Human vs. Computers

    It is safe to say that electronics have changed the world. We have phones that can access the world wide web, computers that we can take wherever we go, and TVs that can access a plethora of shows. Electronics has made it convenient for everyone to get access to the resources people need. In addition, it provides jobs for millions of workers. Companies such as Microsoft and Apple are huge technology industries that provide jobs for millions of workers. Even though it does provide jobs, there are many negative aspects of electronics that make people rethink their thoughts about electronics. Although electronics have been a great way for entertainment and communication, technology such as TV and computers can affect social and personal (human) communication. In addition, COVID-19 adds additional risks to your brain as screen-time has increased during quarantine. 

With COVID-19 being a huge part of this year, a lot of people have navigated to electronics as a way of entertainment as they are quarantined in their houses. While it is great to take a break and go on your phone or TV for a while, there are long-term effects that your body could go through if you are constantly looking at a screen. Ophthalmologists have investigated these long-term effects by getting kids to take surveys about their online experiences. In a study involving 576 school-age children between 11 and 17 years old, 18 percent experienced eyestrain at the end of the day after working on digital devices (Review of Ophthalmology). This experience is an effect called Asthenopia. Due to COVID, many kids have had to transition to online learning in order to attend school safely; however, staring at a screen for hours is simply not good for one’s brain. No matter how old you are, being on your electronic devices for a long period of time is extremely bad for your eyes which affects how your brain acts as well. In addition, many kids have been quarantined which means that they will be watching a lot of TV, Netflix, and other service providers. Another effect that many kids have experienced during COVID is Myopia.  5074 children in Rotterdam found an association between increased computer use and myopia at 9 years of age (PMC). According to PMC, being outdoors is the best way to get rid of Myopia; however, quarantine has restricted many kids’ abilities to go outside which makes the effects of Myopia worse over time. Myopia has been instilled in many kids around the world and will continue to raid kids as they continue to attend school online. With the added effects of quarantine, it simply puts more stress on their eyes which will have an effect on them in the long run. Because kids have such a high exposure to electronics, their brain growth will continue to slowly decrease which we will see as the next generation emerges in the workforce.  

TV has been a huge part of everyone’s lives; however, there are some negative effects that it poses. These negative effects have been harmful to lots of people in the United States; however, children are the ones who are the most affected. Teens can be exposed to programming that is not appropriate for their ages. Adult themes of sex and violence are far too easily accessed and they destroy the innocence of children (online-sciences - image 1). Because of this easy access, teens will often imitate this behavior in real life as exposure to violent programs makes them almost “immune” to violence and increases their tolerance for violence in society. On the other side of the spectrum, there are some teens who more sensitive towards violence and that might affect their social skills. Because of the violence they see on a TV program, they feel like people in society are going to try and harm them which can lead to depression and poor social interactions with humans. This mentality lowers teens’ social skills which can be extremely detrimental to the next generation. Even though there are negative effects concerning TV, there are also positive aspects to consider. Steven Johnson writes a book about how TV has actually benefited society. Despite the critics, Johnson talks about how TV shows allow us to think critically and analyze situations (Johnson). He compares shows that were popular in the older years and shows that are popular now. The show “Hill Street'' was considered too complex for its viewers; however, The Sopranos utilizes the same theme as Hill Street and is now considered a popular show (Johnson). This analysis by Johnson shows that human intelligence has increased through these shows which makes us think critically. Because of the cognitive exercise that TV shows provide, Johnson provides a valid argument that TV has actually made us smarter in a way. 

While Johnson’s perspective had validity, there are still some flaws that can refute this point. Nicholas Carr wrote an article explaining how the internet has become our primary source of information which deters our ability to read books and longer pieces of work (UMASS). He then talks about the internet is focused on making other people money and degrading the minds of millions of people (UMASS - Image 2). This refutes Johnson’s point as Carr deciphers the internet and Google in order to explain that Google is degrading our minds. Because we depend on the internet to instantly pop up a result we look up, it decreases our attention-span which does not make us smarter at the end of the day. In addition, the internet is an addicting source that causes people to focus on their appearance rather than aspects of their lives that are important to them (BBVAopenmind). This method of manipulation is unhealthy for the victim because not only do they look at their screen at a higher rate, they will feel like someone will continue to judge them in the real world. 

While electronics have been apart of everyone’s lives, it is clear that an excessive amount of electronics has been detrimental to the brain growth of many children across the world. Due to the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in screen time which has resulted in negative side effects. Teens and young adults must understand the consequences of being on their phones/computers for an excessive period of time in order to monitor their personal growth. 

Image 1: Source: Harvard. Although this is not a TV perspective, it still shows that the themes of violence are easily accessible to kids and teens

Image 2: Source: CNBC. This shows the growth of Google. This correlates with the point made by Carr as Google’s search engine is made to make people money while making people less intelligent. 

Link to original document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jz9FtheOeX6NZzXOO-cToMljToG3cXVKTsXo3UAYPB8/edit