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Tech-a-Break:  Doing Away with Virtual Addiction - Pearl Academy

A child terrorized with a nightmare of robots taking over the world, a teen who cannot do without his I-pad for a single minute, a mid-career employee addicted to his latest PlayStation, a senior citizen suffering a vertigo attack because of hours of non-stop internet. These scenarios are getting too familiar, unfortunately in today’s world which is being powered by technology and these are a cause for concern. The problem, say experts, is not rapid tech advancement but the inability of humans to switch themselves off from the virtual world.

According to the book Phobias: A Handbook of Theory and Treatment, published by Wile Coyote, between 10 percent to 20 percent people globally, are affected by Robophobia, — the fear of robots and artificial intelligence machines. This `disease’ typically develops during childhood and teenage years, causing anxiety levels to rise when the `patient’ is near autonomous machines, like a human-looking robot, triggering off symptoms that your child experienced last night. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; in today’s `technology-ridden’ world, fallouts like Robophobia are in plethora.

Virtual Reality addiction is another point in case. These games have computer-generated, real-like scenes and environments and are played wearing headphones or helmets that magnify the gaming experience, transforming the player into one of the characters, say, a doctor, learning how to perfect the next heart surgery. Sounds fun without doubt, but these games come with a disclaimer that they are not for children below 13, those with pre-existing medical issues or pacemaker-like implants, pregnant women, the elderly, or people with psychiatric disorders; the list is endless. The health and safety guidelines pages of the manufacturers also warn against potential risks of `post-traumatic stress disorder’, serious effects on vision and irreparable hearing, but unfortunately, the warnings fall on deaf ears.

Cybernetic Septicemia or Bionic degradation refers to the potential risk to the human body when there is a combination of biological and artificial systems. For instance, when an artificial limb is attached to a human body, cybernetics comes into play and when the bionic implant, the limb in such case, degrades or decays in an unexpected manner inside the body, the deterioration introduces life-threatening toxins, potentially prompting a range of infections inside the body.

The use of nanotechnology for experimental applications is on the rise, and researchers expect that apart from being harmful to the environment, the degradation of nanotech materials ingested or implanted in the body may trigger the human body into a `nanotoxicological shock’. Spending several hours playing video games where the player becomes another person creates confusion in the mind of the player about their true self, leading to a state of personality identity dysphoria. Studies link anxiety, severe depression, isolation, suicide attempts, distraction and attention deficit disorder with the rise in the use of smartphones, tablets and other devices. The list, regrettably, doesn’t end here.

Where are we headed?

At the rate at which technology is transforming, we are likely to see diseases and disorders that we had never even imagined in the past and may not be able to visualize even today. We have already witnessed metamorphoses of dangerous pathogens from time to time; cancer has mutated and Covid 19 modified itself numerous times in these 3 years. Witnessing the speedy progression of diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included an unknown “Disease X” on its global watch list: Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease. The same fate could well be expected from the rapid technological mutations we are experiencing the world over.

Way forward

It’s important to demarcate boundaries, set a time limit to virtual usage and create a timetable to his effect, explain to the dos and don’ts of tech to children, choose more outdoor and sports activities. Meal times should not be screen times, limit usage of social media and don’t read any messages during meals. Communicate with your family and friends and have conversations with them.

Though technology is itself a causative factor for illnesses, it provides treatment for future diseases too. Thanks to technology, the world transitioned overnight to online education and unique ways of doing business during the pandemic; the education loss to students and the economic collapse worldwide in the absence of these technological adjustments would have been devastating. Technological breakthroughs in medicine, architecture, education, entertainment, etc. are without doubt desirable and will also continue to advance in the future. Virtual gaming is a great way to unwind and continue to be in touch with friends and family.

While technology advances humans ahead, its dependency is coming at a cost of being enslaved to it. In today’s time, abstinence from technology is not really an option but making a responsible choice will definitely make a huge difference.

References:

1. https://phobia.fandom.com/wiki/Robophobia
2. https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/virtual-reality
3. https://gizmodo.com/10-diseases-that-might-afflict-us-in-the-future-1666688319
4. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/13/health/virtual-reality-vr-dangers-safety/index.html
5. https://artchester.net/2019/03/future-diseases/
6. https://www.who.int/activities/prioritizing-diseases-for-research-and-development-in-emergency-contexts
7. http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/health-and-technology

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