14 reasons to abandon modern technology

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Computers, smartphones and other smart devices bring more than just good.

1. Gadgets are time-consuming

We spend a lot of time at the computer. And when he is not at hand, we switch to smartphones. Or sticking to video games. We watch news, videos with cats, like photos of friends and participate in useless online discussions.

But if you give up all gadgets at least for a while, then you will be amazed at how much of this time you will have. It can be used with great sense. Go in for sports, for example. Make repairs. Be with loved ones. Finally sleep!

2. Screens are harmful to eyesight

Let's not be like strange guys in foil hats who shout that technology is irradiating us with radiation. You don't need to be seven inches in the forehead to understand that a computer and a uranium rod are slightly different things. However, gadgets do cause some harm to health, especially if they are used incorrectly.

Looking at the screens for a long time is harmful to your eyes. Ophthalmologist at Massachusetts Hospital of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology Matthew Gardiner cites two main reasons for this.

First, when looking at interface elements, we overstrain our eyes. Secondly, at the computer, we literally forget to blink. The frequency of blinking decreases from 15 to 5 times per minute, which causes dry eyes. Therefore, in order to preserve your eyesight, follow some simple rules. And spend less time in front of the monitor.

3. You can ruin your posture

In addition to vision, a computer can also harm your posture. It is not typical for a person to remain motionless for a long time. Therefore, sit at the computer correctly. Or do not use it at all, why waste time on trifles.

And smartphones are bad for the neck: using them, we constantly tilt our heads to look at the screen. American chiropractor Dean Fishman even suggested a special name - "text neck syndrome" - for a disease that develops in those who like to text on a smartphone, tilting their head.

4. Gadgets harm sleep

Many people sit at their computers until dark. And, going to bed, they continue to stick to their smartphone, reading posts on social networks or liking photos on Instagram for the coming sleep. Forcing yourself to put down the gadget and finally fall asleep can sometimes be very difficult.

Computers, smartphones, and in general all devices with bright screens negatively affect the quality of sleep. This has been repeatedly confirmed by research.

Stop chasing tech gadgets and save tons of money. They can be used more beneficially: books, food, clothing, travel.

7. Computers and smartphones are short-lived

Backups and clouds are, of course, very convenient. But even the most advanced electronic storage and copying tools do not give a 100% guarantee of data safety.

For years, users have uploaded photos, videos and music to MySpace, and he suddenly loses them. Someone kept a photo archive for several years on Flickr, but he suddenly decided to clean up, and the pictures will end.

Internet problems? That's it, you can't access your data somewhere in the bowels of Google's memory. Even an ordinary hard drive that you have at your fingertips can "crumble" and stop being read. And it is not a fact that you will restore its contents.

I have The Beatles vinyl records on my mezzanine, inherited from my grandfather. And they are played. Still.

Say what you like, but "grandfather's" analog media are more reliable. If you turn off the light, you will not lose the diary entries made in a regular notebook. Paper books are always at hand: they do not need to be charged, unlike an e-reader or tablet. And they don't need internet access. And photographs taken during the time of your great-grandmother can be passed on from generation to generation. Does your iPhone boast that?

8. Technology stimulates laziness and procrastination

Digital entertainment is affordable. You can hardly give up everything at any moment of the day and leave to play water polo or start creating ikebana. But it is very easy to collapse work documents and launch your favorite game or grab a smartphone and stick in chats with friends.

And in order to keep yourself from such procrastination, it will take significant willpower, which not everyone has.

9. Smart devices degrade memory

Modern technology is doing strange things to our memory. A bunch of different services and applications are designed to help us remember everything. Task managers allow you not to keep assignments in mind, but to write down and assign dates to them.

Social networks remind us when our friends have birthdays. Maps and Google search will always help you find the right address, even if it has faded from memory. All this is very convenient, but not particularly good for the brain.

The habit of constantly googling weakens human memory.

There is no need to strain and remember something yourself, if you trust the information to digital assistants more reliably. So, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, people who actively use smartphones become distracted and less attentive.

10. Smartphones can cause accidents

According to Mashable, more people die while trying to take selfies than from shark attacks. It sounds, of course, funny (if you like black humor), but in every joke there is a grain of truth.

Carried away by looking at a smartphone, you can easily get run over by a car, fall off a cliff, or even become a victim of a bear. And if you use gadgets while driving, endangering not only yourself, but also the people around you … There are no censorship words left.

11. Notifications are highly distracting

As soon as you finally focus on some important occupation, the gadgets decide to notify you about something. You check your unread notifications, go back to work and realize that you completely forgot what you were thinking so hard a couple of minutes ago.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that it takes as much as 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully regain concentration after work interruptions.

Such is the price of momentary distraction.

In addition, mobile device notifications play more unusual jokes on our minds. Psychologists at Indiana University have discovered a new phenomenon that they called "phantom vibration syndrome." Sometimes it seems to you that the phone vibrates, you check it - but there are no notifications. This often happens when you fall asleep, which is not very good for sleep.

Turn off notifications whenever you can, and give up the habit of checking what's new on the web all the time.

12. Internet can lead to social isolation

Ironically, social media, designed to help us find friends and communicate, often leads to problems in this area. People who are accustomed to conducting a dialogue only on the screen of a smartphone or computer begin to be ashamed of acquaintances in reality, get lost during uncomfortable conversations and become less sensitive to the interlocutor.

However, no one canceled live communication. And research shows that paying attention to mobile devices during a conversation makes people think bad of you. For this social phenomenon, they even found a special term - fabbing. Therefore, turn off all gadgets and hide them before coming into contact with other people.

13. Technology violates your privacy

Mobile device manufacturers, software developers, web service creators collect a lot of information about you in order to stuff them with ads later. Sometimes devices send telemetry to the Network without demand, limiting themselves to a warning in the license agreement, which no one reads anyway. Sometimes we ourselves dump our data into social networks, the creators of which are happy to use it.

And the saddest thing is that your data in the public domain can be used not only by advertisers who comply with at least some standards of decency, but also by online fraudsters. They extort money from users by pretending to be someone they know, hack emails, try to steal your iCloud account and do millions of other nefarious things.

Therefore, the less you shine on the web, the better.

14. Devices tie you to the power grid

The vast majority of mobile devices are now consuming battery power at a wild rate. And the more power your flagship smartphone has, the less it will last without a charge. Therefore, we are looking for an outlet at least once a day.

And wireless headphones are generally gloomy. Charge the power bank to charge the case, to charge the ears.

By curbing your addiction to smartphones and computers, you will curb their appetites for electricity. Stop bothering about whether you can charge your gadget at work or at university, and no longer rush about looking for an outlet or a suitable cable. You do not have to carry a power bank with you and monitor the charge level. Turning off the lights will no longer look like a disaster. And you will benefit the planet.

And finally, the main reason. All the rest are so, nonsense. Using the Internet and new gadgets, you unconsciously help the development of neural networks. AI is already beating us in chess and Dota 2. Can you imagine what will happen if he suddenly decides to enslave humanity? A joke, of course. But maybe it's still worth taking a moment to think.