Disadvantages of Technology: Reasons to Use It Wisely

disadvantages of technology

Technology has now touched every facet of our lives and has led to a significant change in our lifestyle. It has made our lives easier by allowing us to order food, groceries, and other deliverables to our homes. Technology has enabled us to book tickets directly from our home and travel to any destination around the world. You can even by tickets for local theaters and local transports by using technology. Technology has given rise to several new business models. Some of these include cab sharing, online food delivery, online delivery of medicines, and so on. However, there are several disadvantages of technology that one must keep in mind while assessing their impact on our lives.

Disadvantages of technology

Technology is here to stay and even the most archaic domains of life are now being taken over by technology. It is important to understand the disadvantages of technology so that they can be brought down to non-problematic levels. Innovation is key to ensuring that positive aspects of technology can be enhanced while the negative ones are reduced.

Most of the disadvantages of technology revolve around privacy concerns and security issues. This is an important point that you must keep in mind to fully grasp the problems revolving around technology. Thus, technology in itself has no negative aspects. Rather, the lackluster implementation of security features is the main reason behind the disadvantages of technology. Another common problem is the lack of self-control in today’s youth when it comes to using technology. This is a behavioral problem but unfortunately, technology has to bear the blame.

Issues with Data Security

A large amount of data is generated when you browse the web or perform tasks using the internet. A lot of the information generated while performing such activities can be personal in nature. This is information that you may not want to share with anyone. However, more and more websites and applications these days are tracking your online presence and storing bits of data. They use this information and data to personalize your experience and show you relevant ads. While this provides you with a better user experience, this information may readily fall into the wrong hands.

Moreover, a lot of times you don’t have much control over which websites or applications have access to your data. Thus, your personal data remains vulnerable unless you are aware and you put in place robust security measures. Data security has been and will continue to be one of the major disadvantages of technology.

Privacy concerns due to technology

A major chunk of the disadvantages of technology revolves around the privacy concerns regarding people’s data. When you visit websites or download applications, the terms and conditions are such that your data isn’t yours anymore. Your data can then be used to make your user experience better. But it can also be sold to other entities without your consent. Moreover, there are no metrics to measure how much of your personal data is exposed to third-party applications and websites.

These privacy concerns need to be tackled in a comprehensive way in order to ensure that technology is safe for everyone to use. Leaking some private data may even give rise to heinous cybercrimes which will reduce the credibility of using technology.

Hectic Work Load

One of the major disadvantages of technology is that professionals need to put in an increased number of working hours. Earlier, when you left the office, your workday was over. You were free to spend the remainder of the day as you please. However, now you need to be available over email or over a call even after your working hours are over. This means that you are spending even your free time doing office work. None of the extra hours that you are putting in are being clocked. You are working in your free time and not even being paid or acknowledged for it.

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This hectic lifestyle is one of the major disadvantages of technology in society. Being available on call or email even after working hours reduces the amount of time you get to unwind. More and more professionals now suffer from a poor work-life balance due to this way of working.

Addiction and Dependency

One of the major disadvantages of technology in human life is that it has the tendency to cause addiction and dependency, especially among today’s youth. A lot of children and teenagers these days are spending more and more time watching TV or using mobile phones. Children these days are getting addicted to using mobile phones at a young age. Moreover, the ubiquitous presence of free online games has led to severe gaming addictions in school going children and college going teens alike.

Many people also become dependent on technology to get things done to the extent that they can no longer do it themselves. This dependency leaves people handicapped in case they suddenly lose their access to technology. A good example of this is that most people don’t remember the phone number of a single contact. This could be problematic in case their phone battery dies or it gets broken and they need to reach out to somebody.

Cybercrime

Cybercrime tops the list in the case of disadvantages of technology in business. All companies run their business in a customer-oriented fashion which means that the safety of their customers’ data is paramount. A lot of cyber-crimes are occurring these days relating to the theft of data. This can be problematic as some companies store personal details of their clients which can be leaked to cybercriminals. Additionally, theft of proprietary software and files of companies can cause the whole business to go down. The company may even have to shut shop.

