The Price of Technology Dependency

For 40 years, technology, especially the internet, has made life simpler and more efficient. Technology has made entertainment and communication easier and more accessible.  Every new development starting in the 1980s was more remarkable and addicting than the last. What impact has technology had on society since then? Experts foresaw that society would slowly develop an addiction-like dependency on technology. 

In an interview with “The New York Times,” Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist and author of Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-personality, said that life today resembles chat rooms and that we are paying a cognitive price for this virtual way of life. Many people now have a technology dependency. 

A study conducted by Internet Addiction Facts and Statistics found that 52% of Americans use mobile devices to access the internet. Through this daily use, 6% and 18.5% of American adults suffer from technology dependency.  

Technology dependency has also created new phobias. One is nomophobia, no more phone phobia, the fear of being without or not having access to a phone. According to a 2013 article in Psychology Today, 73% of Americans panic when they cannot find their phones.

In a 2021 study of Americans aged 18 to 35, 21% had severe nomophobia, and 14% had clinical insomnia. Some people are also addicted to other technology.

In 1982, CBS Evening News aired a segment on video game addiction because children were getting addicted to and becoming dependent on technology for entertainment. Professor Robert Gable said that video games are not as addictive as drugs and do not cause withdrawal symptoms. But players can still become physically dependent on them.

Our technology dependency has also affected certain businesses. For example, Bend, ORE., is home to the only remaining Blockbuster video store in the United States. Families visited the video-rental stores in the 1990s and early 2000s to rent DVDs, VHS movies, and video games for all consoles.

 Stores like Blockbuster went out of business because of the growth of the internet and streaming digital media. Digital media companies like Netflix have contributed to this dependency by making it easier for clients to watch movies from their homes or smart devices, so they do not have to go to a store to rent or buy them.

Meanwhile, in April 2018, Computer Security Professional Dave Farquhar said of the 1980s: “I can’t think of another decade that was so obsessed with technology.” There was high interest in technology, which made some worry about dependency, especially with the rise of home computers,  Nintendo Entertainment System, VCRs, and cell phones.

Technology dependency reached a different level with the introduction of online chat rooms and texting, followed by the debut of MySpace, which Facebook later replaced. The expansion of social media has made it one of the critical methods of communication, and consumers rely on social media applications to meet new people through their digital devices.

The Internet of Things (IoT) comprises all internet-connected devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and even pet-tracking devices. These technologies have facilitated our communication, and R. Shambare claimed that cellphone use is “possibly the biggest non-drug addiction of the 21st century”. 

News outlets such as Pew Research, verywell mind, and the BBC have warned society about the impending technological dependence. The warnings have exploded worldwide like a tsunami siren. People have opted for technology above human interaction.

Past decades witnessed the initial formation of the technological future and still had enough time to enjoy regular human interaction at the beginning of the end. The current generation, sadly, was born into it. 

“I believe with the advances in technology, we have become increasingly dependent on technology because it is a useful resource that helps us daily,” Senior UTRGV student Yarexy Gutierrez said. “I believe that as time has progressed, it is not our fault that we are so dependent on technology. It has to do with time changing and adapting to technology usage. Lack of interaction traces back to how technology has accommodated and facilitated how people communicate. Technology addiction falls back on the individual’s psychological state, leading them to become technology dependent.”

Karina Hernandez, a Junior UTRGV student, said, “Technology has improved my life. It allows me to work and study online. It might be wrong since we no longer socialize. 

The growth of social media has both benefits and drawbacks. It enables speedier social interaction and the creation of an unlimited number of social groups. However, social media offers no face-to-face interaction. 

Social life and technology dependency can not coexist. Society craves a simpler, more efficient way of life and is willing to pay the monetary and emotional price.

It became increasingly evident during the week of Valentine’s Day in 2021 when the Texas Winter Storm showcased society’s dependence on technology. The state’s energy infrastructure failed, and modern technology became useless. It left millions without electricity and over 100 dead. 

Technology in the past decades was not as advanced as now. They were still simpler times, and people were more social and less dependent on technology. Ultimately, society chooses to spend its time and money how it sees fit without considering the price tag.

Dependence on technology comes with a cost beyond money: it costs freedom to engage with one another and independence. It raises the question of how much technology will affect society over the next four decades.