How much does technology mess with your physical health?
Technology has transformed life in a myriad of ways, changing the ways we work, live and relax. It has benefited society in many ways such as advancing education, entertainment, communication and health, allowing us to surpass the dreams of the generations before us.
Our world today is experiencing rapid growth which is being driven by new technology. These technological advances continue to possess vast potential and benefits; however, these new developments also bring world changing implications. Technology is now transforming and creating physical, social and cultural behaviours all over the world. The more technology continues to develop, the bigger influence it has on the world that surrounds it and the people in it.
One of the biggest implications that the increase of modern technology has had on the world comes in the form of its impact on physical health.
Technology has been proven to have a large impact on people’s physical health. Spending large amounts of a day glued to a screen can result in a magnitude of physical health problems. With the increasing everyday use of technology, the risks have never been greater.
Physical Inactivity
The development of technology has created great benefits to populations over the world, reducing physical hardships and increasing worker productivity, however this has had grave implications on the physical body. Without physical activity the human body cannot function in its optimal way leading to a diaspora of health problems.
Second to smoking, physical inactivity is the second highest cause of preventable death in the world . There has been an increasing amount of research linking digital technology to a lack of physical activity, with children and adolescents all over the world spending large amounts of time in front of screens. A study conducted in Australia using 2,200 children between the ages of 9 to 16 discovered a positive correlation between a child being overweight and the amount of time they spend in front of a screen.
The Impacts of Technology on the body- My neck, my back, my shoulders have hurt since Sat
Another implication technology has on the body comes in the form of physical strain on users bodies. Many studies have found that prolonged use of mobile phones has had detrimental effects on people’s upper body, specifically the neck and back. Health experts such as Dr. Robert Bolash have suggested that the constant hunching over smartphones and screens have led to muscle pain in the neck and shoulders of teens and adolescents, terming the condition ‘text neck’.
A scientific study conducted by Paula Hakala has shown that the use of mobile phones and computer related activities have increased the incidences of neck-shoulder and lower back pain. Hakala’s study also found that the risk of neck shoulder pain increased when computers were used 2–3 hours a day or more, and lower back when computers were used for over 5 hours a day. She states that the increase of technology and the activities it creates pose a new health risk for the younger generations.
I spy with my two eyes something beginning with S…
Another one of the biggest concerns associated with the development of technology is the Strain it causes on our eyes. The increasing digitisation of common daily tasks, e.g. daily use of laptops when studying and constant use of phones means that our time spent staring at screens has skyrocketed in recent years. With this increase in digital technology the reporting of physical discomfort after staring at screens for long periods of time has increased. The vision council have found that 60.5 percent of Americans who use digital devices for more than 2 hours a day have reported eye strain.
Things are looking app
Technology has been proven to lead to many health problems but recent times have seen society integrate technology as an aid to healthy lifestyles and improving fitness.
In this digital age maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult, but a large increase in fitness and health related apps have made increasing physical activity and leading a healthy lifestyle easier than ever before, as you can carry them around in your pocket.
Fitness apps help people easily track and visualise their progress. They also allow easy access to workouts allowing for increased freedom when choosing when and where you want to work out. Helping boost user motivation is also a key feature of fitness apps, creating online and local communities allowing people to compete with friends and family and watching each other progress. Some apps also feature integration with social media, allowing people to share their achievements with friends on social media.
Strava — the Social Network for athletes
One such app that allows the sharing of activity is Strava. Available for free from the app store, Strava allows users to track their athletic activity using the satellite navigation in their phones, and then upload and share activities with their friends and local community. You can share your routes with a large community of users, allowing people to ask others for advice, congratulate them on their efforts and compete along the same routes offering virtual bragging rights through earning jerseys.
Interactive video games
Interactive video games are also proving to provide benefits to an active and healthy lifestyle while still appealing to the digital society. Research has shown that games such as Wii sports and Wii fit are increasing energy expenditure leading to health benefits. Many leisure centres and schools are now offering these interactive games as a means of encouraging young people to exercise. They offer an easy access to interesting sports, requiring little training or equipment, providing access to activities at any time during the day or in any weather and even serve as a transition into the sport.
I believe that too much of anything can be dangerous. Research has shown that the increased use of technology has had detrimental effects on the health and well being of populations when overused, but it also offers many positive uses, through applications and games for example. So, it seems that through technology, fitness is made enjoyable and easily accessible.
In recent years, technology has been the solution to many of the world’s problems, including the problems that it has helped to create. Technology has the potential to add so much to our lives, especially if used in moderation.
Reflection
As someone that has always had an interest in technology, ‘The Digital Society’ caught my eye immediately. Having a history as a keen sportsman and video game enthusiast, my relationship with technology has always been one that has benefitted my interests. From consoles to movies and even sport technology such as heartrate monitors, I had only seen the positive side of technology. However, this module led me to think critically about technology, where from the first lecture I was encouraged to look at the effect of technology on society and the world.
My course, Biology with Science and Society, led me to think of the ethical implications that science has on the world that surrounds it, however when it came to technology — which has always formed a routine part of my life — I was puzzled. Before this course I had only seen technology as a wonder of mankind, but it didn’t take me long to realise that technology simultaneously holds negative implications for many people in the world.
In the class titled ‘The Individual’, I began to think about my own digital presence and the way it may affect me. It made me realise that, in an increasingly digitalised world, our online presence has the ability to impact our lives in a large variety of ways. I had possessed a prior understanding that our online profiles can impact our job applications as they could be looked at by some employers, but I had no idea how much information my online presence revealed about my actual persons. After completing the Wolfram Alpha Survey (Link), I was shocked by the amount of sensitive information that was available about me online and immediately changed some of my profile privacy and information settings.
This course also led me to read an article on surveillance in the United Kingdom. Before taking this course, I was unaware that the UK was one of the world’s highest states of surveillance. After discovering this, I felt shocked and scared. Firstly, by the fact that the UK authorities are allowed to hack individuals and whole town’s technology if deemed necessary, but secondly by the fact that the bill that allowed this was even passed. This also inspired me to pay more attention to the news, and by using my twitter feed as a news source as well as a social media account, I now have an easy integrated access to important news in a digitalised world.
This course has also provided me with essential real-life skills which will benefit me after university and enhance my future employability. I plan on going into science media and writing, and this course has gifted me an understanding of the world of copyright. Before this class, I had no idea what copyright really was, to me it was something for lawyers to fight over in court — I never expected it to have an effect on my life. However, I learnt the issues created from sourcing photos and other information, how to find images that I am able to use in my work and how to attribute work correctly to the right authors. This knowledge is going to be extremely valuable to me heading down my career path as I will need to know how to correctly attribute sources and pictures.
