Unit 3

Final Argumentative Essay:

Colin Hopkins     

WRT 105                                                                                                                         

Ms. Schilly                                                                                                                          

20 May 2021

Merging With Cyborgs

Technology has been an aid to mankind for many years. Technology has led to many great discoveries and advancements in areas such as medicine, security, communication, education, and many others. It is because of technology that improvements in the medical field have enabled doctors to save more lives. Similarly, technology has impacted society through communication, how we talk and communicate with one another worldwide. People can easily communicate with friends and family who are thousands of miles away. The leaders of nations from around the world can converse over video conferences when there is a worldwide pandemic. Schools can continue to teach the youth of society via the internet when all of society is shut down. Essentially, all people are now globally connected as a result of using technology. This rapid and large growth of technology has helped society in more ways than we could ever imagine. However, the use of technology is raising concerns, especially for parents.  The use of technology has increased entertainment platforms (video games, social media, streaming services, etc…)  among multiple demographic groups. It is mainly the youth who are constantly attached to their screens for extended periods but this doesn’t mean that the adults in society aren’t part of the problem. Furthermore and most importantly, the over reliance and overuse of technology has been and will continue to diminish the healthy habits that people once used to have. This over-dependency is going to lead to numerous health issues. The questions at hand are: To what destination are we heading as we rely more and more on computers and information technology? (and) Are we becoming too dependent on computers and the internet?

Technology has created a society where people are doing less thinking daily. For the simplest of calculations, people take out their calculators. Having trouble spelling something, gone are the days of the dictionary. Now all people need to do is go on the internet to find the answer to any inquiry they may have. This dependency has diminished people’s mental ability, making them more prone to things like dementia and memory loss as they age. (Small, 22)  Studies have shown that constant use of the brain hinders the development of diseases like dementia and Alzheimers. What this study refers to is things like puzzles, books, and real-life actions where the brain is in use. Other studies have shown that this overuse of technology has led to the development of ADHD in adolescents. “Multiple studies have drawn a link between computer use or extensive screen time (eg, watching television, playing video games) and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” (Small, 3) Although most of the research linking technology use and ADHD symptoms has involved children and young adults, this linkage has also been found in people at older ages. (Small, 3) This overuse of screen time has destroyed social interaction for the youth. Technology has made it so that children no longer have to be present during a lot of situations, rather they go into their virtual world where there aren't face to face interactions. These screens have destroyed the social abilities of the youth of society. This is something that will come back to be detrimental in early adulthood. Now, this isn’t necessarily the children's fault but more so the responsibility of the parents to limit the amount of screen time these children get. Think of how many parents give their children, especially the young ones, their phones to distract them or keep them busy rather than meet their attention needs in different and better ways. These actions are directly responsible for these bad social skills. A study done at UCLA supports these claims,” preteens restricted from screen-based media would have more opportunities for face to face interactions, which would improve their ability to recognize nonverbal emotional and social cues.”(Small, 8) This over dependency isn’t only affecting mental health. With all of this technology available, it is very easy for one to become sedentary. 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, and premature death. (Johnson, 5) Think of all the small day to day tasks that have been cut out of our life, this is what has led to the creation of the lazy society we currently live in.

Where did all of this technology come from? Technology has been around for many years. Over the past 30-40 years, technology has been growing at an exponential rate and it will continue to do so. It seems like almost everyday new tech comes out. People like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg are the leaders of this technological growth and expansion. From the perspective of these men, technology is the future and technology comes with a lot more good than bad. These are leaders of Big Tech. These men do not think about or warn about the possible health effects of their products, nor do they care. People like Elon have very strong opinions on this. When asked in an interview about dependency on technology, he made a lot of comments. To summarize, Musk feels that we will eventually merge with cyborgs and that this is the future of humanity (Dockrill, 7). These are very strong views on the side of Big Tech. On the other hand, we have doctors and researchers who are warning us of the health and problems that come with technology. These health professionals aren’t saying we need to eliminate technology, but rather to just be cautious of overuse. To Elon, and many others who are part of Big Tech, it is of no concern.

So what if this technology problem wasn’t caused by technology? The problem is not the technology, the problem is how people use the technology. Essentially, technology is meant to aid processes, increase efficiency, as well as productivity, and make life easier. However, people have overused technology to where they are using it for the most simple tasks. If technology was solely used as a tool to help society grow rather than a way to escape reality, then maybe there wouldn’t be as many health problems that we currently have. As stated before, technology has been a great aid to our lives, more so than we could ever imagine. Furthermore, there isn’t any way that we are going to shut down this rapid growth, nor should we. People need to find ways in their lives to have balance. There are times where we can and should use the computer found right in our pocket, but there are also times for exercise and being present in life. This is what people should do. Nobody can force anyone to do anything with their life and their body. Everyone decides on how they want to live their life. If someone wants to be so vested in tech that it affects their health, then so be it. There are problems (like this) that we, as a society, can’t solve.

Without technology in our lives, the world that we know today would be very different. Technology has helped society in so many ways. Not only has it helped us communicate around the world, but it has also given us new and exciting ways to research and get ideas out to the world faster. Like everything in life, there are drawbacks. This technology does bring its defects. It is up to each person how they want to live their life. If they want to be sedentary and controlled by technology, then so be it. People can live a healthy lifestyle and still integrate technology into their lives. People need to understand that this is the future of society and that society has been always changing through history. Technology is something that causes great change. Our advancements in lifestyle and technology are and will continue to be a great thing that will benefit our world.

                                                                Bibliography

Dockrill, Peter. “Elon Musk Says The Future Of Humanity Depends On Us Merging With Machines.” General Electric, 12 March 2017, https://www.ge.com/news/reports/elon-musk-says-future-humanity-depends-us-merging-machines. Accessed 12 May 2021.

Johnson, John. “Negative effects of technology: What to know.” MedicalNewsToday, 25 February 2020, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/negative-effects-of-technology. Accessed 13 May 2021.

Small, Gary. “Brain health consequences of digital technology use.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 22 June 2020,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366948/#:~:text=Potential%20harmful%20effects%20of%20extensive,brain%20development%2C%20and%20disrupted%20sleep. Accessed 12 May 2021.