People Have Become Overly Dependent On Technology

CSS 2023 Solved Essay | People Have Become Overly Dependent On Technology

Bushra Arooj, a student of Sir Syed Kazim Ali, has attempted the CSS 2023 essay “People Have Become Overly Dependent On Technology” on the given pattern, which Sir Syed Kazim Ali teaches his students. Sir Syed Kazim Ali has been Pakistan’s top English writing and CSS, PMS essay and precis coach with the highest success rate of his students. The essay is uploaded to help other competitive aspirants learn and practice essay writing techniques and patterns to qualify for the essay paper.

Outline

1-Introduction

The excessive use of technology in the political, economic, and social domains has transformed the world into a global village but at the cost of turning humans into tech slaves who are unable to make decisions without technology’s assistance and suffer from weakened interpersonal relations and decreased cognitive development, which ultimately hands over control to technology.

2-Debunking the term technology
3-How have people become overly dependent on technology?

In political domain

1. ✓ Due to the expansion of online political participation and electronic voting
2. ✓ Due to the increased trend of online political campaigns and propaganda
3. ✓ Due to the digitalization of administrative machinery
4. ✓ Due to the increased popularity of digital media for getting political information

In economic domain

1. ✓ Due to the increased use of artificial intelligence in economic activities
2. ✓ Due to the automation of industries
3. ✓ Due to the expansion of e-commerce
4. ✓ Due to online banking and the emerging use of digital currency

In social domain

1. ✓ Due to the increased use of social media platforms for interaction
2. ✓ Due to advancements in the daily use of gadgets
3. ✓ Due to an ease-loving lifestyle
4. ✓ Due to increased materialistic trends

In educational domain

1. ✓ Due to the increased use of online platforms for learning purposes
2. ✓ Due to the increased use of the Internet in academic facilities

In entertainment domain

1. ✓ Due to the emergence of online gaming platforms, leading to gaming addiction and behavioural disorders

4-People have become overly dependent on technology: Repercussions
Social repercussions

1. ✓ Detraction from interpersonal relationships and social norms
2. ✓ Cyber-bulling and increased technology-related crimes

Psychological repercussions

1. ✓ Anxiety and depression
2. ✓ Nomophobia and addiction
3. ✓ Poor cognitive development

5-Critical analysis
6-Conclusion

Introduction

Technology has transformed the world into a global village and is the main driving force of inventions and innovations in today’s world. It has undoubtedly modified the political, social, and economic aspects of human life and added comfort, convenience, and ease to it. However, the 21st century has witnessed humans becoming tech slaves due to their over-reliance on technology. Due to this, technology controls every activity of people, making them dance to its tunes and snatching their decision-making abilities. It has made humans so addicted to it that for them, ‘living without technology is like living without air’. This over-dependence of humans on technology has been aggravated by its introduction in the political domain in the face of expanding online political participation of the masses in the election processes and the increasing trend of electronic voting worldwide. Additionally, the expansion of online political campaigns and the digitalization of administrative machinery has resulted in the manufacturing political dependency of people on technology. Apart from that, in the economic domain, the increased use of artificial intelligence in economic activities, the automation of industries, and the expansion of e-commerce have resulted in the over-dependence of people on technology, making machines more relevant and important. Moreover, the rising trends of ease-loving lifestyle and materialism, along with excessive use of gadgets in daily life, have made people slaves of technology, making them unable to take a single step without the assistance of technology. Also, the increasing use of online educational platforms and gaming apps has transformed people into tech addicts, increasing their dependence and reliance on technology. This technology dependence creates many social and psychological repercussions by weakening interpersonal relations and the emergence of cyber-crimes. Not only this, but it also affects people’s cognitive development. Thus, the excessive use of technology in political, economic, and social domains has made people less human, thereby giving controlling powers to technology.

To begin with, it is pertinent to understand the term technology. Technology is using scientific knowledge for practical purposes, i.e., making machines. It also refers to the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that are utilized by humans to extend their abilities and satisfy their needs and wants. Technology is the slave of humans, helping them to make their life easy, but it starts dominating them due to its excessive use.

