Computers are an essential part of everyday life. They are useful in carrying out various tasks and jobs and have infiltrated almost every aspect of people’s lives. When computers were invented, a little over half a century ago, they were a technological innovation mainly for industrial use. Computers were primarily used for scientific purposes (Ifrah, 2001).
However, over the years, new ways of using the computer have seen the computer rapidly evolving into a household item. Some of these technological advancements mainly include the multimedia applications such as the internet into the computer. Currently, there is hardly any task that can be accomplished without employing the services of a computer.
These range from carrying out the smallest office task, to communicating with friends and family. This paper outlines why people are too dependent on computers and why this could be problematic.
First of all, computers are useful because they have revolutionized tasks that would otherwise have been thought to be impossible. For instance, the internet has made instant communication between two people on different sides of the globe possible. The fact that one can actually chat via video with a person thousands of miles away is a convenience that would not be possible without computers.
This has made it easier to pass urgent and important messages that have actually been able to alleviate disasters and save lives. For example, the use of the internet to announce terror alerts or pandemic breakouts is much more efficient than the traditional use of news stations and leaflets. Over 80% of the adult American population can comfortably use and navigate their way through the world wide web, even though most do not know how to use the rest of the computer applications (Ifrah, 2001).
Secondly, computers have contributed greatly to the development of the global economy. Through the development of computer applications and programs, business transactions have been made much faster and more convenient. For example, the field of accounting has been revolutionized by the development of accounting programs which solve, in a few seconds, problems that would have taken several people many days to accomplish.
Computers have also minimized the chances of human error in important financial calculations and decisions (Dijk, 2005). Common tasks such as shopping for items have also been made easier through online shops whereby one is able to save on time that would have been spent in traffic or queuing at a mall. Computer programs used in industrial applications such as Engineering have also ensured increased safety in constructed buildings and the speed with which objects are designed and manufactured (Dijk, 2005).
The aforementioned two categories of computer uses are just a tip of the iceberg. One thing which is common in computer use is that computers have increased efficiency and minimized the time spent on tasks. However, the problem begins with how the relieved time is used.
Originally, computers were meant to reduce the number of working hours spent at the office. This was envisioned to lead to an increase in the time that people spent with friends and family. However, the opposite case is what has happened. When people realized that they could accomplish much more with computers, they ended up using the extra time to accomplish extra tasks.
In the end, computers have destroyed the friendships, families and the very relationships that it was thought to be helping. The following few paragraphs show how the advantages mentioned above have contributed to increased over-dependence on computers.
First of all, by increasing the efficiency of many normal tasks, computers have promoted laziness. This is clearly evident in the educational system. Students can now access all the information they need for their assignments by typing the questions in the search engines. They no longer have to read through the volumes of books recommended in the classroom.
This phenomenon eventually leads to overdependence on computers for any subsequent assignments (Bonfadelli, 2002). This is because the students had not read any book and have to keep returning to the internet for answers. Furthermore, the overdependence on computers has reduced the cognitive abilities of many students (Bonfadelli, 2002). The students know that they do not have to memorize or retain whatever they learn in the classroom since it is available on the internet. Such dependency can only lead to more dependency.
Secondly, the computers were initially meant to reduce the burden of work that a single employee can do. This ended up creating more free time. However, people realized that additional tasks could be carried out in this free time, and that these tasks could actually be carried out using the same computer.
Therefore, computers and the various software facilitated multi-tasking and ended up increasing the amount of time a person spends in front of a computer screen. The fact that a student can accomplish his assignments while listening to music using the same computer has increased overdependence on the machine.
Furthermore, the fact that an employee is able to accomplish another non-work related task using the same computer has also resulted in increased time spent before a computer screen (Dijk, 2005). The effects of computers on its users have thus ended up exhibiting a domino behavior.
Finally, the internet’s latest innovation is the social networking functionality. Invented at the close of 20th Century, social networking sites where people could interact with friends have increased dependency on computers. This is because using websites such as FriendFinder.com, people with poor social skills can now meet new friends in the online world and even prospective dating partners (Kelsey, 2010).
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have conveniently removed the need for people to meet in person in order to have a conversation. This has increased laziness and eventual social incompetence. The new generations of children who are growing up in the social networking age do not know alternative ways of interacting with people (Kelsey, 2010). This means that their dependency on computers will end up being even more than that of the pioneer social network users.
In conclusion, it is obvious from the above analysis that people are too dependent on computers. This dependence is actually increasing as more new ways of using the computer are being invented. However, there are also dangers associated with this overdependence on computers.
Cases of online fraud and cyber-bullying are on the rise. The overdependence on computers is a call for alarm because it is slowly evolving people into a society that cannot effectively function without the machine. It is therefore essential that people re-examine their lives and just how much of it is spent on the computer. If this overdependence is not checked, more problems will continue to plague the society, and yet they could have been easily avoided through simple self-reflection.
References
Bonfadelli, H. (2002). The Internet and knowledge gaps: a theoretical and empirical investigation. European Journal of Communication 17, 65–84.
Dijk, J. (2005). The network society: Social aspects of the new media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishers
Ifrah, G. (2001). The universal history of computing: From the abacus to the quantum computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons
Kelsey, T. (2010). Social networking spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and everything in between. Associated Press