The impact of technology on:

1) Labor market
2) Health
3) Environment
4) Education
5) Entertainment
6) Relationships.
Think of both the positive & negative effects on each aspect.
Technology has improved the general living standards of many people in the last
few decades. Without technology, people would still be living within their
geographical confines of their societies. Examples of technological advancements
that have made life easier include things like the Internet, phones, tablets, TV, PS
and movie and video games. However, these are just the positive attributes of
technology; there are also a number of negative effects that it has brought upon
the society in general. This research paper seeks to discuss these negative impacts
of technology upon the society and the general way of living. Arguably, some of
these technological advancements have increased stress levels and isolation
within the society. As it appears, technology has had a rational impact on the
meaning of “social”. It has touched many different aspects of life including
education, communication, transport, war, and even fashion. Many in the society
are worried about the rapid transformation in human attention.
Social media and mobile devices may lead to psychological and physical issues,
such as eyestrain and difficulty focusing on important tasks. They may also
contribute to more serious health conditions, such as depression.
The overuse of technology may have a more significant impact on developing
children and teenagers
Technologies, such as handheld tablets, smartphones, and computers, can hold a
person’s attention for long periods. This may lead to eyestrain.
The way many people use mobile devices and computers may also contribute to
incorrect posture. Over time, this may lead to musculoskeletal issues.
Many technologies promote a “down and forward” user position, meaning the
person is hunched forward and looking down at the screen. This can put an
unnecessary amount of pressure on the neck and spine.
Most everyday digital technologies are sedentary. More extended use of these
technologies promotes a more sedentary lifestyle, which is known to have
negative health effects, such as contributing to:
 obesity
 cardiovascular disease
 type 2 diabetes
 premature death
When we’re using technology like computers, video games or TVs, we generally
aren’t exercising. That’s why there’s an increasing body of research linking the
overuse of digital devices to decreasing exercise and fitness levels. For example, in
a recent study covering college students in Thailand, researchers found that
students experiencing smartphone addiction participated in less physical activity
compared to those who moderated their use.

Logically, spending more time on the couch and watching TV or playing video
games reduces the time you spend staying active. However, the link between
obesity and gaming is marginally associated to weight gain in adults, with
exposure to unnatural blue light from a TV and smart devices being more
associated with obesity.
More than three billion people interact with each other over social media every
day. While many of our exchanges are generally harmless, overusing these
services can impact our well-being. Social media addiction is linked to a rise in
mental health disorders like depression suicidal ideation, particularly in teenagers.
Researchers made that correlation by highlighting how platforms like Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter place higher social pressures on young people and adults
that can lead to instances of cyberbullying, increased need for approval, and
general feelings of discontent.
One study showed that teens who spent five or more hours a day on social media
were twice as likely to experience depression-related symptoms. It also indicated
that females using social media at that same amount were more likely to show
signs of depression compared to males
Technology plays a role in virtually every part of our lives, whether we’re aware of
it or not. These are just a few of the ways in which technology may positively
affect our physical and mental health:
 health apps to track chronic illnesses and communicate vital information to
doctors
 health apps that help you track diet, exercise, and mental health
information
 online medical records that give you access to test results and allow you to
fill prescriptions
 virtual doctor visits
 online education and ease of research
 enhanced communication with others, which can improve the feeling of
connection
Nowadays, there is a mobile application for almost everything. From games to
economics and even to fitness and health, the digitisation of regulatory norms
and practices for proper health maintenance allows us to access the right
information required for proper maintaining of the body and keeping fit for the
foreseeable future. Online doctor consultation has become more of a widespread
practice delivering fast accurate and informative suggestions and prescriptive
methods on how to deal with certain health issues. It is now possible to get
medical advice and solutions to health-related problems through online doctor
consultations. This removes the hassle of physically making appointments and
going to a medical professional’s chamber.
Cell Phone Usage: As one of the greatest milestone in the line of technological
advancement, cell phones or smart phones have taken up an irreplaceable
position in the lives of every person private and social lives. It is almost beyond
comprehension nowadays to be without a cell phone. Equipped with every
possible tool one could need, it is both a blessing and a curse. People are
becoming more and more obsessive about their phones and are losing touch with
the humane aspect of their lives. Constant staring at the screens is causing short-
sightedness to the entire human species as a whole. Lower concentration and
reduced movement are causing many health risks to people in general.
Disturbed Sleep: The excessive dependency and addiction to technology and
electronic gadgets are causing people to experience improper rest and are
developing poor sleeping habits. Millennial and adolescent individuals are
forcefully sacrificing their sleep to spend more time on social media and with their
gadgets which is causing forced insomnia. By staying up late forcefully, one
disrupts the natural sleep cycle the body has and makes them more tired. Focus
and concentration drop rapidly, and the body does not have enough energy to
function through the entire day leading to inefficiency properly.