Read More

1-	People have Become Overly dependent on Technology – Bushra Arooj
2-	People have Become Overly dependent on Technology -Bilal Ahmad

People have become overly dependent on technology in the political domain due to the expansion of online political participation and electronic voting worldwide. It is because electronic voting is considered more efficient, time-saving, and error-free. But, in reality, it has increased people’s reliance on technology in the political domain, making states unable even to conduct voting without the assistance of technology. For instance, the decrease in Russian energy supply to Europe after its attack on Ukraine has resulted in an energy shortfall in many European states. Due to this, many European states, namely Italy, have delayed state and local elections as electricity is required for online political participation of people and operating electronic voting machines. This reflects that introducing technology in politics has manufactured the tech dependence of people worldwide.

Moreover, the increasing trends of online political campaigns and propaganda have manufactured the over-dependence of people on technology in the political domain. Politicians today use online media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for their political campaigns and to shape public opinion. Apart from providing a platform to disseminate messages, these social media platforms can make or break the careers of politicians. These social media platforms can block the accounts of politicians making their voices unheard by the masses. In addition, hackers can hack politicians’ accounts to fulfil their interests, thereby damaging their popularity. According to The New York Times, the blocking of Donald Trump’s accounts by Facebook and Twitter has resulted in the de-platforming of the former president, causing him to lose much of his political influence as they were his valuable assets to wage political battles and garner political campaigns. It resulted in a severe setback to the former president’s political career and highlighted the power of internet giants. Thus, the use of online media platforms for political campaigns and propaganda has given immense power in the hands of technology to make or break the career of any politician, thereby making them overly dependent on technology.

Furthermore, the digitalization of administrative machinery has made people overly dependent on technology. Digitalization of administrative machinery was meant to reduce red-tapism and corruption and to increase efficiency. Still, it is increasing people’s reliance on technology and making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. For example, according to The Guardian report, the UK witnessed the biggest ransomware attack in history that crippled its national healthcare system and captured the crucial data of patients. Due to this, patients were denied healthcare facilities and appointments were cancelled. This reflects people’s over-reliance on technology as they cannot get healthcare facilities in the absence of technology. Thus, the digitalization of administrative machinery is making tech slaves and clipping their wings in the wake of technology failures.

In addition, media platforms are increasingly used by people to get political information and become aware of the happenings in the world, thereby making the masses dependent on communication technologies. Unfortunately, social media platforms and other communication technologies are also increasingly becoming the hub of spreading fake news and manipulating the masses, consuming them. According to a Pew Research Center survey, nine-out-of-ten Americans are getting political information from social media and other communication technologies, making them vulnerable to manipulation and exposure to fake news. Apart from that, in case of an internet outage, people face complete information black-out. This reflects people’s over-reliance on technology and highlights that people have become tech-dependent on getting political information. Thus, social media and communication technologies are controlling the minds of the masses and manipulating them in the name of information, leaving them with no option for getting information in case of internet outages.

Further, the excessive use of technology in the economic domain has manufactured people’s over-reliance on technology. The increased use of artificial intelligence in economic activities has made human tech slaves irrelevant in the contemporary era and has given more space to robots in manufacturing and decision-making processes.
According to ‘The Economist’s report, the transport sector in California is becoming overly dependent on artificial intelligence after the introduction of Self-driving cars. Due to its efficiency and the least chances of error, the transport sector in the USA is increasingly shifting towards self-driving cars, thereby making thousands of truck drivers irrelevant and less significant in the face of evolving technology. This reflects that excessive use of artificial intelligence in the economic sector increases people’s reliance and causes many people to lose their jobs.

In addition, the automation of industries has increased the significance of technology in the world, thereby decreasing human intervention in the process. Undoubtedly, it has increased productivity and provided quality services to the people. Still, it has also made people increasingly dependent on technology during manufacturing, administration, analytics, and customer service. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, robots are replacing humans in many industries worldwide, making them overly dependent on technology and decreasing the significance of humans. Thus, the automation of industries is replacing humans with machines, thereby multiplying the reliance of those industries on technology.

