The Impact of Technology on Society: An Analysis of the Benefits and Drawbacks of Technological

Advancement

CHAPTER I

I. INTRODUCTION

In our day, there is a stunning increase in the use of technology. Such increase resulted
in the rapid penetration of technology into the daily lives of children. Wherever they are, the
children are surrounded with various technologies and technological elements including smart
phones, tablets, wireless internet, game consoles, TVs, videos, mobile devices and applications.
Moreover, every year, the diversity of technology increases and goes into the daily lives of
children. In a previous research, according to the statistics about the technologies in the homes
of children between ages of 8 and 12 in the US, it was revealed that among homes with children,
98% have televisions, 80% have video systems, 72% have computers, 68% have internet
connection, 67% have video game systems, 29% have educational game systems, whereas 42%
of children have their personal TVs, 2% have personal phones, 11% have personal video game
systems and 4% have personal computers (Duggan, Lenhart, Lampe, & Ellison, 2015). According
to the results of the Research on the Household Use of Information Technologies by Turkish
Statistical Institute (TÜİK) (2016), 96.9% of the household in Turkey has mobile phones or smart
phones whereas the percentage of fixed line phones is 25.6%. For the same period, 22.9% of
household has desktop computers, 36.4% has laptop computers, 29.6% has tablets and 24.6%
has smart TVs (TÜİK, 2016). As may be inferred from the statistics, technological facilities in
homes reveal that children are surrounded with technology. In the study by Chaudron (2015) in
various European countries, the views and experiences of children aged 0 to 8 about such
technologies as tablets, smart phones and computers as well as the awareness of parents about
technology were examined. Looking into the results of the research, the children that are digital
natives grow up in a technology-rich environment and are in interaction with technology.
Technology is an important part of students’ lives. Incorporating technology into the classroom
has proved to be beneficial yet also has some drawbacks. Technology has helped student
willingness and engagement and allows for the enhancements of learning. According to Fisher,
et al. (2014), “The need for construction and engagement means that the best types of learning
will be those that involve choices that the student can make, and learning where there are
meaningful contexts where the student is engaged” (p. 5). But is this enough to outweigh some
of the negatives? In a study conducted by Sülzenbrück, et al. (2011) that examined the effect
computer use has on motor skills, they discovered that using modern technology could effect
changes in basic psychomotor and cognitive skills. This includes using tools such as computers,
electronic organizers, navigation systems, etc. This can cause concerns in student growth in the
classroom. Furthermore, research also shows some pros and cons and goes in depth into why
technology may or may not be beneficial.

The more advanced technology becomes, the more it seems to have control
over our lives. Today, the use of technology is widely available and insistently promoted
throughout our society. While technology makes life easier for people, it also creates
some problems for our society such as the decline in ordinary social behaviors. Yet,
 modern societies realized the significance of intellectual technology which is a form of
new knowledge that achieves goals or solves many problems.
The word technology consists of two parts (Techno) means application, art or
skill, and (Logy) means science and learning. Thus, the linguistic meaning of the word
technology is: the methods and tools that a society has developed in order to facilitate
the solution of its practical problems and to provide the necessary needs for the
community. Consequently, the use of technology in all areas of life increases risks,
threats and crimes associated with the use of this technique, which reflects negatively
on the possibility of its use in absolute terms in all walks of life [7].
Since human beings are social by nature, relationships nowadays become more
dominated by the use of modern technologies such as social media, which reduces the
distances, despite of having negative effects on human relations in society and family.
Currently, people recognize that the use of modern technologies is a requirement for
life and an indication of the cultural awareness of the community. They have positive
prominent roles as one of the requirements of this era where they enter in all walks of
life to provide services, improve the quality of life and increase communication and
relationships since it is a developed culture reflects the culture of the community.
Thus, there are increased concerns in the speed at which modern technology
spreads as well as its uses and their false and negative impacts. This was due to the
absence of effective guidance where some groups have become vulnerable to the
negative effects of life-threatening. Since education is an important area of life, the use
of modern technologies makes it an essential part in education, not just a simple
addition [4].
This research shows the negative impacts of modern technologies on society
and will contribute to raise people's awareness towards the appropriate ways of using
modern technologies. The authors hope that by presenting the negative effects of
modern technologies on society, it will have positive influences on individuals and
society in general since modern technologies play a major role in people's lives and
future possibilities.

II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK/ CONCEPTUL FRAMEWORK

TECHNOLOGY IN TERMS
OF: ADVANTAGES AND
DRAWBACKS
COMPUTER,
CELLPHONE, INTERNET

INDEOENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

It shows the relationship between the variable of the study. The dependent
variable is the advantages and disadvantage of technology. The technologies like computer,
cell phone and internet provides advantages and disadvantages to the society.
III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The most important negative impacts of the use of modern technologies on

society and its impact on individual behavior are: the formation of personal beliefs,
social isolation, reduction in the family ties between the family and society members,
inactivity, obesity, lack of desire to work different kinetic activities, a waste of time in
things that are not useful, increase in the rate of violence, especially in children because
of watching violent programs, high crime rate because of spreading video clips
presenting all kinds of these crimes and ways of committing them and the spread of lies
and rumors causing distraction and loss of trust in such information.

IV. HYPOTHESIS
There is no significant relationship between the technology and its affect to the society.
V. SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The researchers utilized a mixed method approach to understanding

how the integration of technology affected students’ learning. A survey
was developed and administered through Qualtrics to collect data. The
survey contained 14 questions that utilized a variety of questions
formats such as open-ended, multiple choice, and Likert scale. Plano, et
al. (2010) describe the survey research design process as being fairly
flexible. The researchers utilized this approach and synthesized trends
revealed by the data. The survey was sent to K-12 educators at a local
school district in central Illinois. Participation was voluntary. The data
was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means, standard
deviation, and percentages. Qualitative data was analyzed and
organized into emerging themes. The quantitative and qualitative data
was triangulated to help answer the research questions.

The study was intended to answer the following research questions:

1. What are the teachers’ general views regarding the use of

technology in teaching and learning?

2. What are teachers’ perspectives regarding the impact of

technology use on student learning?

3. What are teachers’ thoughts regarding other positive and

negative outcomes of incorporating technology in the classroom?

VI. SIGNIFICANC E OF THE STUDY

 The practical significance of this research takes place in:

1. Identifying the negative impacts of the use of modern technologies and

their patterns.
2. Recognizing the trend of using the modern technologies.
3. Contributing research to determine the cause of the phenomenon of
the use of modern technologies with the passage of time.
4. Seeking to identify and develop ways and effective mechanisms to
reduce the negative impacts of the use of modern technologies.

VII. DEFINITION OF TERMS

In this study, the following terms are written to clarify the meanings of the words used and
to provide a frame of reference and a clearer clearer interpretation of the study.
Cognitivist - a person who believes or works in cognitive grammar.
Ethical- relating with those moral principle or the branch of knowledge relating to those.
Millennium- a period of thousand years, specially when calculated from the traditional date
of birth of Christ.
Prominent- important or famous.
Utilization- the action of making practical and effective use of something.
Valuable- a thing that is of great worth, especially a small item or personal property.
Versatile- able to adapt or or be adopted to many different activities.
Technology- machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific
knowledge.
Adequate- satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.