The Negative Effects Of Technology Vs. The Brain

Technology vs. the Brain

From the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison to the long term battle between Apple and Microsoft, technology has been growing. With each new achievement or creation, the impact of the devices becomes more and more evident. There is a lot of controversy in terms of the impacts and whether the effects are positive or negative and to what extent technology actually reaches. The bottom line is that without a doubt technology is a continuously evolving system that impacts the world in many ways, however, some may disregard the effects to its negative effects on human growth and development, sleeping patterns, or emotional health.

Technology is a word used to describe the advancements or changes that affect the
Sleep is a vital part of growth and development of the brain, it allows the body to heal and make repairs and refresh itself for the next productive day. Without sleep the body goes into a deprivation mode, similar to going without food and water for a few days, the body starts to shut down, making functioning in daily life extremely difficult. According to the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, the use of electronic media is linked to poor sleep in the cases of several studies. In one study, it proved that LED backlight technology might affect sleeping patterns due to the emission of an increased amount of light in a short wavelength spectrum (Lemola, et al). Another common way for technology to disturb sleep is because of the constant notifications on one’s device, most people sleep with their sounds turned on for the next morning’s alarm and therefore are subjective to the impending dings of nightly notifications. “A representative survey of the United States population revealed that 18% of adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years are woken up by text messages after sleep onset….” (Lemola, et al). The constant battle between a good night’s sleep or the endless depths of the internet affect the brain and its ability to function, making it more
According to School Administrator Magazine, the rewiring of the brain is not necessarily bad, simply different. “The past 15 years of scientific research and psychological studies on the brain have provided new insights into learning” (Sousa). The three areas referenced include attention, memory and thinking due to the effects of technology on the brain and the effects on education (Sousa). Education is affected by the attention spans because the actions of students outwardly show behaviors that indicate a shorter attention span (Sousa). However, because students are used to instant results due to the internet, it is harder to keep their attention if there is not instant gratification. Memory and thinking are affected as well because adolescents are allowing the internet to think and remember things for them; instead of challenging themselves, they type the information into their notes or search engine and let the computer do the work (Sousa). As the world grows and technology expands, the ways humans adapt to the environment changes as well; people change their ways of solving problems similar to the invention of the calculator, people started using the device to solve their math equations instead of writing it out by hand. The invention and