The lives most people live today is run by media, smart phones, and technology. Take a second to walk the streets, sit down in a restaurant, or look around and one can see how ingrained technology is in our every action -- people are always "plugged in". Some may argue the extent of technology use today is natural and nothing but beneficial to our lives, but the clear detriments of technology overuse and addiction are real. Not even 40 years ago we lived in a world of mystery, wonder, excitement, curiosity, and exploration. Everyday people were pushed to find the knowledge they knew was out there and share it with the world; society was constantly progressing, nations were collaborating and uniting instead of competing and separating, and the best seemed yet to come. As technology advanced, social media arose, and information became available at your fingertips something changed. The great benefits and awe associated with new technology faded and left people unable to cope with the real world because they have only experienced it behind their screen. Overall, by living plugged in lives, avoiding face-to-face relationships, relying on our devices for emotions instead of creating our own, and learning to be "alone together" we are using technology to define our lives rather than enrich them. This is important because as we integrate technology more and more it is vital we find a balance between time in front of the screen and in real life.

When addressing technology addiction it is important to define it and distinguish it from its counterparts. Defining the overuse of technology is incredibly hard and often debated though, and the line between smartphone or internet habitual use, overuse, and addiction is not clear. Medical doctors, Vivek Agarwal and Sujit Kumar Kar, define internet addiction in their article "Technology addiction in adolescents" as, "an excessive or poorly controlled pre-occupation, urge or behavior related to the internet and computers, that is significantly impairing and distressing" (170). In the most basic sense, technology addiction is present when ones use staggers or takes away from their life instead of adding to it. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish an addiction or overuse of devices and a habitual action. Some people consider themselves addicted because they don't leave their house without their smart phone, keep it on at night, and enjoy text messaging or social media -- this is not an addiction but just a habitual action. Humans are naturally social creatures and using the internet to communicate is not a bad behavior or addiction. When people use technology to escape real life, let it interfere with their work or education, define their phone as the most important thing in their life, or become moody and irritable without it is when they have a behavioral addiction (Griffiths 77).

Although the extensive of smart phones is a problem, the argument for a continual increase in technology is established and strong. There are numerous upsides to the internet when used correctly, but the downsides are equally prevalent. In general, the uses of technology today are endless. When utilized correctly smart phones and the internet can bring information to people otherwise unreachable, connect long lost friends and relatives, capture life's greatest moments, help the elderly have better care and independence, and even trigger a revolution from oppression in Egypt. The main arguments fueling having no personal restrictions on technology use are how extremely rare these addictions are and how technology is helping students and the elderly. In the online article by Simon Hill, "Is smartphone addiction even real?", Dr. Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University, is interviewed on the subject of being addicted to your smartphone. He explains, "We know that some people do spend excessive amounts of time on their smartphone but if it's not interfering with their job, or their education, or their relationships, or other hobbies, then we shouldn't be patronizing them" (4). What Dr. Griffiths says is absolutely true, but also slightly misinformed. Smart phones, the internet, and computers mean well but are so integrated into people's lives they often interfere with work, education, hobbies, and relationships. Students find it difficult to go through class without checking their phone, employees surf the web rather than working, peoples hobbies now include endlessly scrolling through social media, and relationships often comprise of a couple on their phones instead of enjoying conversation.

The second counterargument supporting the increased use of technology is how the internet helps students in the classroom and how it can help the elderly with their treatment and independence. Nicola Armstrong addresses how smartphones can help the elderly in her journal article "Using smartphones to address the needs of persons with Alzheimer's disease". Those with Alzheimer's disease have four main needs: personalized information, social contact and comfort, health monitoring, and support with dementia symptoms (486). Smart phones can provide personalized memory-aids, encourage communication, provide alarms and GPS systems, and assist in daily activities. Secondly, some argue students in the classroom can only benefit from having more technology available. Norazah Mohd Suki argues in her paper, "Students' dependence on smart phones", that although there is strong evidence of widespread smartphone dependence educational developers need to encourage students' use of personal technologies in the education process (132). Personal devices in the classroom can provide more learning opportunities, but create far more distractions and cultivate shorter attention spans.

Technology and smart phones may be beneficial in some aspects, but the issue lies within how addictive and enticing technology today is. The internet can be a mechanism for escaping real world problems, and provides users a high degree of novelty and unpredictability (Chen et al. 542). The short term excitement and spike of dopamine causes smart phone and internet users to keep coming back for more -- cultivating technology overuse or addiction. In Sherry Turkle's TED talk, "Connected, but alone?", she adds valuable and important insights into the underlying causes of technology overuse and the problems associated with it. Most importantly, Turkle talks about the fear of missing out (FOMO) prevailing in most people's lives today. People want to be heard and understood, and included in the "group" (Turkle n.p.). This need for belonging is simply part of human nature and the rise of smart phones has created a tainted outlet for people to feel included and heard. Smart phones (especially social media) provide the illusion of companionship without the rewarding demands of real friendships. Furthermore, by increasing ones online presence they not only have less people providing them feedback in real life, but the brain subconsciously sees how much is happening online and they naturally become anxious over the fear of missing something important (Turkle n.p.). Although there is nothing to realistically miss out on, people become anxious and continually check their devices to not miss out on the latest news -- clearly hindering their everyday life.

