We all know the many benefits of hi-tech and social media. But the technologies we use on a daily basis can subtly change our habits and character for the worse. Here top 7 negative effects of modern technologies.
7. Echo chamber effect
Usually social media is a useful tool for resolving conflicts between different points of view. But it also happens in another way. For example, Facebook's algorithms often lead users to believe that everything is aligned with their interests and point of view.
As a result, social media users are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone to find opinions other than their own. The situation where certain ideas and beliefs are spread in a closed environment, the addressees of which agree with each other and listen to themselves, is called the echo chamber effect.
6. Technology and obesity
The sixth number in the rating is one of the most unpleasant consequences of the widespread introduction of smartphones, game consoles, tablets and televisions. Employees of the Milken Institute (USA) studied the growth of obesity in the population of 27 countries and came up with amazing statistics: for every 10% of investments that a country invests in the development of technological devices, there is a 1% increase in the weight of citizens. A sedentary lifestyle does not benefit the figure. Apparently worth investing in popularization the best diets of our time: beneficial to health and shape.
5. Influence on attention
Using detailed examinations and brain encephalograms, Canadian researchers, funded by Microsoft, studied the concentration of more than 2,000 people. The measurements were carried out twice: in 2000 and in 2015.
Measurement summary: the average attention span has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds over 15 years. At the same time, there is an increase in the ability to work effectively in multitasking mode. However, eight seconds is less than a goldfish's attention span.
4. Problems with patience
How long will the average viewer wait for a video to load? The answer from scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst: two seconds.
In reality, things are similar. More large retailers offer day-to-order delivery, and mobile apps to reduce restaurant or taxi wait times are breaking records for popularity. People need instant satisfaction of their requests, otherwise - irritation, annoyance and other unpleasant emotions.
3. GPS affects brain function
Excessive fascination with GPS over the years can damage long-term memory. The hippocampus, the region of the brain that controls the transition of short-term memory to long-term memory, is also associated with spatial navigation. Researchers at McGill University found higher physical gray matter volume and increased activity in the hippocampus in subjects relying on spatial rather than GPS navigation.
According to one of the neuroscientists participating in the study, the constant reliance on GPS can lead to an accelerated onset of dementia.
2. More technology, less creative thinking
Scientists from Johns Hopkins and Illinois Universities have studied the impact of an abundance of technical and information resources on creativity. It turned out that rich resources actually lead to impoverishment of creative thought. And with fewer resources required to achieve the desired result, a person has to make more creative decisions.
1. Text messages are bad for communication
# 1 on the list of the most unpleasant consequences modern technologies there is a problem that is relevant for the younger generation.
New research shows that texting can slowly rob us of our ability to read emotional cues from other people. Such non-verbal, visual cues are an essential component for the success of any dialogue.
Most adults entered the mobile era with their social skills already in place. However, children and adolescents may face limitations in their ability to conduct face-to-face conversations.