Technology has had an immense impact on how humans live their lives in the contemporary world. It has made communication far easier than anybody in the past could imagine. Once upon a time, a person would have to leave the comfort of their homes, go to the telephone booth and spend money to talk to their loved ones. The same activity can now be done near-instantaneous while sitting on the couch. Instant messaging and e-mail are ubiquitous nowadays making communication extremely convenient. The internet has also improved other facets of everyday life such as booking tickets in advance, accessing educational information, consuming entertainment, looking up medical information, et cetera.

While society reaps the benefit of the wonderful progress in technology, everyone should stop to think about how it might also be impacting them adversely. Social media has increased communication speeds but studies have shown how consuming a lot of information in a short time can negatively impact someone’s worldview. It could be anything from constantly being exposed to negative news or getting envious of people on social media which can cause low self-esteem and depression. An activity known as doomscrolling, in which a young person constantly scrolls the news feed of their social media page, is becoming increasingly prevalent. This can cause further alienation and feelings of despair as the brain constantly looks for the next dopamine fix.

What might be the solution to this negative impact that technology can have on humans? One of the ways someone can reduce this is by restricting the amount of unnecessary time one spends on social media. Having an interest or hobby which is non-virtual and encourages real-life socialization also helps a lot. Trying to reach out to people who seem disconnected from reality or are unexpectedly reserved can give them reassurance as well. Hence, there are multiple ways to reduce the negative effects of technology which everyone should be mindful of.