Addictive Technology:
One Issue, Three Solutions
Today, people are connected to the world
via a cell phone or a computer. Many of us, whether we realize it or not, are
intensely attached to our devices. This has been shown through Adam Alter's
book Irresistible, which explains that intense addiction to technology
has been on the rise of late.[1]
The scariest part of it all is that anyone can become a tech addict, as it is a
learned behavior. Addiction has been an issue in the past, and various social
ideas and solutions have been made to remedy it. This time, the severity of the
attachment is higher, requiring newer and more creative solutions, which may
originate from a surprising source: sociology, the study of social
interactions. Theories on sociology are many, yet by using them, we can gain a
better understanding of addiction and perhaps 22even new solutions.
Before we delve into the discussion of
addiction through sociological theories, it would be prudent to first mention
what these theories are. Sociological theories are, as the book Introduction
to Sociology in chapter 3 says, "set[s] of interrelated concepts
used to describe, explain, and predict how society and its parts are related to
each other."[2]
Effectively, sociological theories are a lens one can use to understand
society. A different lens will give you a different perspective, whilst showing
something new about that part of society.
Amongst these theories, Functionalism,
or viewing society as a collection of interrelated parts, would deal with
addictive technology through active awareness of the issue. First, modern
technology is not inherently bad, as it enables greater connectivity; however,
its effects can pose problems to certain parts of society. When technology
becomes addictive, it can create dysfunctions by weakening relationships and
reducing productivity/efficiency. To create a solution for this issue, a
Functionalist must identify the parts of society that are dysfunctional and
effectively tackle them. Families, education, the economy, mental health,
sleep, and socialization are all negatively affected due to addictive
technology. Spending too much time on this type of technology can reduce sleep,
decrease emotional bonds, and hurt productivity. A functionalist solution is
not to ban these types of technology, but rather to encourage the reduction of
technology usage. Social norms can be introduced by having digital education
about addictive technology. Encouraging schools to have more face-to-face
interaction, and forming government policy that promotes companies to make
their technology more "healthy," like making digital screens that
help one's sleep cycle, all can help reduce addiction to technology. Awareness
and action upon that awareness for addictive technology is the key to reducing
its harm, according to a Functionalist.
Functionalism is not the only
sociological theory that has something to say about technological addiction;
the theory of Symbolic Interactionism, a micro-level theory, is important too.
A Symbolic Interactionist solution to addictive technology would be to change
the meaning of digital usage, from means to a tool. From a Symbolic
Interactionalist viewpoint, one can see that a person lives two lives, one in
the real world and the other through a "digital identity," or online
life. This reality comes from small interactions that a child might receive
when they are young, for example, if they see their parents using technology a
lot they might get used to technology throughout their life. These interactions
can shape a young mind into creating these dual roles of life. Digital
addiction can increase due to the stimulation that is created from online
likes, comments, notifications, and the social aspect of the online world. A
Symbolic Interactionist’s solution is not to make rules, but to create awareness
and meaning. Social awareness to encourage less device usage is important.
Encouraging families to have talks about self-image through the digital world,
or just having more family interaction, is important as well. Technology should
be viewed as a tool for human connection, not as a replacement for it.
Unlike Functionalism or Symbolic
Interactionalism, Conflict Theory is much more cynical within its perspective.
A Conflict Theory solution to technological addiction would be for the
government to step in and regulate industry. Conflict Theory suggests that
society is in constant conflict between people who "have" and those
who "have-not," or in other words, the elite and the normal people.
For Conflict Theory, technological addiction would be a corporate scheme to
gain more power over the so-called lower class. Large companies and their
shareholders benefit the most as addictive technology means that more normal
people will use their products. This fact would seem clear to a Conflict
Theorist. As Adam Alter noticed in his book on addictive technology, Irresistible,
"In late 2010, [Steve] Jobs told New York Times journalist Nick
Bilton that his children never use the iPad."[3]
He is just one of many such tech-CEOs who gave restrictions to their children,
others such as Evan Williams, Chris Anderson, and Lesley Gold, have also done
so as noted by Alter. For a Conflict Theorist, this would mean that the rich
"bourgeoisie" are providing popular addictive technology to gain more
control. Their not giving their own tech to their kids is an indication that
they know of the addictive issues, yet they do not change them. Compared to the
other two solutions to addictive technology, Conflict Theory has the most
unique and pessimistic solution to the issue. The theory would suggest that the
government step in, to regulate addictive technology. Laws regulating how
technology is produced and adding fees and payment if not followed would be a
Conflict Theorist's solution.
In summary, one social issue can have so
many different perspectives and solutions. Addictive technology is a power that
can cripple our thinking and ability to thrive in society, yet it is not evil.
Through proper and calculated solutions one can use technology for good. The
three sociological theories that have been talked about differ a lot, and while
we may not agree with some, we can still appreciate the usefulness of seeing an
issue from a different perspective. If we are able to view one issue through
many different lenses, we will be able to make more objective decisions in our
life, and if we do so maybe we can reduce our usage of addictive technology
ourselves.
Works Cited:
Alter, Adam. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive
Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. Penguin Press, 2017.
Hammond, Ron, et al. Introduction to Sociology. Free
Sociology Books. 2020. Chapter 3.
https://freesociologybooks.com/Introduction_To_Sociology/01_History_and_Introduction.phpLinks
to an external site
[1] Alter,
Adam. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of
Keeping Us Hooked. Penguin Press, 2017.
[2] Hammond,
Ron, et al. Introduction to Sociology. Free Sociology Books. 2020. Chapter 3.
https://freesociologybooks.com/Introduction_To_Sociology/01_History_and_Introduction.phpLinks
to an external site
[3]
Alter, 02
Comments
Post a Comment