Information technology can also transform business processes and change their outlook. This has resulted in the expansion of e-commerce across the world, making people overly dependent on technology for carrying out their business activities. Furthermore, the interactivity attained through the internet connection has boosted e-commerce by establishing a connection between the buyer and the seller and by reducing the operational cost of running a business. All these factors have made people overly rely on technology to expand their business and establish a connection between the buyer and the seller. According to ‘The Economist’s report, the increased interactivity through the internet has established a link between the buyer and the seller and has helped small businesses to run at low operational cost. Due to this, people are becoming overly dependent on technology for carrying out their business activities. Any internet outage can potentially shut down business activities in the world. Thus, the expansion of the internet for business activities has made people dance to the tunes of technology, thereby increasing their reliance on technology.

Not only this, the expansion of online banking and the introduction of digital currencies have made people increasingly reliant on technology to carry out financial transactions. This has given increasing power to technology by allowing it to control people’s finances worldwide. In the contemporary era, the world has shifted towards online banking and has established a Central Banking System to interlink all the banking channels of the world, enabling them to make transactions by sitting in any part of the world. But its dark side is that any failure within this system would leave people without any alternative to carry out their transactions. This reflects that the increased use of technology in the economic domain has made people vulnerable and overly dependent on technology. For instance, SWIFT, a body that handles global financial transactions, blocked Iranian banks from the international financial system in the face of the USA sanctions on Iran. This disabled Iranian banks from making any transactions with the world, thereby making the Iranians unable to make financial transactions that ultimately damaged their businesses. Apart from that, the world is increasingly heading towards digital currency. Furthermore, many states in the world like EL-Salvador have legalized digital currency in a bid to decrease tangible currencies. Therefore, these factors highlight that the online banking system and the expansion of digital currencies have made people overly dependent on technology by giving control of their finances to technology and making them tech slaves.

In addition to this, the excessive use of technology in the social domain is manufacturing social dependence of people on technology, thereby giving power its hands to control their social life. In the contemporary world, people are excessively using social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp, etc., to get information and interact with people worldwide. This has resulted in creating a Virtual Family, thereby putting people in false consciousness. Due to this, people have stopped living in the moment and have no care for the real family. As a result, they depend on their virtual family to share their happiness, sorrow, and stress. According to Pew Research, nearly 90 per cent of the youth of the USA rely on their social media family to share their emotions, feelings, and anxiety. Due to this, their bonds with their real families are getting weak, and they feel left out, isolated, and rejected in case of an internet outage. This reflects that people have become tech slaves in social bonding and are increasingly relying on technology to fulfil their social and emotional needs. Thus, the excessive use of social media platforms for interactions has blurred the line between real and virtual families, making people more reliant on technology for social interactions.

Further, the technological advancement in gadgets’ daily use and incorporation into people’s lives made people overly dependent on technology. The excessive use of mobile phones and other gadgets has affected people’s social and cognitive skills. According to Pew Research, 90 per cent of Americans only remember a single phone number with their cell phone. This reflects that people are increasingly dependent on technology to carry out their day-to-day activities. In addition, the increased use of GPS has corroded people’s navigation skills and made them tech-dependent to the extent that they feel they need more internet and GPS facility. Apart from that, people are increasingly relying on virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to perform daily activities. According to Wall Street Journal, virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa have eroded people’s cognitive abilities, patience, and mental health by making them over-dependent on such technology. Thus, the excessive incorporation of advanced gadgets in people’s daily lives has made them tech slaves.

Moreover, people are becoming overly dependent on technology due to their increasingly ease-loving lifestyle. As a result, bullet trains, self-driving cars, smart homes etc., are increasingly becoming common in today’s world. They are undoubtedly making people’s lives easy, but a single technological malfunction tends to cause a disaster, making people helpless in the face of technology. According to Ismat Tahseen, the love for a comfortable and easy-life style makes people too reliant on technology. From waking up to an alarm clock to sleeping in an air-conditioned or heated room, people are increasingly using technology to make their lives convenient. This has increasingly developed a situation where ‘living without technology is like living without air. Thus, the love for an easy lifestyle has made people tech slaves, resulting in deeply embedding of technology in their lives.

