Harmful Effects of Technology
Conflict is present everywhere in the world around us. We experience conflict on a daily basis, and it can be minor or major.
Conflict in a story is a struggle between opposing forces. Characters must act to confront those forces and there is where conflict is born. If there is nothing to overcome, there is no story. Conflict in a story creates and drives the plot forward.
Conclusion
Technology advancements have become the new normal in our society. Our daily lives are constantly touched by technology. Although there are many positives to technology, our mental and physical health have been negatively impacted with extreme use of technology. People remain inactive for long periods of time which causes us to be in one position. This is not natural for the human body and may result in a strained neck, muscle degeneration and in some extreme cases organ damage. Long periods of sitting and inactivity can also result in weight gain as we are not moving our bodies for hours on end. Technology requires us to have lots of small and repetitive movements casing carpitunel syndrome. Technology is also a strain to the eyes as the bright flashy light can cause blurred vision, dry eyes, and head aches. Increased time on technology is also linked to insomnia, as the blue light admitted reduces our body's ability to produce sufficient amounts of melatonin; A chemical produced that helps us relax and sleep. Technology also has very damaging psychological impacts on our mental health. Social media constantly bombards us with perfect images, setting unrealistic standards of normality. This results in a bad self image, depression and anxiety. Technology also has a huge impact on child development. Children are constantly playing violent video games causing children to develop aggressively. Finally, technology has also been linked to cancers in the body due to radiation emitted.
Repetitive injury
In this type of conflict, a character must take on society itself, and not a single person. The character stands at odds with societal norms and realizes the necessity to work against these norms. This is an external conflict.
Although we are seated for a good part of our day, the use of technology requires a lot of physical repetitive movement. Typing on the computer or texting on the phone causes a lot of strain on the wrist. This causes the tissue in our wrists to swell, making movement painful. This is known as carpel tunnel syndrome.
Give examples of man versus society conflict in the real world.
Child Development
This situation results from a protagonist working against what has been foretold for that person. While this conflict was more prevalent in stories where gods could control fate, such as in ancient Greek dramas, there are still examples of this type of conflict in more contemporary literature.
Example of superstitions
Since in real life we can't say that such examples of man versus supernatural, there are some superstitions that can influence a person's life.
Give examples of these superstitions.
Video games have become a popular pastime amongst many children. Many video games display violent and gruesome imagery. Studies show that youth who are exposed to violent media become more numb to violence and develop more aggressive behaviour .
Give examples of man versus fate conflict in a literary work.
Mental Health
A more contemporary type of conflict, this situation results from humans involved in a struggle with man-made machines. This is an external conflict.
Technological advancements such as social media has become a part of our daily lives. More than 77% of the population has reported to have one form of digital media. In many cases social media is one of the leading causes of depression and anxiety. Social media not only isolates and makes us feel lonely but also bombards us with perfect imagery. Social media sets the standards of normality to be unattainably high. This results in people to develop bad self image and in extreme cases develop depression and anxiety . .
Give examples of man versus machine conflict in a literary work.
Radiation/ Cancer
The correlation between cell phone usage and certine types of cancers has become incredibly alarming. Mobile devices emit harmful radio wave radiation. The human body absorbs the foreign form of radiation. The radiation damages our DNA resulting in increase risk to certain cancers.
Insomnia
This conflict develops from a protagonist’s inner struggles and may depend on a character trying to decide between good and evil or overcoming self-doubt. This conflict has both internal and external aspects, as obstacles outside the protagonist's force them to deal with inner issues.
Increased time on technology is also closely linked to insomnia. The blue ray light emitted from our screens halts the production of melatonin; a chemical produced that help us relax and sleep. When this chemical is not being produced it throws our sleep cycle off resulting in insufficient sleep and poor quality of sleep. With more than 80% of people using technology an hour before bed it is no surprise that 30% of the population suffers from insomnia.
Give examples of man versus self conflict in the real world.
Conflict of real world
Eye Strain
In this type of conflict, a character is tormented by natural forces such as storms or animals. This is also an external conflict.
The average Canadian spends 11 hours a day on technology. This means spending 11 hours staring at harmful blue light rays emitted from the screen. The strain on our eyes can cause blurred visions, dry eyes, and headaches. A study conducted reports that 32.2% of people suffer from digital light strain and require glasses to combat this issue.
Give examples of man versus nature conflict in a literary work.
Long periods of inactivity
A situation in which two characters have opposing desires or interests. The typical scenario is a conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. This is an external conflict.
Technology requires us to be seated for many hours. For a healthy life we are required to take 10000 steps per day. When we are seated for countless hours we do not make the time for natural physical exercise such as playing, walking and sports. This inactivity causes weight gain as we are not doing any physical activity. Inactivity also causes us to make unhealthier food choices. We chose fast and convenient foods, such as "TV dinners" so we can get back to our technology. Also, the correlation of technology and inactivity, in extreme cases can result in muscle degeneration and organ failure as being in a seated position for long periods of time is un-natural.
Give examples of man versus man conflict in a literary work.
Literary Work
