Technology And Belongingness
With technology improving and making it easier to obtain, the question must be raised: how does technology affect us on a physical and mental level? Does technology facilitate feelings of belongingness and social connectedness, or does do the opposite, and hamper those feelings? There are both pros and cons to the integration of technology into our society. However, current research seems to reveal that despite the many different uses of technology, technology has more of a negative effect on those that use it.
One of the most influential and recent advances in technology has been social media. It has allowed for family members, significant others that are deployed to war, and high school peers to be able stay in contact. Despite the positive
impact that social media can have, there is evidence that suggests that social media can potentially hinder our feeling of belongingness and social connectedness (Chaudhry, 2015). For example, when looking on a peer’s page that contains content that consists of highlights of that person’s life, one can become uneasy or envious. This is known as the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon. FOMO is a phenomenon in which one feels that others are having a positive experience while they are not included (Chaudhry, 2015). FOMO can lead to addiction and depression in individuals due to the fact that those affected by FOMO question why they are alone while others are out having fun (Chaudhry, 2015). According to a study by Chaudhry (2015) FOMO can be found in 75% of young adults, thus suggesting that social media hinders our feelings of connectedness and belongingness.
People tend to move away from their personal social networks at some point in their life and this often leads to feelings of loneliness, which can be demanding and sometimes debilitating for individuals. Online social networks (OSNs) technology has enabled tools that assist users with creating and maintaining their long distance relationships as they move away from their personal community. Matook, Cummings, and Bala (2015) found evidence that loneliness is often increased for individuals who use OSNs in a passive manner. However, loneliness can be reduced when OSNs is used actively for broadcasting.
Technology use not only leads to diminished feelings of belongingness, having a negative effect on general mental health and self-esteem, but seems to also function as solid predictor for poor physical health as well. A recent research study took a look at the impact of interactive screen-based technology on children, preteens, and teens across four separate realms: psychological issues, behavior problems, attention problems and physical health. Previous research points out that those people among these age groups who are exposed to more screen time are shown to have increased obesity, reduced physical activity, and decreased health. The current study measured the technological use, food consumption, exercise, and health daily.
Three hypotheses were developed for this study, with the first one being that unhealthy eating would best predict individual ill-being. The second hypothesis suggested that diminished physical activity would best predict diminished health levels. The third hypothesis predicted that an increase of daily screen-based technology engagement would best predict diminished health levels while factoring out eating habits and physical activity. Of all three hypotheses, hypothesis three was supported the most by the study. In regard to decline in health, children were most affected by total media consumption, while preteens were most affected by specific technology uses, such as video-game playing and participation in electronic communication. For teens, almost every type of technological activity functioned as a major predictor of poor health. The implications of this study are huge, suggesting that technology use is more of a predictor for physical ill-being than either unhealthy eating or reduced physical activity, thought to be the two most contributing factors to poor health other than biological influence.
One of the most influential and recent advances in technology has been social media. It has allowed for family members, significant others that are deployed to war, and high school peers to be able stay in contact. Despite the positive
impact that social media can have, there is evidence that suggests that social media can potentially hinder our feeling of belongingness and social connectedness (Chaudhry, 2015). For example, when looking on a peer’s page that contains content that consists of highlights of that person’s life, one can become uneasy or envious. This is known as the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon. FOMO is a phenomenon in which one feels that others are having a positive experience while they are not included (Chaudhry, 2015). FOMO can lead to addiction and depression in individuals due to the fact that those affected by FOMO question why they are alone while others are out having fun (Chaudhry, 2015). According to a study by Chaudhry (2015) FOMO can be found in 75% of young adults, thus suggesting that social media hinders our feelings of connectedness and belongingness.
People tend to move away from their personal social networks at some point in their life and this often leads to feelings of loneliness, which can be demanding and sometimes debilitating for individuals. Online social networks (OSNs) technology has enabled tools that assist users with creating and maintaining their long distance relationships as they move away from their personal community. Matook, Cummings, and Bala (2015) found evidence that loneliness is often increased for individuals who use OSNs in a passive manner. However, loneliness can be reduced when OSNs is used actively for broadcasting.
Technology use not only leads to diminished feelings of belongingness, having a negative effect on general mental health and self-esteem, but seems to also function as solid predictor for poor physical health as well. A recent research study took a look at the impact of interactive screen-based technology on children, preteens, and teens across four separate realms: psychological issues, behavior problems, attention problems and physical health. Previous research points out that those people among these age groups who are exposed to more screen time are shown to have increased obesity, reduced physical activity, and decreased health. The current study measured the technological use, food consumption, exercise, and health daily.
Three hypotheses were developed for this study, with the first one being that unhealthy eating would best predict individual ill-being. The second hypothesis suggested that diminished physical activity would best predict diminished health levels. The third hypothesis predicted that an increase of daily screen-based technology engagement would best predict diminished health levels while factoring out eating habits and physical activity. Of all three hypotheses, hypothesis three was supported the most by the study. In regard to decline in health, children were most affected by total media consumption, while preteens were most affected by specific technology uses, such as video-game playing and participation in electronic communication. For teens, almost every type of technological activity functioned as a major predictor of poor health. The implications of this study are huge, suggesting that technology use is more of a predictor for physical ill-being than either unhealthy eating or reduced physical activity, thought to be the two most contributing factors to poor health other than biological influence.