Yes. We must recognize that technology has transformed our lives and is a decisive factor in evolution. And its effects have been felt for a long time. If we travel back a century, we will realize how the use of industrial machinery and motors represented an absolute revolution for the time. Well, the same is happening today with electronic devices, increasingly integrated into our daily activities. That represents positive aspects, evolution and opportunities. But it can also be translated into the presence of technological disorders that affect our health, our vision of the world and our interpersonal relationships. Join us in Supercurioso to learn about technological diseases whose incidence in the modern world seems not to stop.
10 technological disorders that we must be careful of
First of all, we must locate in the internet origin all these changes. The possibility of accessing a universal information and communication center has allowed the concept of globalization to be assumed as a reality. But beyond that, human psychology has become increasingly dependent on the devices that accompany its day to day, and this can represent quite a few problems. Let’s see what are those technological disorders that we must take care of.
1. The yesimaginary call syndrome
We begin this tour of the most popular technological diseases, talking about the imaginary call syndrome, which you have surely experienced at some point. In it, he mobile phone user thinks his device has been ringing or vibrating. The explanation is that our brain has begun to associate any impulse it receives with the mobile phone, especially if we are stressed. Up to 70% of mobile device users have ever suffered from this disorder.
2. Nomophobia
And among the most unusual technological disorders, and at the same time the most common, appears nomophobia. This materializes as excessive anguish for not having access to the mobile phone.
It can range from a slight feeling of discomfort to a severe anxiety attack. Many users even experience fear when realizing that their mobile is not where it should be. The name of this disorder is derived from three words: “no”, “mobile” and “phobia”.
3. The depression of Facebook or Instagram
And without a doubt, one of the most alarming technological diseases, and one that attacks the younger population with special force, is the depression of Facebook or Instagram. And it is that, in a world in which we always look for the social validationnot having it can represent a great drama.
This disorder manifests itself when the person feels affected or depressed by having many contacts in social networks or by the lack of them. The most common is to enter Facebook or Instagram to praise friends, upload photos or write about pleasant events. But users who spend a lot of time on other people’s social media pages often feel depressed because they compare the life of these users with their own and feel that their life is uninteresting and boring.
4. Dependence on the internet
Yes. We know that the internet is a vital tool in our daily lives, that allows us to work, communicate, have fun… But when it becomes a dependency, it becomes one of the most delicate technological disorders. It occurs when the person feels a sick need to be connected to the Internet all the time. The private and social life of the patient can be seriously affected. There is also the aspect of whatsappitis in which the person develops an addiction by being connected to their WhatsApp.
5. The dependence on online video games
This is one of the technological diseases that most affect children and adolescents. It is simply an obsessive hobby to be playing all the time. It is a disorder very similar to the previous one and very widespread.
Recently, to rehabilitate those who suffer from this disease, several programs similar to those of Alcoholics Anonymous have been created. In some countries, such as China, there are already centers of internet detox where qualified personnel help inmates.
6. The Google Effect
Another of the technological disorders in which we have all fallen more than once is the Google effect. The brain refuses to remember information as a result of being able to access it at any time. Why learn something by heart if search engines allow us to find any data when we need it? This disease can be suffered by both those who do not want to memorize and any Internet user.
7. Cyberchondria
Another of the most curious and dangerous among technological diseases is cyberchondria. It is a disorder where the person is convinced that they suffer from one or more diseases of whose existence they have found out on the internet. Those who suffer from it can start to feel really bad because of the nocebo effect, the opposite of the placebo effect. It is an evil that is also spreading rapidly among the population.
8. Cybersickness
This is one of the most curious technological disorders. It is a dizziness that some people feel when they travel in a means of transport. The word was coined in the 90s, when the first virtual reality devices appeared. and users of this technology presented dizziness. The concept of “virtual reality” is somewhat forgotten today.
9. Hikikomori syndrome
Another of the most interesting technological diseases to study is the Hikikomori Syndrome. It is a term used to define societies that go from using screens to abuse. And from abuse, to addiction. So, people who suffer from it prioritize virtual environments and make them their main space for interaction, to the detriment of real personal relationships, and reducing their contact with the outside world for long periods of time.
10. The Phubbing
And we close our tour of the worst technological upheavals with the Phubbing. It is a pathology in which people do not have any type of self-control in relation to the times of use of the cell phone.
It manifests as an uncontrollable need to pick up the cell phone to check anything, without any particular objective. This means that we ignore the person in front of us, by prioritizing attention to the device.
Have you seen a group of friends or a couple having dinner, and they are browsing on the phone, instead of looking into each other’s eyes or just talking? Well, it is the way in which this disorder manifests itself.
The use and degree of invasion of technology in our daily life is the responsibility of each person. Technological diseases can affect the quality of our life and our interpersonal ties, so it is convenient to be aware of the use that we are giving to our devices, so that they represent a contribution and not a problem.
If you are interested in continuing to reflect on this subject, do not miss this selection of the best phrases about technology Or maybe you want to know the best curiosities of nanotechnology.