What are some effects of computer addiction on society?

Question

How does the overuse of computers effect our daily lives? What are some of it's consequences? Are there any benefits? Are people trying to improve the ways people use computers? What health conditions can be associated with too much computer usage? Are there ways to prevent them? Are there bigger, more underlying problems? Has our culture been changed by computers? What are the pros and cons to this? How are individuals effected by computer addiction? How is the economy effected by it? etc etc

Answer 1

People aimlessly and incessantly playing meaningless "games" might have less time to devote to thinking about what they can do to improve the detrimental effect we are having on our environment - at worst, an addiction to computers among the general public could act as another opiate of the masses.
But it can also help people to mobilise action on such and other issues.
We are more accessible than ever before (what with mobile phones, Blackberrys etc.), which can intrude massively on our interactions with the people whose company we happen to be sharing. It can allow work to trespass into private time, which will affect our personal relationships, which will in turn make it more likely that our society will become more fragmented. People in fragmented societies tend to feel less empathy or sympathy for others.

It also allows companies to bombard us with a constant barrage of advertising, most of which is not intellectually stimulating and in any case is replaced very shortly afterwards by yet another advertising message. I am sure that our average attention span is shortening, although we can probably skim through more material more effectively than any other generation. We seem however to be losing our appetite for considered, in-depth analysis as a result.

On the other hand, it allows people to communicate far more easily with those they care about, even if they are on the other side of the planet. That can't be all bad.

Answer 2

Pros:
-Increased hand-and-eye coordination vis-a-vis some other activities
-Anonymity of Internet allows people technically "unqualified," but self-taught, to express their opinions and have their ideas considered on their merits, instead of somebody just looking at the author's credentials.
-Inter-connectedness with people outside of your geographical area causes a faster diffusion of ideas
-Computers, as a new technology, especially with such fast innovation, create employment
-New forms of computer-based entertainment provide employment
-Computers can collate and organize data from other devices much more quickly and clearly than a human, allowing new sources of information (for example, MRIs, CAT Scans, thermogram analysis, satellite-based temperature monitoring, economic data compilation...the list goes on and on)
-Computerized tools have more accuracy, and can operate in more dangerous conditions, than a human for a fraction of the cost
-Use of computers to draft multiple versions of any plan uses less paper and can be done much more quickly than constantly making new "hard" drafts

Cons:
-Increased chance of carpel tunnel syndrome
-Increased chance of blood clots in the legs
-Less calories burnt and muscle build vis-a-vis physical labor
-Increased chance of near-sightedness
-Increased acceptance of bad spelynng and, punctuation--and sentences in where the grammer isn't good.

Answer 3

I do have a healthy social life AND I'm addicted to the internet.

Answer 4

Everyone is getting fatter and less exercise?
Brings a lot of people together and we get to let off steam and bawl people out and your not even related to them so you don't have to say your sorry later and send them a gift.

Answer 5

We're all sitting in front of our computers ( like we're doing now typing in this forum ) and becoming computer geeks ( which typing in this forum prolly only gets us weirder )

Answer 6

1 effect is, everyone got better at video games!

Answer 7

we are more comfortable communicating with people ont he computer than in person

Answer 8

i sometimes get a sore knob unless my bband connection is down, otherwise i seem to be fine

Answer 9

becomeing nerd or more dvance knowledge laziness

Answer 10

we are much better informed then our elders where!!!