Not only in the social domain but also in the educational domain, people are becoming overly dependent on technology. The increased use of online learning platforms has made students rely on technology for learning purposes. However, in the absence of the internet, many students cannot learn, reflecting their dependence on technology for learning. For instance, many students in Malaysia skipped their school exams due to an internet outage that made them unable to join the school LMS. Thus, students are becoming overly dependent on technology for learning purposes, and technology is becoming the key decision-maker of their academic careers.

Further, the increased use of the internet in academic facilities has made the teaching staff and students overly dependent on technology. Incorporating digitally connected multimedia and smart classrooms have made technology a need rather than a want. According to The Conversation report, over-reliance on technology has made people teach slaves to the extent that schools in California let students out early because of an internet outage, as no internet means no work could be done. This reflects that the education sector has increasingly become reliant on technology and can only function properly with its assistance.

In addition to this, the expansion of online gaming platforms has made people overly dependent on technology for entertainment purposes. This has reduced the outdoor game trend and confined people, especially children, in rooms and in front of the screen. Furthermore, the increased use of online gaming platforms like Twitch, HitBox etc., is developing addiction among the youth and increasing anti-social behaviour among them. According to a UNICEF report, excessive use of online gaming platforms is developing addiction in youth and is influencing their social and academic life. According to Pew Research, children develop anxiety and depression if they are not allowed to play online games and act extremely aggressively. Thus, online gaming platforms have made people, particularly children, tech-addict, consequently enabling technology to control their behaviours.

Additionally, overreliance on technology has also affected the social lives of people. It has resulted in the disruption of interpersonal relationships and detraction from social norms. The increased use of social media platforms is chipping away at the need for people to interact with other humans in person. It has created a ‘virtual family’ concept, thereby making people ignore the actual relations around them. Due to this, people are paying no heed to the established societal norms as they are coming out of the ambit of social control. According to University College London, excessive use of mobile phones and social media platforms weaves a virtual world around a user that makes him ignorant of real-world relationships and social norms. Thus, over-dependence on technology is bringing social repercussions for people in the form of weakening of inter-personal relationships, increasing social isolation and detraction from social norms.

Moreover, excessive use of technology is increasing cyber-bullying and other cyber crimes. Hacking, stalking, cyber-harassment, cyber-bulling etc., are the cyber crimes people face in the contemporary era. According to an Al-Jazeera report, over 4.2 billion people use the internet worldwide, which accounts for 62 per cent of the global population. This increased use of information technology has made people vulnerable to cyber crimes and will likely cost the world 10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Thus, excessive use of technology has made people vulnerable to cyber-crimes and caused significant economic loss to the world.

Apart from the social repercussions of excessive use of technology, it also affects people’s mental functions and creates many psychological disorders among them. The excessive use of social media platforms allows people to post anything they want. Due to this, other people start becoming envious of the luxuries and comforts of life the other people are enjoying. As a result, the increased level of virtual envy and the quest for ‘likes’ on social media creates anxiety and depression. According to the University of Columbia, research, technology dependence is developing anxiety and depression among people as it is creating virtual envy among the masses, making them unable to sleep and focus on daily life activities. Thus, overreliance on technology is causing depression and anxiety among people and is influencing their mental health.

Further, technology dependence has led users to become completely engrossed in their mobiles. Due to this, they develop nomophobia- the fear of being away from the mobile phone- which, ultimately, creates impulsiveness, low self-esteem, mobile addiction, and sensation–seeking issues among the users. According to TrendHunter, nearly 66 per cent of the population suffers from nomophobia due to mobile addiction, causing them to lose focus and attention while performing tasks. Thus, over-dependence on technology is developing nomophobia among people, making them mobile-addict.

