The Pros And Cons Of Addiction To Technology

Until technology is being abused, there are more positives than negatives. That is why Christian Lange’s quote, “[t]echnology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master,” is accurate when speaking about the benefits and disadvantages of technology and devices. Technology is especially useful to students and teachers who need devices in the classroom for learning purposes. Technology is helpful when the consumer uses it wisely and for its intended purpose, but when addiction occurs, so do problems.

Everyone has his or her own constructed image of robot servants. These images may represent human beings. Images imagined in one’s head cannot compare to the machines being developed today. These new devices are much smaller and differ from our expectations. The fact that the stationary robots are meant to “perform

Addiction to technology can cause it to become a “dangerous master” (Lange). Once people are addicted to their technology, it seems like the devices control their usage and they always feel the need to be using them. Technology addiction is defined “as a psychological state of maladaptive dependency on the use of a technology” (Turel et al.). Symptoms of this addiction include salience, withdrawal, conflict, relapse and reinstatement, tolerance, and mood modification. Addiction can strengthen “perceptions of enjoyment, usefulness, and ease of use to the technology, which in turn influence usage intentions” (Turel et el.). This means that addiction to technology distorts one’s views of how they use the Internet or, in the case of this article, online auctions. Overusing a device occasionally or being engaged in your technology often does not justify an addiction. The user can still have control about their use, but make the decision to use their device. Especially today, many people would consider themselves to have an addiction to their phone, but that does not necessarily mean they