Argumentative Essay: Are Computers Good for People?
Nowadays, everybody has a computer. They are useful in everyday life. In business, they keep secret files or important contracts, which would be hard to keep in a normal file. On the other hand, they are replacing the human mind more and more. Instead of thinking and searching in books, people find it easier to press some buttons and find the answers they were looking for even faster. Computers have a negative effect in life because they make people sedentary and unhealthy and they are affecting children’s education. Since writing was invented, the world of inventions has evolved a lot. One of the most important inventions are computers. Computers have many advantages. They can be used to play, to obtain information of all kinds, whether from newspapers or to listen to the radio, but all this is possible thanks to the Internet, one of the best inventions that have been devised over time. Although, a computer is not only fun, it is also a source of education among others. Computers are good means of education because it helps student practice writing, learning and reading, and find out and analyze any kind of information. It makes us think and evolve. Computers have had a great impact on our society since its appearance. Previously a computer had a huge size and its management or access was extremely complicated and its cost was very high, being inaccessible for most people. With the passing of time this has been changing too quickly and each one of its components has been modified and evolved to achieve greater and better organization and improvement in its functions and facilitating its use to the general public. By reducing its size was possible to have a personal computer, which have been introduced in all countries, both in developed countries and in developing countries and in all areas of society, coming to occupy a place important in a large number of homes. In 2013, 84 percent of households had a computer (desktop, laptop, handheld, or other), with the percentage growing to 87 percent in 2015 (American Community Survey Reports).
But computers also have drawbacks. Computers also have harmful impact on people’s health. The most hazardous part of any computer is its screen. Due to it, users can get 2 types of radiation: X-ray and electromagnetic radiation. Both types influence health and our eyesight. Radiation from the screen affects the eyes, making it difficult to identify objects in high resolution. A magnetic field, generated by computers, also harms the brain; therefore, resulting in jumbled thoughts or memories. A common symptom of computers’ adverse effects is restless sleeping. When using a computer, the brain is constantly moving like a water turbine. Therefore, after prolonged use, the eyes are strained, the brain is on maximum is still expecting more work and so results in kicking and turning while sleeping. The more time is spent in front of a computer screen, the more damage to the eyes and brain occurs. Computers also make people addicted. In fact, Chinese scientists consider the Internet and computer addiction to be a serious psychological problem. It also hampers people’s development in real life. People do not read printed books anymore, since they can listen to audio books or read books online. People spend less time with other people, since communicating with people online is much easier. Since computers became more compact, people have started to take them everywhere, something that could not be done when they were only PCs and no laptops. With this, people are becoming dependent on their computers. Because they can find all sorts of information through them by navigating on the internet, they lose interest in finding out information by themselves, reading a book, asking other people. Computers are turning people asocial. “Teens are spending more than one-third of their days using media such as online video or music — nearly nine hours on average, according to a new study from the family technology education non-profit group, Common Sense Media. For tweens, those between the ages of 8 and 12, the average is nearly six hours per day” (The Washington Post). Today's children no longer use toys, they no longer entertain them, they think it's better to have a computer. Although this is not the fault of the children but of the parents who allow it, if it continues like this the society will go down, there will be very few people who remain people, with so much technology that people will act as robots, all depending on an electronic device, the computer. In contrast, many others think that computers has many functions such as: listen to music, read newspaper, communicate to each other, find information for learning… For example, if someone lives away from their family, they can use computer services such as Skype, to call them, message them and keep contact with them. People also can distract their minds on a computer by playing games, watching videos… Besides, computers can also help to save important documents. However, if the person is too dependent on the computer, it will bring many disadvantages that cannot be imagined. As a result, they can become a passive person with lazy thinking. A lot of people become addicted to computers, especially the children, they can sit in front of computers all day, not eating and drinking for hours. The worst effect computers have had on humans has been on children and their education. Illiteracy is a growing issue, and many say that computers are to blame. In the past few years, many teachers have taken to shuffling their students off to a computer to type out short, quick assignments that could easily be written out by hand. While this isn’t much of an issue for older students, it is an issue for the younger students who are just learning to read and write. Regardless of how much people have come to rely on computers, printing and handwriting are necessary skills to have. But typing out assignments has an effect on more than just the ability to print. It can also negatively impact their spelling and grammar. While most programs now have spell-and grammar-check, they are not infallible; they cannot differentiate between homonyms and will often times suggest corrections that are not, in fact, correct. Furthermore, information is often more easily and accurately remembered when children have to spend a little time writing it out by hand, rather than a few quick minutes typing away at a keyboard. In conclusion, computers have had many positive effects for humanity since they were first invented. They’ve helped humans progress and innovate. They provide information immediately by using the internet and they help people to connect with each other at distance. However, there are more disadvantages than advantages. Computers are turning people into monotonous beings, dependent on this technology to go through everyday life. They’re used for everything, so people don’t have to put effort or do anything. If this continues, people will slowly stop going out, meeting people, having new experiences and acquiring knowledge from them that cannot be accessed through a computer screen. Computers also damage people’s health with the radiations of the screen, and even more with how much time people spend looking at it. There needs to be a change made in society, so people can understand how much damage they’re doing to themselves by abusing this technology which has been for humanity a blessing and a curse.