written and photographed by RACHEL WALLER Across the globe, the presence of technology in everyday life has increased tremendously. With this, our modern culture has become more efficient, productive, and connected. However, one cannot deny that these benefits have come at great costs. Every day, technology changes how modern society prioritizes, communicates, and thinks, both socially and psychologically. There are many negative effects to these changes, including addiction and depression, as well as one of the most notable consequences: anonymity. There are no other social forums besides the internet where one can completely hide their own identity. Though there are some advantages to this, more often than not, once someone’s name is stripped from their communication, a person who is normally polite and proper can become quite slanderous.1 From comment sections on news articles, videos, and blogs, it is easy to see how human morals can degrade when an identity is hidden from scrutiny. Threats and bullying have become common, if not expected,
on the internet, and few sites have chosen to control anonymous communication and the slander that often occur. Being on the receiving end of these negative comments has led to depression and suicide for many. A culture that overlooks bullying simply because it is not punishable does not show the progress of our modern age; combatting these effects of technology is a multifaceted issue.
This particular brand of loneliness has been labeled Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO. The combination of social media and FOMO takes advantage of the human need to be included. For an individual that already suffers from depression, FOMO can only make them feel worse.2 Depression is a serious side effect for some Internet users, but not all users can simply remove themselves from these situations.
You might think that being constantly connected to other humans through technology can reduce loneliness. It’s logical to assume that with cell phones it’s easy to reach someone, thereby increasing our interactions and decreasing loneliness— but it is not so.
Addiction to the internet has recently become a documented psychiatric disorder in China, Korea, and Taiwan, with “as many as 30 percent of teens being considered internet-addicted.”3 The American Psychiatric Association flagged internet addiction as a problem, which is the first step to it becoming a disorder.
Technology has added to an extraordinary decline in the quality of human interaction; many individuals are left spending the majority of their time with only their devices. It has been proven that people turn to social media when they are lonely, only to sink deeper once they see themselves excluded from others through pictures and posts.
These claims may seem ostentatious, but there is evidence that concludes how heavy Internet users can feel withdrawals in their brain that are chemically similar to drug users.4 Even if someone is not diagnosed with an actual disorder, many can relate to their habits being altered from the need to constantly check their messages,
social media sites, and blogs. Almost 90 percent of college undergraduate students claim to have felt phantom vibrations from their cell phones. Though technology has improved modern‑day life in many ways, we must find a balance between reality and our digital lives. Short breaks of just an hour a day away from our personal devices can bring the correct perspective back to everyday life for those who struggle severely. As a whole, technology and its great presence can do more harm than good. − 1 David Davenport, “Anonymity on the Internet: Why the Price May Be Too High,” Communications of the ACM Commune, ACM, 2002, 33. 2 Kristi Hedges, “Do You Have FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out?” Forbes, March 27, 2014. 3 Maia Szalavitz, “Does the Internet Really Make Everyone Crazy?” Time. July 13, 2012. 4 Ollie John, “Study: Internet Addicts Suffer Withdrawal Symptoms Like Drug Users,” Time, February 19, 2013.
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