Moreover, technology dependence is affecting the cognitive development of people. The excessive use of social media is costing people their communication skills. Apart from that, people’s over-reliance on technology is affecting their risk assessment abilities of people. It is also affecting people’s memory as people rely on virtual memory to perform their activities. Due to this, people are experiencing a ‘brain drain’ as they cannot focus properly on work in the presence of mobile phones. According to CDC, overreliance on technology is affecting the creative abilities of people and reducing their thinking power. It also results in impaired memory and attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome among the users. Thus, over-dependence on technology is affecting the cognitive development of people and costing them their communication skills and thinking abilities.

Having discussed the excessive use of technology in political, economic, social, educational, and entertainment domains, it has become quite evident that people are becoming tech slaves and tech addicts. The incorporation of technology in every domain of life has made people fewer humans. It has given decision-making powers the hands of technology, and people appear helpless and numb if they cannot access technology. This results in social and psychological repercussions for people as it erodes their risk assessment skills, patience, and cognitive abilities and affects their interpersonal relations. It is also becoming the cause of anxiety and depression among people and makes people vulnerable to cyber crimes.

In a nutshell, people have become overly dependent on technology due to its incorporation into all domains of human life and its excessive use by them. For example, in the political domain, the expansion of online political participation and the emergence of electronic voting systems has made states unable to conduct elections without the assistance of technology. In addition, the increased use of online political campaigns and the digitalization of administrative machinery has made people tech slaves, giving power to technology to decide nations’ political fate. Moreover, due to increased use of artificial intelligence in economic activities, the rise of e-commerce, and the automation of industries have made people overly reliant on technology in carrying out economic activities. Furthermore, the increased use of social media platforms for social interaction, the advancement in daily use of gadgets, and the love for a comfortable lifestyle have made people extremely dependent on technology in such a way that for them,’ living without technology is like living without air. Additionally, the increased use of online learning platforms and the internet has made teachers and students much more reliant on technology. Apart from this, the emergence of online gaming platforms has made people tech-addict in a way that they develop anxiety and depression if they cannot access them. This technology dependence is creating many social and psychological repercussions by weakening interpersonal relations and the emergence of cyber-crimes. This also affects people’s mental abilities, leading to poor cognitive development and nomophobia.

CSS Solved Past Papers’ Essays

Looking for the last ten years of CSS and PMS Solved Essays and want to know how Sir Kazim’s students write and score the highest marks in the essays’ papers? Then, click on the CSS Solved Essays to start reading them.

CSS Solved Essays

CSS 2023 Solved Essays

Are you searching for CSS 2023 solved essays by Sir Syed Kazim Ali’s students? Click on any of the topics to start reading the solved essays.

1- Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone

2- The one who uses force is afraid of reasoning

3- Not all recycling projects are cost-effective

4- The fool speaks, and the wise listen

5- A friend walks in when everyone else walks out

6- Online learning is not only convenient but often more effective than traditional classroom instruction

7- To encourage healthy eating, higher taxes should be imposed on soft drinks and junk food

8- People have become overly dependent on technology

9- Both parents should assume equal responsibility in raising a child

10- Boys will be boys

CSS Solved General Science & Ability Past Papers

Want to read the last ten years’ General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Miss Iqra Ali & Dr Nishat Baloch, Pakistan’s top CSS GSA coach having the highest score of their students. 

General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers

Articles Might Interest You!

The following are some of the most important articles for CSS and PMS aspirants. Click on any to start reading.

List of Important Idioms for PMS Punjab

List of Important Antonyms for PMS Punjab

How To Write an Evidence in the CSS and PMS Essay Body

How Did I Prepare and Qualify for the PMS Essay and Precis Paper?

100 Must-Read Essays and Solved Past Papers Questions for CSS, PMS Aspirants

Why Do Most CSS, PMS Aspirants Fail Exams?

How Much Is English Important for CSS, PMS Aspirants?

Best CSS and PMS English Essay and Precis Teacher in Pakistan

High-Frequency Words for CSS, PMS Aspirants

CSS Solved Pakistan Affairs Past Papers

CSS Solved General Science and Ability Past Papers

CSS Solved Sentence Corrections with Explanations by Sir Kazim

Who Is The Best CSS English Essay and Precis Teacher in Pakistan?