With the advent of technology, it has become more and more challenging to live without it. Yet, we rely on gadgets and devices, from entertainment to communication. While technology has many benefits, some adverse effects come with overusing it. This blog post will discuss the adverse effects of too much technology.

Misusing electronic devices can be harmful.

Technology is an integral part of our lives now. Various digital devices and electronic equipment, such as cell phones and computers, have altered how we do different functions in our daily lives. There is no doubt that the pace we do things has become faster and more efficient, and the amount of connectivity we gained from technology is astounding. Many things that were not possible in the past are now possible, such as communicating with someone from another part of the world or gaining the ability to work from home through computers and communication and messaging applications.

Indeed, technological advances have brought many wonders to our lives. However, it also brings several adverse effects if we don't use technology appropriately. It is up to us to control how much we use technology; a lack of control in using them results in any of the following things happening.

1. Health issues

Our physical and mental health can take a toll through uncontrolled media and technology use. As a result, any of the following things can occur:

• Sleeping issues can happen when we have too much screen time on our mobile phones or computers before sleep.
• When we use our devices, we usually lean forward or put our heads down to stare at the screen. However, extended time doing these can result in poor posture and strain on our necks and backs.
• Spending too much time on the Internet and social media can lead to mental health issues like depression due to seeing many things that can make us feel inadequate and stressed, such as seeing what other people post or getting exposed to too much negative information through the news and other sensitive content.
• Technology addiction can have someone to lead a sedentary life, meaning that they spend more time using their computer and mobile devices and staying at home, and not having a physically active lifestyle. This way of life can have a negative impact on our bodies, such as obesity, and may cause us to develop illnesses later.
• Prolonged use of digital technology and excessive screen time can lead to feeling digital eye strain which can make our vision blurry and cause pains like headaches or stiff neck.

2. Productivity issues and distraction

When one tends to overuse technology, it can lead someone to procrastinate instead of doing work and responsibilities. Addiction to technology and letting it control us turns it into a distraction instead of something that can benefit us and make work more efficient.

3. Communication and relationship problems

Undoubtedly, technology has given us a more remarkable ability to communicate with others through social networking sites or messaging and communication tools. However, it's not meant to replace face-to-face interactions with people in real life. Some of us spend more time on social media and interacting online to the point that we may forget how to properly communicate and interact with people in the real world. It can be challenging to gauge what people mean when they say something online due to the absence of visual cues like body language and the emotions people may be having while speaking to you. Getting used to this kind of communication can hamper our social skills. Also, spending too much time interacting and communicating online may result in neglected relationships with actual people like our family and friends. We may keep using our devices even while talking to them, and they may feel bad about our actions. So even if we spend a lot of time communicating online, we may still feel socially isolated because there may be a lack of depth to establishing relationships only through online communication and not seeing them in real life.

4. Altered pace of living

Integrating various digital tools and electronic equipment altered how we conduct things in our daily lives and the pace we do them. Things have become more efficient and simpler to do. Technological innovations opened new ways of doing things, and we can accomplish them faster. This fast pace of doing things is both a benefit and can be a negative effect. Doing something more quickly means having more time to do other things; however, the time we gain opens up more space for work and responsibilities, making us feel too busy. Rushing in life can make us not notice the important things in our lives and lead to a lack of satisfaction due to always chasing something in the future. We may also get stressed when we do too many things at once and not give ourselves a chance to take a break.

5. Privacy risks

The connectivity brought upon by technology also opened our lives and private matters to the general public. Human beings seem to have been conditioned nowadays that it is okay to share the many actions we do daily and other personal issues in public. What used to be things that we only kept to ourselves and people close to us are now things that anyone can see if we choose to show them to others through social media and the Internet. Various websites also ask for different information from us before we can use their services or gain access to them. All this personal information floating around in cyberspace can now be accessed and seen by anyone depending on how we share it or to whom to trust and give our input. Our private lives can be at risk at the hands of hackers, and organizations can take a peek at our preferences. Ultimately, it's up to us with who to share our info and what we should share.

6. New forms of crime and unruly behavior

With the rise of technology came new forms of committing crimes and doing unruly behavior: in cyberspace. People with ill intentions can hack websites and people's accounts to gain access to information without permission from the respective owners of the websites and accounts. Hacking can lead to theft, such as when credit cards get hacked, and there is also such a thing as identity theft, when somebody poses as you possibly to obtain information or do evil acts under your name. While crimes committed in cyberspace may not be as severe as those in real life, they can still be damaging enough, especially to one's reputation and finances.

The online space is also not too regulated; as such, all sorts of sensitive and graphic content can be accessed by anyone. Excessive digital media use can expose someone to such content, and it is hazardous if children use gadgets without proper parental supervision. Young people may get exposed to content they are not supposed to understand and see yet, which may lead to developing dangerous ideas and behaviors later. Even young adults and adults may get some radical ideas from seeing information and content that doesn't necessarily follow our values and interests.

Use digital devices responsibly.

Technology is here to stay, and whether we like it or not, we must adapt to using it and integrate them to a certain degree to do our daily tasks, such as work and responsibilities. These things aid in making our jobs more efficient and accessible, and that is if we use them responsibly. But, on the other hand, the negative effects of technology will appear if we get addicted too much to using them and letting them take over our lives. We will dictate whether technology becomes a benefit or a hindrance depending on how we use them. When we use them properly, life can become easier and more enjoyable, which is what we should strive for when utilizing them.