Technology’s Eight Externalities

The technological revolution has changed modern lifestyles. In many ways, this new-age technology has ushered in a new era of convenience, simplifying what were once complicated tasks.

And while hardly anyone completely rejects the benefits modern technology has brought, some have urged that people use caution before completely embracing them.

And now studies are starting to back that up.

That’s right — your grandma’s idea that technology could be impairing the development of important skills is actually right.

At least, that is, in some cases. Below, we look at eight ways that technology may actually be hurting us. As we’ll see, the far-reaching downsides to technology use have impaired the development of some of our most-basic, fundamental skills, and abilities.

1. Hurts Sense of Direction

The invention of the GPS has made finally taking that road trip easier than ever before. And with GPS technology becoming more advanced — meaning that the device hardly ever steers you unwittingly into oncoming traffic anymore — millions of individuals are starting to trust it.

Perhaps even more beneficial to the GPS boom was the development of apps such as Google Maps that provide directions straight from the phone. This eliminated the need for buying expensive GPS devices that could easily be lost or stolen.

However, studies now show that the ubiquitous GPS could actually be making drivers dumber. Take, for example, this study done by University College London.

In this study, researchers found that the use of GPS systems actually reduces important brain activity while driving. According to researchers, this brain activity rests in the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus — areas of the brain that are responsible for helping drivers conceptualize new routes.

Because GPS devices remove the need for such simulations, humans no longer exercise these important areas of the brain while driving.

This suggests that GPS devices, though convenient, weaken our ability to contemplate new routes or conduct important analyses — deciding which route will be quicker, for example.

2. Impairs Social Skills

Technology has long been blamed for a decline in social skills, but how much of this is true?

Authors such as Michael Bugeja in his newly released book entitled Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Era argue that new forms of virtual communication have created “community gaps.” These gaps reduce the ability of children and individuals to develop the important social skills needed to build lasting relationships.

Bugeja takes it one step further and argues that overall feelings of belonging and self-worth have plummeted due to decreasing social skills.

A study published in Computers in Human Behavior in 2009 established a direct correlation between the number of hours spent online and the inability to have face-to-face conversations. To do so, researchers observed the number of hours students spent on their phones and later conducted a study that assessed feelings of anxiety when conducting face-to-face interactions.

Their findings prove important in examining the effects of technology on social skills. Those who spent more time on their phones were found to have more anxiety when speaking to others in person, a trait that can lead to negative consequences and reduced ability later in life.

This suggests that those who wish to better prepare their children for important social functions need to limit the use of technology. Despite children having the ability to make friends online, these social skills do not translate well into the real world — meaning that important interviews, meetings, and other events could trigger anxiety that holds them back.

3. Decreases Physical ActivityPhoto by Thibault Penin on Unsplash

It’s no secret that America has an obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, this epidemic has been indiscriminate in affecting both adults and young children.

Research has since linked the use of smartphones to a decline in overall physical activity. This link reveals that technology has further encouraged many — especially young children — to lead a sedentary lifestyle.

In order to combat this, former US First Lady Michelle Obama created an obesity campaign in order to encourage children and teens to remain more physically active. The goal of the campaign sought to decrease the dependence of children and young teens on technology so as to decrease America’s obesity epidemic.

Still, however, advances in technology increasingly encourage a sedentary lifestyle. From new gaming consoles such as the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4, to the prevalence of social media and phone games, children and young teens have more reason than ever to stay on their phones.

Because of this, they’re more and more unlikely to go outdoors. As we’ve seen, this leads to a loss of important social skills. But that’s not all. By focusing more on indoor activities, youth lose physical skills that lead to a healthier life. Indeed, they often lose the motivation to get educated on what healthy-living skills even are.

For this reason, experts now recommend making sure that technology use by children and young teens becomes limited and part of a more balanced and active lifestyle.

4. Holds Back our AcademicsPhoto by Thibault Penin on Unsplash

In addition to limiting children’s physical skills, technology has been shown to cut down on cognitive development, as well.

The influence of technology on education has been a controversial one, with many schools and institutions now embracing a more techno-savvy approach. And while it must be noted that technology, if used correctly, can aid in one’s education, a misuse and overuse of resources can significantly reduce academic skills.

For instance, the overuse of calculators to perform simple mathematical equations can limit the development of higher-grade math skills.

But it goes even deeper than that. With the increased use of technology in the classroom, studies now have come out and suggested that this application can actually hurt students’ ability to learn.

For example, research from Michigan State University suggests that the use of laptops in the classroom can negatively influence students’ learning abilities. This research showed that technology use by students in the classroom negatively affected students’ attention spans and decreased their ability to focus or think critically about lesson content.

Because of this, educators may now be forced to find better alternatives that enhance students’ understanding, rather than take away from it.

