Technology is an amazing thing. It has been designed to make a variety of aspects of our lives easier. Whether that is shopping, playing games or perhaps communicating with friends, the latest technology has a huge impact on the way we live.
What we may not realise is that technology can also have some negative side effects on our behaviour as people.
But how? And what are these negative side effects on human behaviour caused by technology.
Decrease physical activity
Obesity is becoming a massive medical issue in some parts of the world. Whilst it isn't entirely the fault of technology alone, it has a huge part to play in the issue.
The main reason for this is the more that we use technology, the less likely we have to be active. Being sedentary is a definite risk factor for weight gain, and technology is the ultimate temptation to make us not want to get up and about.
Games such as Pokemon Go has been used to try to bring together the world of technology and physical activity and had a great amount of impact, however it may take some new varieties of this type of game to keep people up and about.
We socialise less
How often do you see people staring down at their phones? This could be on the daily commute, whilst walking along or even worse, whilst sat with friends.
Technology may have brought us social media, but it stopped us being quite so social. We are now less likely to strike up conversations whilst out and about, spend more time with our eyes on our screen rather than looking around us, and we are simply cutting ourselves off from the world around us.
It brings out the worst in us
There are bad people in the world, this is a fact we are all aware of. However, up until the creation of the internet it seemed that these people were few and far between.
The anonymity of the internet (or at least the perception that is anonymous) has led to the very worst in all of us coming out. Cyber-bulling, trolling even much darker behaviours than this, all of these are only possible thanks to technology.
It isn't just the lack of accountability for our actions. Gaming and internet usage has also been linked to low mood and frustration, particularly in children. Which just goes to show that perhaps it is something that should be cut down on.
We know that technology is here to stay, and we are definitely not saying that it shouldn't be used. However, we believe that technology is something that should be enjoyed and indulged in, not something that should form a part of everyday life.
So, rather than starting at your smartphone screen, why not take it outside and see what amazing things you can see? You might just feel better for getting out and about.