The Harmful Influence of the Computer

"Every coin has two sides." ― Anonymous

This simple statement is truer and clearer than one may realize. It is an established fact that nothing interesting is one-sided. Every little thing is this world has its pros and cons; nothing is perfect.

This is especially true for electronic devices, prominent among them being the computer. You would be shocked to know that it was categorized as being among the 40 most health-damaging jobs.

Computerization has brought about a revolution in the world. The machine is desperately and heavily used every where - in schools, at home, in companies, institutions, and so on. No doubting its valuable contribution in the fields of space, agriculture, defense, education, etc., but after a period, it does have some negative effects.

As mentioned before, this machine has contributed effectively to the field of education. With the click of a button, one can gather all the possible information they want. However, what is happening today is that even children who cannot read and write yet, are already used to this machine.

They develop at a very early age, the habit of playing on the computers for hours on end. Where were the good old days of outdoor play? At the age of four and five, they are already playing games and operating software.

While this is good in the sense that it makes children tech-savvy, it is very harmful as well, as they get addicted to this machine and start misusing it over time. The actual interaction between the teacher and students has long gone.

The Internet does provide a million online learning courses of course, but in some cases, instead of simplifying the education system, new complications have arisen.

According to the latest research, this device does not improve our health, and it can seriously damage our system when it is improperly used. Manufacturers assert that the devices are absolutely harmless. Research though, has a different story to tell.

When we work on this machine, staring at the monitor, we need to read, type, analyze, correct mistakes, and perhaps do all that more than once. The eyes have to try adjusting to all that pressure, and the eyesight may be damaged.

People working for long hours on this machine have the most health complaints because of muscle and joint diseases. This might be restricted to neck torpor, pain in the shoulders, in the loins, etc.

However, there can be more grievous problems such as the carpal tunnel syndrome, which refers to the damage of arm nerves due to the excessive time spent working on the PC.

The negative effects of computers on our eyes can be referred to as CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome), which includes dryness of the eyes, eyestrain, backache, neck ache, wrist ache, reduced acuity of vision, distress, reduced capacity of concentration, and so on.

The reasons for these health-related problems are - the excess of information and the electromagnetic fields.

Our heart spends energy for blood circulation, and our lungs need energy for breathing. When it comes to our brain, it requires energy for managing pieces of information. Some scientists consider that the human brain uses 1,200 Kcal every day.

Thus, the problem occurs when our brain needs to take away the energy resources from other organs in order to supplement for the energy lapse it has to face. Because of that, people are often under a high level of mental pressure, which may lead to anxiety, lack of energy, emotional instability, and inefficiency in completing the required work.

Electromagnetic fields affect the biological processes of our body. People might feel dizziness because of exposure to weak electromagnetic fields. That is because those low-intensity fields reduce the intensity of blood pressure. For that reason, we are very likely to sense a decrease in our body temperature after overusing the laptop.

We have become so addicted to this device, that we rarely communicate with people around us. We are capable of working alone due to this device, instead of collaborating with colleagues, if we were to do the work manually.

The work environment has been severely affected due to this lack of interaction, thus promoting an anti-social culture. Worse still, and melodramatic though it may sound, it has brought about weak human bonds. If one is not a member of a social networking site, he/she is shunned away. People spend more time on sites than talking with friends and family.

This point might be categorized more under a disadvantage rather than a harmful influence. Since the advent of this machine and the Internet, people have nowadays begun to misuse it for various reasons. Hacking is a prime hazard. People have found ways to circumvent security issues and access private data, which is no less than a crime.

They introduce spyware and malware in people's machines. Personal data is being accessed illegally. Graphic software like Adobe PhotoShop, has been wrongly used to create pornographic videos. Computer crimes have come on the forefront, and little action is taken against the offenders.

All said and done, we have to admit that the harmful influence of the computer is brought about by all of us. We need to know how carefully and legally to use it, and where to draw the line.

As regards to health issues, we need to take certain precautions so that we stay away from the negative effects. All in all, one can conclude that any device if used ethically, is tremendously useful. On the other hand, if it is used in an illegal way, it is bound to cause trouble.