5. Impairs Productivity

As if this weren’t bad enough, recent research suggests that technology may be impairing productivity. In a study that looked at labor participation rates among men aged 21–30, researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that young men who rely more on video games and technology for leisure have witnessed the most precipitous decline in workforce participation.

This correlation suggests significant impacts on our society. With adolescents and young adults turning to addictive technology as a source of leisure, youth are finding it harder to break into — and stay in — the labor force. This suggests that technology, despite its benefits, is making it harder for certain individuals to make a sustainable living.

As leisure becomes less labor-oriented, it’s likely that youth will become even more detached with the demands of the workforce. For this reason, it’s crucial that individuals learn to balance their technology-driven leisure with labor realities.

6. Confounds the Truth

With the proliferation of several “fake news” sites and sources, technology has made it more difficult than ever for individuals to obtain news that is accurate and worthwhile. The phenomena, common on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, makes it easy for scammers and those with a particular agenda to spread misinformation and sway public opinion.

This has called into question the responsibility of online platforms and websites to weed out news that is fake and potentially harmful. With efforts to do so largely ineffective and oftentimes causing more controversy than intended, individuals are faced with a new-age information crisis that doesn’t look to go away any time soon.

Take, for instance, coverage of the 2016 US presidential election. An analysis by Buzzfeed shows that total election coverage by “fake news” sources received nearly twenty times the amount of engagement as traditional news sources. From this example, it’s clear that consumers now lack easy access to reliable information — a phenomena that could have dangerous implications.

With fake news stories becoming more prevalent, partisan distrust and tribalization are only expected to worsen. For this reason, it’s crucial to understand the limitations of technology in promoting accurate news.

Technology places more responsibility on the individual to weed out proper news sources and get to the bottom of high-profile issues. However, most technology users aren’t looking to dig deep. With convenience being the name of the game in online news, it’s likely that “fake news” will continue to play a role in shaping societal opinions and behaviors. Unfortunately, it seems technology has yet to develop a solution to this issue — putting individuals at a disadvantage for the foreseeable future.

7. Hurts Customer Service Abilities

If you’ve ever had a nasty run-in with a business, it’s likely that you’ve already experienced this one first hand. In the modern age, customer service has nearly become a thing of the past. Online and phone representatives have been replaced with digital bots, and automation has forced several in-store workers out of a job.

But what does this mean for us? Simply put, it means that we are losing our personal touch as a society. Consider the following example: you receive a notification in the mail regarding your latest insurance claim. When the price is more than you agreed upon, you decide to take the issue up with your insurance company — and are met with a robot on the other end. Unfortunately, the robot has trouble understanding what you say, and your experience ends up being more trouble than it’s worth. Finally, you decide to just get up and go fifteen miles away to the nearest branch office, wasting your time and money.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of the technology age. Despite calls for technology to augment instead of replace customer service, several businesses have lost the ability to deal with customers in a responsible, consumer-oriented way.

We can also see technology-driven customer service declines in other sectors. Think of your last trip to the grocery store. Did you use self-checkout? If so, not only are you doing the job someone else is paid to do, but you are also missing out on that personal touch that could potentially enhance your shopping experience.

What’s more, it could be argued that the proliferation of technology makes it more difficult for representatives to master the social skills necessary to navigate tricky customer service situations. This results in poor customer service around the board as the desire to engage in customer service — and the empathy to master it — decline across business sectors. For this reason, technology should be considered as a multi-faceted inhibitor of customer service.

8. Decreases Attention SpanPhoto by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash

With recent research from tech giant Microsoft showing that the human attention span has declined to just eight seconds, humans are now finding it harder to stay focused at school or on the job. According to the study, the reason for this decline is largely based on the convenience and streamlined nature of technology.

Really, the evidence is all around us. Twitter, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, requires that their users condense their thoughts into 140-character “tweets.” This means that users have learned how to read and pack information into smaller, more time-efficient blocks.

Popular online videos, referred to as “Vines,” have also streamlined entertainment, with several comedians working with just a few seconds to satisfy their audiences. With both text information and video entertainment becoming shorter, it’s no wonder that users are seeing a significant decline in attention span.

In this way, we can identify a current crisis of the technology revolution: namely, that youth across the globe are suffering from decreased attention spans that make it harder for them to focus on their academics and eventual work.

The Bottom Line

Technology has reshaped the human experience and raised the standard of living across the globe.

Despite this, there are some major consequences to technology use that actually harm us more than helps us. For this reason, it’s important that individuals identify the ways that technology may be holding them back. From impairing social skills to decreasing attention spans, it’s clear that technology has the power to affect us negatively.

Because of this, individuals are advised to use technology responsibly. This means supplementing technology use with more traditional forms of leisure entertainment and making sure to restrict laptop or smartphone use throughout the day.

In doing so, individuals can reap the benefits of technology while cutting back on some of its major consequences. In other words, individuals should keep in mind that technology is an enhancer of the human experience — not a substitute for it.

Technology’s Eight Externalities was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.