have the gift to invent, I applaud your efforts. Yet I implore your brilliance to help teach us to use the improvements to get us back on our feet. No by Neima Izadi
Created on: July 16, 2010
To say that technology is making us lazy is true to a certain extent, but overall it is a poor blame game. It is not in good form to attribute the proliferation of laziness to technology, something that has brought us so much prosperity, and continues to do so. Technology has led advances in medicine,industry, and science. I should not blame a spell checker for a decline in my spelling abilities.

The spell checker should only serve as a device that increases efficiency, I should not neglect proper spelling practices and studies just because I have a spell checker. Any presence of laziness, or harm brought on with the use of technology, should not be attributed to the technology itself, but the misuse of it. It is important to look at the way we utilize the technologies we have. For example, we should moderate our use of cars, such as walking to a neighbor's house instead of driving, this way we can stay active, minimizing laziness.

With regard to a popular item of technology, computers, it is best to think of them as devices that allow the dissemination of knowledge, and as motivators of learning and discovery. Yes, we will get lazy if we spend hours on the computer in front of facebook, email, or games, but computers and the internet are so grand and complex that they have many opportunities for productive work and learning. We must moderate our activities as a way of keeping our laziness in check.

It is backward for us to say that we should be lax in our development of certain technologies because we fear that they will cause our society to become lazy. To blame technology on making society lazy, will stifle innovation, creativity, and technological advancement, to put it simply, it is merely an excuse for our laziness that we ourselves cause, due to our over reliance on the things that are comfortable for us.

Laziness is more a result of our character and habits. Those that firmly espouse that technology makes us lazy are grossly underestimating the value of technology, and the impact it has had by improving our quality of life by increasing communication abilities, our medicine, our businesses, and industries. The way we use technology is responsible for the degree of our laziness. A computer is not a laziness machine, it is a device that allows communication and various other activities. A car is a machine that can get you from one destination to another. A spell checker makes document editing more efficient. This is technology. Yes by Erich Heinlein
Created on: October 20, 2009 Last Updated: February 20, 2010 Technology can make you lazy. It all depends on the person. But generally, yes technology has made us lazy. For example, what most typical Americans do when they get home from a long day at work is come home and then sit in front of the TV for a good portion of the evening. In a matter of fact an age-old study states the average American watches TV for over two hours a day. Others do more productive things it depends on the person. Most American males sit through sometimes multiple college football games. Let's think about that. Your average college football game takes about two and a half to three hours on any given afternoon. So, assuming the games go there average length that means most American males consume themselves with football six hours on Saturday and at least six on Sunday..But there is also another aspect to this as well. Not only has it made us lazy it has contributed to making us unfit. One could also credit technology for the obesity level in this country. Most kids who are overweight are overweight because not only do they not eat healthy they spend a tremendous amount of time in front of the TV or playing video games. Video games have been around long enough that even most people in their late 20's-early 30's (I'll admit it I'm one of them) play video games on a far too frequent basis. Although the affects of video gaming may change in the near future once the Nintendo Wii starts to become more affordable and hit more homes, technology still has it's dark side.For those of you who may not be familiar with the Nintendo Wii, it is an interactive video gaming console. Most of the games actually require you to physically do the motions as opposing to just sitting there hitting tons of buttons like you would do with Playstation and XBox. The next negative effect technology has had on society is the porn industry. It is very easy to access pornographic web sites through the Internet and it is not very hard to get through the parental controls part of the sites most of the time at most sites. Obviously there are ways around preventing your children from getting into those types of sites but that is another article for another day. One could very well spend hours on both the Internet and it is also possible with most cable and satellite TV providers to order pornographic materials via pay per view. Doing it through Pay Per Views or even through a video store can also become a very time consuming and expensive hobby for most people. This effect is probably the worst. Let's all face it. We are sexual beings. We have to accept that fact and there is nothing anybody can do about it. Although it is the least frequent, the next way the porn industry has invaded the technological world is phone sex. Anybody who is a sex-phene or constantly thinks about sex is prone to any of these types of technology. The fortunate reality is there are ways of preventing all of them. So what good comes of technology if all this bad stuff is happening with technology one might ask? It all essentially comes down to convenience. Let's break down the three major types of technology and explain why they are beneficial. It all essentially comes down to convenience. The three major types almost everybody has are Phone, Internet and TV. Let's start with phone service: Phone service: There are numerous types of phone services out there. The most basic reason people need phones are so they can communicate with somebody instead of having to talk with them face to face because that is more time efficient for most people. It also saves a tremendous amount of car gas. Most cell phone companies offer many other features with their phones nowadays such as GPS, having your own calendar, having your own clock and numerous other applications as well. Internet: Internet service allows you to check e-mail which is a big time and money saver. The reason is that people can get e-mail instantly and they save money on stamps and envelopes. It is also possible to do extensive research on the Internet without having to go to a library. If you want an updated copy of your bank statement or you need it to dispute a charge and it is going to be a while before your next bank statement comes out at most banks you can just hop online and print out a copy of your bank statement. While this is a good convenience it is another way that society has become lazy. Instead of coming a check register most people use their bank statements online exclusively. TV: With television, one purpose everybody uses it for is to become informed of what is going on in the world (although in the transforming news business people are also turning to the Internet for this as well). Television is also influential for sports fans. Let's face it everybody has their favorite shows and has preferences when it comes to TV providers. But that is another article for another day. Essentially, all technology is the same. It all comes down to how you use it. Yes it has made us lazy. No by Bob Lloyd
Created on: January 04, 2010
Technology is often associated with labour saving and in the past, there were devices designed to specifically save on physical effort. But in most areas, those technologies are already very mature. We already use washing machines, lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers, microwave ovens, and a host of other devices to do things quicker and to save effort.