The overuse of technology is not only associated with more anxiety in a person's life, but also usually adverse social, emotional, and physical issues. In an exploratory study performed by Sung-Wei Chen et al., "Work Stress and Subsequent Risk of Internet Addiction Among Information Technology Engineers in Taiwan", it was found that work stress can lead to biological responses such as depression/anxiety, which then cause behavioral addictions such as an addiction to the internet (545). This is experimental study is important because it shows that the stress most adults feel in the workplace can in fact lead to behavioral addictions. If external stress can push someone to internet addiction that addiction then only fuels more and more stress/anxiety in a person's life because of their newfound dependence on being plugged in at all times. Furthermore, Jai Dev Singh explains the numerous health issues caused by the overuse use of smart phones in the journal article "Health Complications Caused by Excessive use of Smartphones". Singh shows the major complications related to the overuse of smartphones and one's health to be: back pain, cervical problems, sleeplessness, hearing defects, psychological disorders, cancer, visual impairment, memory loss and more (118). The radio waves emitted from mobile phones are often so strong they can damage the tissue surrounding them, cause heart problems due to red blood cells leaking hemoglobin, lower sperm count in males, and contribute to reduced hearing in our ears (118-119). Additionally, because 91% of college-aged student report using their phones extensively before they go to sleep the blue light emitted from devices causes widespread sleeping problems (119). Like any other electronic screen, staring at a smartphone for prolonged periods of time can and will cause major health problems.

Technology also creates a sense of control and order to our lives people would never have thought possible, and the promises offered by our devices seem to deliver everything "we are missing out on". Dr. Mark Griffiths perfectly explains the sense of control users feel from their smartphones and the issues because of that in his article "Adolescent mobile phone addiction", saying: 

"Smartphone users feel they've got more control to communicate with whoever they want, whenever they want. But ironically, it's that sense of control that creates the anxiety. It's made younger people more reliant on maintaining those contacts  --  which can create issues from bullying, to being marginalized and excluded. People lose track of time, are becoming socially isolated and before they know it, can't stop. Not having your phone raises your heart rate and signs of panic. These symptoms are almost identical to alcoholism or addiction to gambling, food or drugs" (76). 

A sense of control is highly sought after in our daily lives because people enjoy feeling that they are at the cause of what's happening around them, and smartphones create a false sense of this control. Although users can stay more in touch with who they want to, the urge to stay updated at all times never allows users to relax. Also, like the promise of having more control, technology attempts to deliver what only real life can offer. Internet games, virtual reality, and mobile phone apps showcase a grand life and persona outside of the real world. Todd Essig explains this dilemma as simulation entrapment in his article, "The Addiction Concept and Technology". He goes on to explain, " ...  the entrapped take gameplay in the game world to be an actual epic journey into which they can invest their life. They feel compelled to get back to the adventure as soon as possible because that is where they will find the next step in their life's journey" (1177). Simulation entrapment causes users to live vicariously through their game instead of experiencing real life. Technology was developed to enrich our lives rather than define it, and this is how it needs to be.

Another important effect of the overuse of technology is people relying on it for their emotions, rather than having emotions and then sharing them on the internet. For example, a majority of people find themselves on their smartphones just because they are bored, lonely, emotionless, or want entertainment. Depending on technology to provide emotions we should be having in real life is utilizing the behavioral learning style of operant conditioning (Lee et al. 2328). When our devices provide nothing but positive reinforcements we learn through operant conditioning to continue reaching for them for the good emotions we feel. Additionally, even though some may feel their technology is enabling them to have more control the opposite is becoming true. By relying on technology for a range of emotions people are learning to be at the effect of their environment rather than at the cause. As a society and individuals we need to be directly shaping our future in the most positive direction, but by using our devices to create emotions for us we are living nothing but a fabricated life. 

The adverse effects of technology addiction on an individual and personal level are not the only issues that arise from the adoption of more technology in our lives -- public and workplace concerns are also beginning to surface. When a person is dependent on the internet or their device that dependency does not stay at home with them. People are increasingly using their smartphones while they drive, walking the streets, during their class lectures, and at their workplace. Mohammad Salehan and Arash Negahban talk over this problem in their journal article, "Social networking on smartphones", by adding, "Internet addiction not only is harming people's personal lives, it is also making organizations more concerned about their employees' productivity, network congestion, and corporate data privacy" (2632). Instead of staying productive and alert during the day people often find themselves avoiding responsibilities by being on their devices. Additionally, it is common to see people using their smartphones while driving -- causing incredibly dangerous situations. Technology is exceedingly tempting, but if it is kept in its rightful place and used correctly problems at school, work, on the road, and in everyday life should be weakened.