Cyber-crime can impact not just businesses but even individuals. A cybercriminal may steal your personal information and find out intimate details about your life like where you live and who you meet with. A cybercriminal may steal important information like your card-details which could lead to a huge financial loss for you. Cyber-crime is hard to trace as there is no physical evidence and the criminal may be located in a different continent altogether.

Cyber Bullying

The internet has led to a host of technological advancements and it has led to greater interconnectivity among people and nations. The internet allows you to express your thoughts and views to the rest of the world. You can also do this anonymously if you please. Many individuals with malicious intent have misused this anonymity to launch attacks on people and organizations. You may have heard stories about how some people have been systematically harassed by anonymous people on the internet.

Cyberbullying is a crime and a serious concern among today’s youth. Children and teenagers are especially vulnerable to this as they are not aware as to how to deal with such a situation.

Plagiarism and Copyright issues

Nowadays, a host of websites offer content on almost any topic under the sun. This means that any information you need is just a simple internet search away. While this is a convenient setup, it has led to severe cases of plagiarism and copyright issues. Adults and children are tempted to just copy off the internet. This leads to plagiarism issues in their assignments and work-related documents. Plagiarism is a huge nuisance in the field of research. In research, everything has to be original and even a bit of plagiarism can land you into trouble. Moreover, the person or source you plagiarise from also loses the due credit that they should be receiving.

You may also become a victim of plagiarism. Something you create yourself and upload on the internet can be used by anyone without your knowledge or consent. Your originality can be misused by other entities to make profits. This is especially true in the case of designers and authors. There is a lack of awareness about copyrighting and copyright laws which leads to these issues.

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Social Disconnect

A lot of people get used to virtual interactions and may even become dependent on them. They end up interacting with people over messaging apps or other such apps and thus lose the human touch. When they then end up meeting the person face to face, they don’t know what to talk about or how to interact with them. Their people skills take a drastic hit due to being on the phone all the time and being in constant touch with people in the virtual world.

You too may develop a social disconnect. This is if you spend too much time keeping in touch with people through the internet and technology. The solution to this is to have real interactions with people in person rather than being in touch 24×7. Technology is good for keeping in touch with people who aren’t around. But don’t use it to stay constantly in touch with the people you meet every day.

Depression and Anxiety

Technology has led to the development of a vast network of social media. Everyone is now in touch and everyone keeps updating the world about their lives. While this is a good move in terms of globalization, this has led to significant mental health issues in people. The young population in today’s world often suffers from depression and anxiety. This is due to spending too much time on social media and due to comparing their lives with others. This has become a serious issue in recent times with more and more people falling prey to mental health issues pertaining to social media.

You may feel like you’re incapable or unsuccessful when you look at the successes of your friends and colleagues on social media. This thought can lead to depression with time. You may see photos or videos of people doing so many things on social media. This may lead you to believe that you’re losing out in life or that you’re wasting your time. This over a prolonged time duration could lead to anxiety.

In fact, ‘Fear of Missing Out’ or FOMO is a term that has been coined by experts for this new anxiety that makes you feel like you’re missing out on the finer things in life. Fear of Missing Out primarily occurs due to watching your colleagues and friends indulge in different activities. Always remember that all the things you see on social media are not true and most of them are glorified to look good.

Peer Pressure

Technology has brought about another negative change in our lives by increasing the peer pressure we face in our daily lives. You see all your friends and colleagues out there living near-perfect lives. This makes you feel like you need to show everyone that you do too. This leads to peer pressure to look better, to wear certain clothes, and eat certain kinds of food. This peer pressure may cause you to significantly bump up your discretionary spending. You’ll waste money on things you normally wouldn’t. You may even start living a life that’s outside your means just to show the world that you’re living the good life.

A failure to abide by social norms can lead to people looking down on you. This has further increased the peer pressure that one faces. Everyone wants to feel respected and included. To achieve this, people are having to abide by certain norms that have been invisibly set by society.

 Conclusion

Whether you like it or not, technology has become a part of our lives and is here to stay. There is no point in resisting technology because of its disadvantages, as it has also made our lives significantly easier. The only way forward is to have a cautious approach while using technology so that it does not negatively impact your life. Even though the disadvantages of technology cannot be completely eradicated, a combined effort towards reducing them can go a long way in improving the way technology affects us and our lives.

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