Children’s Development: in today’s day and age, children are using more
technology and ever before. This is causing kids and young children to have
stunted cognitive growth, poor eyesight and can even show signs of withdrawal
from society in the following years. Instead of going out and spending time with
friends and family, children are opting to stay indoors and stare at a screen for
countless hours. If left unchecked, they might come across content that might
influence them in the wrong manner which will later lead to cognitive and
emotional issues.
The introduction of computer systems into both the home and work
environments has eradicated the need to have reams of paper files; in the long-
run these simple changes will have a considerable impact on the environment and
help to preserve forests. Recycling technology will also help to eliminate waste.
While technology is blamed for much of the pollution that contributes to global
warming, it may also provide the solution to the problem. Research into new
methods of generating power and electricity is abundant; experts hope to find
cleaner, renewable sources of energy to replace the finite supply of fossil fuels
and reduce global warming and climate change. New methods such as wind
turbines, solar power and hydro-electric power are under scrutiny and are
constantly subject to trails to improve the efficiency of existing systems
Environmental pollution occurs as a result of technology mismanagement and
lack of control measures. Technological improvement in recent years has seen
production of more machines, weapons and automobiles. Increased consumption
of improved facilities triggers demand which in turn influences supply of required
quality of products that are major effectors of industrialization using improved
technology. Importance of technology in such cases is attributed to satisfaction of
human wants. Though adverse pollution of environment due to increased
production in the manufacturing and processing industries, weapons testing and
high usage of automobiles such as cars. Air pollution, water and noise pollution
are the key components of an environment that has been continually polluted as
a result of technology. Emission of large quantity of gases such as CO2 in the air
by large industries causes air pollution which in turn has degraded environment
immensely. Again, disposal of waste into the rivers and water systems by
industries and other institutions is an environmental hazard through water
pollution. Similarly, a lot of noise pollution from weapons testing and usage,
industries in their routine production processes and automobiles is causative of
environmental dilapidation.
Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of gases such as carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide and methane are
introduced into the earth’s atmosphere. The main sources all relate to
technologies which emerged following the industrial revolution such as the
burning of fossil fuels, factories, power stations, mass agriculture and vehicles.
The consequences of air pollution include negative health impacts for humans
and animals and global warming, whereby the increased amount of greenhouse
gases in the air trap thermal energy in the Earth’s atmosphere and cause the
global temperature to rise.
Renewable energy, also known as ‘clean energy’, is energy that is collected from
renewable resources which are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain,
tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Modern environmental technology has
enabled us to capture this naturally occurring energy and convert it into
electricity or useful heat through devices such as solar panels, wind and water
turbines, which reflects a highly positive impact of technology on the
environment.
Electric vehicles demonstrate a positive impact of technology on the environment
because they do not produce carbon emissions, which contribute towards the
‘greenhouse effect’ and leads to global warming. Furthermore, they do not
contribute to air pollution, meaning they are cleaner and less harmful to human
health, animals, plants, and water.
Technology is a teaching tool: Computers provide us with an interactive audio-
visual medium. Animation software and Power Point presentations are used to
present information in an interactive way. Both teachers and students find it
helpful and interesting to use audio-visual tools.
Information is easily accessible: The internet search engines are a source of
immense information. They are now used as an effective tool for searching
information. All this is possible in just one or two clicks. Both teachers and
students are benefited through this. Wikipedia is the ideal example, around ten
years ago, it didn’t even exist. Now, it is by far the world’s largest encyclopedia. It
has around 2.5 million entries: instantly available free, on the Web. All are
contributed free by more than 75,000 volunteers. Wikipedia provides an excellent
platform for cooperative sharing.
Teaching is sharing: The application of technology has made education more
collaborative. There are online forums where subject experts can meet and
discuss subject specific topics, review the syllabus and plan assessments to
enhance the process of teaching. Teachers can impart customized education to
cater different learning abilities and needs of the students. Everyone has a
personal learning style, almost as unique as one’s fingerprints. Any skills can now
be taught online in sequence, from beginner level to master level. Good teachers
and multimedia experts can tailor such instant learning programs to individual
learning styles and in individual modules.
Technology has removed space and time limitations: There are different online
education programs available which has given a new dimension to education. The
students and teachers can be a part of one virtual classroom, even if they are
physically far away from each other. Some universities offer online educational
programs where students and teachers can interact with each other through
internet. There are online libraries with books, journals, encyclopedias, etc. where
students can access various resources, highlight, save and use the soft copies. And
universities almost everywhere now offer online degrees.