The authors of The Social Shape of Technology, Mackenzie and Wajcman, wrote, “Everyone is touched by the power of technology in some way, large or small, good or bad, every day.” While  there are pros and cons of technology, the negative aspects are greatly impacting society. Technology is changing how humans interact and work -- some are indeed positive, but greater aspects are negative. With every new device, social interaction is diminishing and people are becoming increasingly consumed by devices to the point of endangering others. The automation of jobs is also  increasing unemployment. Overall, new technology is negatively affecting today’s  society because it is depleting face-to-face contact between people, becoming a dangerous distraction, and overtaking jobs.

To begin, technology is decreasing interaction among people. Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT, wrote, “...online media technologies are depleting face-to-face communication.” It is the “...powerful social norms [that] compel young people to be constantly connected via technology…” (Silver). With people constantly looking at screens, social skills are rapidly worsening. There is a saying, “do not watch too much tv, it will rot your brain.” People consider it a trivial saying, but it applies to mobile devices. It has been proven that, “Recent developments in technology such as the internet [have] led to a decline in ‘normal’ social behaviors” (Nables). Interacting too much with these devices forces people to be on them for prolonged periods of time. Elmera Goldberg, a writer for The New York Times, stated, “There is no evidence that people are willing to relax their attention to their mobile devices in order to boost conversation in their lives.” Technology is negatively impacting effectiveness in collaborating and building relationships because, “‘The Internet has radically changed nearly every level of human experience in an incredibly short amount of time’” (Nables). Before the development of technology, interactions were live and harnessed by verbal or physical cues. Communication skills are disappearing due to advanced technology. On the other hand, a professor at Cleveland State University, Richard M. Perloff, stated shy students will use technology as a “safe haven” to help them learn instead of “face-to-face communication” with teachers. This will increase people’s ability to have seamless communication skills. However, technology would enable insular behavior and never teach the young adult to have communication abilities. Overall, the progression of state-of-the-art technology is causing people to be addicted to their devices, lowering the ability to be effective participants in live conversations.

 Furthermore, new technology is causing people to be so distracted that it is leading to life-threatening situations. In January 2014, Pew Research Center stated more than half of United State drivers used a cell phone while driving. To add, the American Psychological Association wrote, “... 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States result each year from driver cell phone use.” These numbers indicate distractions of texting, surfing the web, and simply talking on the phone are increasing the rate of vehicle crashes. Moving on, Larry S. Sandberg, a professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center, explained that child abductions may occur when, “...a mother [is] strolling her infant while her gaze is on her phone rather than her child.” Abductions will likely occur more easily in today’s society with adults taking their eyes off of children to focus on technology. Further, William Paterson University’s professor Dr. Corey Basch explains how, “...distracted walking significantly increases the risk of injury for pedestrians.”  Basch studied, “...more than 21,000 pedestrians at five intersections and discovered that nearly half crossing on a ‘Don’t Walk’ signal and nearly one-third of pedestrians crossing on a ‘Walk’ signal were wearing headphones, talking on a mobile phone, and/or looking down at an electronic device." Even texting while walking is a negative factor technology may cause. In a 2010 poll, “...more than 4,000 pedestrians were killed and another 70,000 were injured in traffic crashes in the [United States]” (Basch). When attached to technology, or even listening to music with headphones, it will impair the, “...ability to register important audible warnings...” (Basch). Some say it is not the technology that is causing these issues. End-users need to be more responsible in their use of cellular devices. With more education on this, there will be less distractions by technology. However, technology is causing dangers for the user or others around them. 84 percent of people in the world use technology causing texting while driving, which is hurting innocent people (Pew Research Center). Today's society is too addicted to FaceBook, Instagram, and Snapchat because it pulls them into a “placeless place” causing them to not interpret what is going on (Nables). Therefore, the level of distraction is increased by level of connectedness and results in a high number of deaths, injuries, and even abductions.

Finally, increased forms of technology are eliminating jobs. An author for Buzzle, Manali Oak, stated that, “Machines are now taking up mundane jobs that were once done by human workers.”  Also, the Boston Consulting Group stated about one-fourth of jobs will be taken over by technology, including self-talking robots. To add, Oxford University has stated that, “35% of existing UK jobs are at risk of automation in the next 20 years.” New technology is an enemy to many workers because people are not going to make money to live and feed their family. This is damaging to the economic stance because computers are taking jobs. Everyone knows taxis are huge business in large cities, but Google and Uber are developing driverless cars. A BBC article written by Jane Wakefield wrote, “Later this year, automated taxi pods will start running on the streets of England's Milton Keynes, offering rides around the town.” Clearly, advanced machinery is conquering the jobs of people who rely on these jobs for their livelihood. Lastly, a BBC article stated, “Since September last year, a total of 505 factories across Dongguan have invested 4.2 billion yuan (£430 million - $484,481,000) in robots...” (Wakefield). The result: 30,000 workers will be unemployed. People state technology is taking over the jobs that are risky and difficult for humans, like those going on space explorations or mining. Some parts of the jobs are critical and should be automated. However, it is crucial for the people that need the work to live. Overall, the challenge is for businesses to realize the volume of jobs assigned to computers and support the employment of humans over technology.
   

 In closing, negative impacts are emerging with the advancement of technology. While many applaud the positive efforts, people need to take personal responsibility and not overlook how technology is hurting society. People must work with tech experts to find the balance in the proper use of technology as the situation is so horrible that people are becoming addicted to technology like drugs. This is negatively affecting the “conversations” and “personal relations” (Goldberg). Much of today’s world is run by computers and it is taking advantage of people. It is overtaking jobs of humans; it is distracting people enough to endanger them; it is diminishing people’s social skills. Digital advancements enable humans to be more productive, however we must lessen the negative aspects of this phenomenon called “technology” to stabilize today’s society.

Works Cited:

     "Tethered to Technology." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 Mar.
2016.

     Nables. "Negative Effects of Technology on Society." Negative Effects of Technology on Society.
Teen Ink, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

     Oak, Manali. "Positive Effects of Technology on Society." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, n.d. Web. 28 Mar.
2016.
     Novotney, Amy. "Dangerous Distraction." American Psychological Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Apr. 2016.
     Wakefield, Jane. "Intelligent Machines: The Jobs Robots Will Steal First - BBC News." BBC News.
N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
     Postma, Brady. "How Many People Are Kidnapped Each Day in the US?"Quora. N.p., n.d. Web.
     "Mobile Technology Fact Sheet." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 27 Dec.
2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
     Mieles, Natalie. "William Paterson Study Finds Distracted Walking with Electronic Devices Poses 'Significant Risk of Injury'" Wayne, NJ Patch. N.p., 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.