The Consequences Of Technology: The Effects Of Social Media And Social Isolation

Technology is everywhere. You can find it all around you from your clothing to your camera. As technology evolves, more people laud technology as an answer to a problem. These technological advances appear to be allowing people to lead happier lives, but what if that weren’t the case? In Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” and “The Pedestrian”, the excessive technology use led to a serious decrease in human interaction. In “The Veldt”, the children care more for technology than friends. When their parents told them they were moving they were more upset about the lack of technology than leaving their friends (The Veldt). “The Pedestrian” showcases a society of people who care more about their ‘viewing screens’ than a walk outside (The Pedestrian). As you can see from Bradbury’s works, technology causes an unhealthy decrease in interaction between people. In this digital age, people seem to be using social media now more than ever, but despite its name, social media is anything but

The lack of meaningful conversation in a person’s life is unhealthy and can place a person at risk of Perceived Social Isolation (PSI). Much like the name suggests, Perceived Social Isolation is when a person believes they are alone or have feelings of loneliness. This may not sound like much of a big deal, but PSI can have serious health risks and can be exacerbated by the overuse of technology (Bergland). Some health risks include increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, various genetic effects, depression, suicidal thoughts, cognitive deficits, dementia, less restful sleep, as well as fatigue (The Pathophysiology of Perceived Social Isolation). Researchers have found that people who use social media for more than two hours a day had seen an increased risk for PSI double that of more casual social media users (Bergland). PSI is an unwelcome effect of technology that can be harmful to people’s