But laziness is something different to saving labour. Saving labour so as not to expend effort is very different from using that available effort to achieve something different. In order to make use of our effort we have to be motivated and information technology has massively expanded our options, opening entire new worlds.

Whereas just twenty years ago we would have needed to go to a library to look up information, we have it in seconds through a browser. We can manage our bank account, order goods, communicate with others, share photos, music, and videos so easily now, that we need not spend much time doing it. So the technology has enabled us to do the same things as we used to do as well as new things, but much quicker and more conveniently. Which of course, gives us more time to use on things that interest us.

And the technology also provides us with a huge choice. Any subject, any hobby, any interest, is so well supported that we can get involved and involved without a great deal of preparation or effort. So we are encouraged to explore, to find out, to get involved, to communicate, about anything that interests us. There has been a huge democratisation of access to information meaning that even individuals who may be personally shy or reluctant to state their views, get the opportunity to be heard.

It is now easier than ever to become well-informed about any issue, any subject, and the age of the Google expert has arrived. Forums and chat rooms, social networks, virtual worlds, all enable people to communicate with others in a relatively safe environment, free from the challenges that physical proximity can pose. But there are other consequences as well. If we don't need to make the effort to relate to others emotionally in person, in the real physical world, does our ability to do so decline? Does less use imply less capability?

If that really is the case, then our interactive technology-driven other world impoverishes the quality of our human interaction. But here too, the consequences are ambiguous. In a virtual world, or even a forum, a person hidden behind an avatar can experiment with their own reactions, exploring the reactions of others, and in doing so become more aware of the emotions of other people. They can become more skilled at relating to people, more appreciative of the range of views, more understanding of emotional responses.

The success of these media demonstrates that far from becoming socially lazier, many people are becoming much more communicative, expressing their opinions and views more freely, and engaging in discussion and debate. But it remains true that this is different from the interactions with real physical people and there are those who lack the confidence to get involved even virtually.

If the participants are exporting their egos online through avatars and that the responses they get there are more pleasant and less stressful than real life, is there not a tendency to place more focus on this artificial ego than their presence in the real world? But isn't even that begging the question because whatever and wherever they experience their interactions, it is still them getting the experience?

If these people were lazy, we would expect them to do the minimum, to expend the least effort. But in fact, the massive stimulus provided by these open technologies has led many people to experience interactions on a scale that was previously impossible, enriching their emotional lives as well as helping them develop a better understanding of themselves. Certainly there is an addictive element, and unless there is some balance between real and virtual interactions, the benefits of the one may not reach the other. But if anything, we are now more highly motivated and involved that previously. Physically, as we spend more time online sat at a computer, we are less active but that is not through laziness, but through focussing our activities on those that are more interesting and satisfying. A balance is necessary of course, but the indications are that far from being lazy, we are becoming more motivated and open to new experiences.