Communication technology has evolved to become a critical part of human life today. By creating new and innovative modes of communication, people can talk over long distances. Such connections have played an important role in developing the world, with a majority of human beings benefiting from them. Communication technology revolutionized the perceptions of individuals with all types of information available instantly to the user through the Internet and social media. More so, globalization has led to the creation of companies solely dedicated to creating systems aimed at enhancing interaction with information and people. However, despite their benefits, these technologies come with united consequences for their users. Twenge (2017) and Carr (2008) identify the adverse effects of these technologies, especially with regard to their ability to diminish an individual’s mental capacity.
They further provide information on the significant effect of social media and the Internet in reducing cognitive capabilities and increasing mental health disorders. Therefore, while communication technologies create networks crucial for human interactions, Twenge (2017) and Carr (2008) believe that they have extensively degraded the intellectual abilities of human beings that are critical for optimal functioning.
Communication technologies such as social media have caused a negative shift in the behavior and emotions of younger people. The introduction of smartphones provided portable Internet on smaller devices with a significant portion of the population currently getting access through them. Consequently, younger generations are exposed to higher ‘screen time’ compared to previous ones. The onset of social media further caused an increased shift in the number of young people using the Internet for a greater portion of their days. As a result, the ability of content on such platforms to influence individual behavior increases.
Twenge (2017) states that “the arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health” (para. 8). This shows the extent to which young people depend on the Internet to maintain social contact with their peers. With more people opting to interact online, the aspect of socialization reduces, making it difficult for such individuals to maintain relationships outside of social media. Such dependency, thus, creates a change in behavior due to the reduction in time people spend in the actual world.
Social media and the Internet at large continue to affect the mental health of young generations when compared to older ones. With a significantly higher rate of depression among teenagers, communication technology is considered to make them unhappy with their lives (Twenge, 2017). More young people engage with content on the Internet that would affect their overall well-being, including instances of bullying and shaming. As a result, the increase in activities relating to mental health issues ultimately leads to cases of depression and isolation. Twenge (2017) highlights the significantly higher suicide rates ever seen in this generation due to their psychological vulnerabilities.
Enduring long hours of online forms of harassment such as body-shaming is likely to lead to long-term effects, especially for individuals unable to appropriately socialize with others. In these cases, a young person would opt to commit suicide instead of seeking help from adults. Ultimately, the Internet continues to cause mental health problems in younger people who form a significant portion of the world’s population. As they grow up, these problems will compound, causing a crisis in the lives of these younger and upcoming generations.
Additionally, more people depend on the Internet as a source of information globally due to the ability to quickly retrieve it from a Google search. Carr (2008) explains the negative impact of communication technology companies, such as Google, on human intellectual capabilities. With reaction speeds on the Internet growing faster, more people opt to search for information online as opposed to the use of traditional media, such as newspapers and television. Furthermore, individuals rarely read items on the Internet thoroughly but rather skim through each message passing across the screen. Carr (2008) argues that “the last thing these companies want is to encourage leisurely reading or slow, concentrated thought.
It’s in their economic interest to drive us to distraction” (para. 30). Consequently, such actions by communication technology companies indicate that people no longer need the capabilities to store information for long-term use since it can easily be retrieved online. The declining mental capacity of human beings poses a significant risk to their overall capabilities in the long run. This is because, with reduced training, the mind loses its ability to quickly respond to stimuli when performing activities such as reading.
Moreover, the development of new algorithms by companies such as Google that provide better suggestions to their users aims to increase the time spent on screens. With more people glued to their smartphones, Internet companies can commercialize the information collected from constant monitoring of a user’s behavior. Therefore, these companies hope to achieve a supplement for the human brain that can perform all the difficult and monotonous tasks (Carr, 2008).
This thinking proposes a limited function for the brain, thus prone to limiting the cognitive capabilities of the human brain in the future. With the functions of the brain undertaken by technology such as Google, people will spend less energy and time performing tasks such as reading. Consequently, the ability to internalize and critically evaluate ideas from content reduces affecting the intellectual abilities of people. In the long run, the harmful effects of exposure to social media and the Internet will directly affect the mental health of current and future generations. This means that more people will be unable to spend time reading and understanding materials reducing their higher-level intellectual abilities.
It has become evident that while communication technology created critical networks that supported human interactions, it continues to extensively degrade the intellectual capabilities of human beings critical for optimal functioning. Twenge (2017) and Carr (2008) believe that the continued exposure to the internet and social media over long periods poses a risk to human beings. With younger generations exposed to the Internet at the early stages of their lives, there is an increased shift in the number of young people using the Internet for a greater portion of their days. This reliance on communication technology ultimately leads to the development of mental health challenges, such as depression in teenagers.
Apart from that, quick reactions from Internet search sites, such as Google, increase people’s need to search for information online instead of using traditional media. In the long term, human beings will no longer have the capabilities to store information since it can easily be retrieved online. Communication technology has, thus, proven to cause more damage to the functioning of the human brain with regard to individual capabilities and capacity.
References
Carr, N. (2008). Is Google making us stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains. The Atlantic. Web.
Twenge, J. M. (2017). Have smartphones destroyed a generation? The Atlantic. Web.