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Dave Knight Professor Dolmage ENGL 109, University of Waterloo 7 July 2013 Research and Argument Essay: Is Our Dependency on Computers Good? Most people today cannot imagine what life would be like without their laptop, tablet, or smart phone. In this modern world, computers are a necessity. Without computers, most industries including education, business, and technology would be severely hindered. However, peoples use of computers has transformed from dependence to addiction. This addiction, just like any other, is dangerous and can lead to health, social, and environmental issues. This makes it easy to see that peoples dependency on computers is not good and should be closely moderated. Using a computer for many hours every day can lead to repetitive stress injuries. Although these injuries are not life threatening, they can be very painful and debilitating (Hendrickson). As explained by Hendrickson: Repetitive strain injuries can be caused by a variety of work conditions, including computer use (Hendrickson). Back and neck problems are also a common problem amongst computer users. Over time, sitting in an incorrect posture can damage your spine which worsens back and neck pain (Triano). One of the biggest repetitive stress injuries is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) .CTS has become very common among computer users due to incorrect sitting postures and extensive typing over a long period of time (Hendrickson). CTS has many symptoms which can vary from the inability to perform simple

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hand movements such as holding objects to the complete loss of feeling in your fingers or hand. A person's quality of life is decreased with CTS, it prevents them from doing whatever they enjoy. Since using computers for many hours at a time can lead to repetitive stress injuries and back and neck problems, our dependency on them is not good. As well, sitting in front of a computer screen late into the night can lead to many problems. It is easy to see that staying up all night on your computer leads to sleep loss. Sleep loss can affect a persons mental health (Peri). As explained by Dr Peri: Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. (Peri). Thus, sleep loss can influence a persons ability to learn, concentrate and reason (Peri). However, sleep loss also leads to serious health problems. A study has proven that long term sleep loss harms our immune system (Wickham). This has a negative impact on our lives because it increases our vulnerability to diseases. Another study has shown that long term sleep loss can affect the body's hormones which regulate appetite (Rettner). This appetite change makes us eat more fatty food which in turn leads to obesity. It is clear the sleep loss people experience through their addiction to computers decreases their quality of life by hindering their mental and physical health. Moreover, many people ignore the eye risks and problems of using computers. Eye Strain is a major effect which can happen from starring at a computer all day. When you look at things that are closer to your face your blink rate slows down (Chan). This makes tears evaporate more quickly compared to when you are blinking at a normal rate causing your eyes to dry up (Chan). Therefore, staring closely at a computer screen for long periods of time can cause dryness, eye exhaustion, and even muscle aches (Webster). Although not proven, eye professionals notice a seeming link between nearsightedness, and staring closely at a computer screen for long periods of time (Webster). Thus, our addiction to computers is not good for our eyes.

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Furthermore, computers have been known to emit radiation (Barone). These low levels of radiation are harmless for short lengths of exposure, but with enough exposure they can be harmful (Barone). Computer radiation can burn your skin and make you feel sick (Barone). Having a laptop on your lap for a long period of time can cause a skin condition just from the heat (Barone). For men, studies show that the use of laptop computers connected to internet through Wi-Fi decreases sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation (Freur T. et al). Clearly our addiction to computers is not good for human beings, due to side effects including radiation. Computers pose a huge threat to society because it is very easy for our youth to become addicted to them. Studies have shown that adolescents are more prone to becoming hooked to computers (Guana). Once hooked students have less time for doing homework, studying or socializing. Such a pattern will eventually affect their grades, health, and social life (Guana). It also takes time away that should be spent exercising to help them grow. The lack of exercise may contribute to weight problems such as obesity (Guana). It is easy to see our addiction to computers is not good for todays youth. Furthermore, Computer addiction disrupts relationships of people with family and friends. People that are addicted to computers tend to remove themselves from social interactions just so they can spend more time on the computer (Shek T. et al). Also, if their primary friends are screen names online, they may end up having difficulty with real life conversations (Shek T. et al). When someone becomes addicted to their favorite video game they tend to place more emotional value on events within the game rather than things happening in their real lives (Shek T. et al). Since our addiction to computers can lead to behavioral issues, it is not good for our social lives.

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Computers also have a negative impact to the environment. Many computers are obsolete within a couple years causing them to be discarded often. A predicted amount of 40 million tones is generated every year, most of this waste ends in landfills (Mcallister). This waste has a negative impact on the environment since the heavy metals and dangerous chemicals make up these electronics pose health risks to the society. These heavy metals contain chemicals which are toxic and help contribute to global warming (Mcallister). Toxins from the waste eventually reach drinking water which poses a huge health risk to our society. Computers also cause an unnecessary amount of waste of paper. People that use their computers and never turn it off waste a large amount of electricity. This electricity could have been potentially saved and reduce the amount of electricity produced by burning fossil fuels. Therefore our addiction to computer is clearly not good for our environment. The health and mental effects related to using a computer for long periods of time are taking its toll on todays society. As well, a large part of todays youth is suffering from computer addiction. It is clear that our dependency for computers has a negative influence on our society. Therefore even though computers are vital for many aspects of our daily lives we must be more aware of the side effects of excessive computer use and take precautions in order to mitigate them.

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Works Cited Wi-Fi decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation Fertil Steril , p. , 2012 , Freour T. et al. Andersen, Johan Hviid. "Computer Use and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome." JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA, 11 June 2003. Web. 16 July 2013. Barone, Danielle. "Computer Radiation." Bellaonline- Family Health. Bellaonline, n.d. Web. 16 July 2013. Hendrickson, Mark. "Repetitive Stress Injury." Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic, n.d. Web. 16 July 2013. McAllister, Lucy. "The Human and Environmental Effects of E-Waste." Population Reference Bureau. Population Reference Bureau, Apr. 2013. Web. 16 July 2013. Rettner, Rachael. "Sleep-Deprived Teens May Pay a Hefty Price." LiveScience.com. LiveScience.com, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 16 July 2013. Topping, Alexandra. "Energy Bills and Emissions Still Rising Due to Gadget Addiction, Says Report." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 July 2013.

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Works Cited Triano, John J. "Office Chair: How to Reduce Back Pain?" Spine-health. Spine-health, 02 Aug. 2002. Web. 16 July 2013. Webster, Molly. "Sitting Too Close to the Computer Screen Can Make You Go Blind: Scientific American." Scientific America. Scientific America, n.d. Web. 16 July 2013. Wickham, Chris. "Late Night TV/computer Sessions Linked to Depression." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 24 July 2012. Web. 16 July 2013. Chan, Amanda. "3 Ways Technology Affects Your Eyes." LiveScience.com. LiveScience.com, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 July 2013. Guana, Shu-Sha Angie, and Kaveri Subrahmanyam. "Youth Internet Use: Risks and Opportunities." Http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/. Http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/, 2009. Web. 16 July 2013. Shek, Daniel T. L., Rachel C. F. Sun, and Lu Yu. "Internet Addiction." Springerreference.com/. Springerreference.com/, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 July 2013. Peri, Camille. "10 Surprising Effects of Lack of Sleep." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013.