Is Technology Affecting People’s Ability To Learn Or Interact?

Kylie Fortner, Sting Reporter

Technology does affect people’s ability to learn and interact because there are factors such as not being able to focus or comprehend the material thoroughly. Along with this, some people learn better with hands-on experience and technology could also affect communication skills. People who sit and talk or text on a phone all day can lose their social skills and will become more afraid to interact with others out in the real world. Exposure to technology can change people’s cognitive processes and can alter our ability to take in information. The human body’s cognitive process is very important because it is the mental process involved in gaining knowledge and being able to retain all of the knowledge that was just learned. Therefore, being on a computer screen or phone screen all day, whether it is for school, work, etc., can be damaging to people mentally and socially.
Being able to focus on school or work is a very important factor for life, but technology could ruin that in so many ways. For instance, let’s say that the world goes into a worldwide pandemic and many schools are shut down and have to go onto all online learning. This means that kids would possibly have to sit at home all day with distractions such as noisy siblings, pets, and their phone is in front of them and not put away. All these distractions occur because of having to be online for most of the day. Technology can also be a distraction at work or school if people are constantly sitting at their desks, at school or work, and are on their phones or laptops just messing around. Social media can also play a big role in this since most young people just want to sit around on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook all day long.
Another way technology is affecting people’s learning skills is not being able to comprehend the material thoroughly. With school being put all online for many teens and young adults, most of the notes and homework are explained through a video or taught in an online meeting. Using this technique can be hard on many kids who focus better being in a classroom because they have the resources right in front of them, other kids are there to help them out, and if one has a question, one wouldn’t have to wait all day for a reply back. Another big problem with online learning is cheating. Many kids and young adults have taken advantage of being online and cheating during tests or quizzes, which does not help them learn or comprehend the material they need. Although teachers are trying to prevent this, kids will still have leeway with doing their school work online because there is not much punishment through a screen.
Lastly, technology can affect people’s social skills. If kids and adults sit on a computer or phone all day, they will more than likely not talk a lot and just be caught up in whatever they are doing. This causes many kids to become quiet in school and not want to do presentations. Quietness becomes a big factor when things like this happen because kids get insecure about talking on certain topics so they will just remain quiet. Technology can also cause texting and driving, which is a big problem in today’s world because it can take a life.
Overall, technology does do a lot of damage to the human body and brain. It causes delays in everyday lives which can catch up to people in the future. Technology is also filled with a lot of fake news and lies that people believe, which is just toxic to people in general. People need to just set their phones down for an hour or two and go outside and enjoy the world and interact with people and try new things.