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The study was designed to examine addiction to technological devices along with investigating its effect on an individual's lifestyle, ...
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Declaration I hereby declare that this dissertation entitled Addiction to technological devices: Its effect on an individual’s health, lifestyle and social skills. is entirely my own work, and it has never been submitted nor is it currently being submitted for any other degree. Candidate: Carys Parry Signature: C.Parry Date: 21 st^ April 2016
Abstract Modern technological devices have captured the attention of the world. The degree of dependency that most individuals have is leading to addiction to technological devices. Technology addiction is a mostly recent psychological phenomenon that has attracted the attention of the media and medical community. The study was designed to examine addiction to technological devices along with investigating its effect on an individual’s lifestyle, health and social skills. The aim of the study was to examine the time spent by individuals using technological devices, investigate the intentions behind the use of technological devices and services and to critically asses the impact of the addictive use of technological devices on individual’s health, lifestyle and social skills. Using both structured questionnaires and a semi structured focus group, primary data was collected from 158 respondents, aged between 18 and 35. The findings of the study show that 71% of all participant’s use some kind of technological device for more than 6 hours a day. The study also found that the devices were being used for the individuals pleasure rather than for a necessity. Overall it was found that the level of technological device usage can affect an individual’s behaviours which in turn can affect their own lifestyle, health and social skills. The study has revealed that the addictive behavioural traits, that are linked with the device usage, can have many negative impacts on an individual. The results of study have been interpreted based on current studies and theories. Key words: Technology, Addiction, Technological Devices and Services, Health
Chapter 1 Introduction
“The term technology comes from the Greek word “techne”, which means the art or skill used in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function; technology is the making, modification, usage and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques and method of organisation” (Liddell et al., 1968). Woods (2001) states that “Technology is one trait that scientists use to distinguish humans from their prehumen ancestors. Experts say that our ancestors became fully human when they started using technology such as counting.” The 1980’s digital revolution has encouraged a change in the way that technology is defined. “The Digital Revolution refers to the advancement of technology from analogue, electronic and mechanical devices to the digital technology available today. The era started during the 1980s and is ongoing. The Digital Revolution also marks the beginning of the Information Era” (Techopedia.com, 2016). Technological advancements have changed our relationship with information. This is not just the case in western countries, for example in “Nigeria there are more than 48 million people with access to the internet, almost a third of the population” (InternetWorldStats.com, 2016.) We can now access almost any information through the internet, anywhere in the world. Access to information has become easier than ever before and locations around the world are getting closer virtually. Technology is the result of creativity and innovations of humans. However, “there can be a negative side resulting from inappropriate or overuse of technology, and that negative side can have serious and long-term consequences” (DeLoatch, 2015). “With each passing season, another wave of mobile devices is released that’s more capable and more powerful than the generation preceding it” (Bonnington, 2015). New state-of-the-art devices are being produced on a daily basis and are attracting the attention of the current generation. The youth of today are becoming the largest consumers of technological devices and services. “The use of technology in the home is ubiquitous among 10- 15 year-olds and personal ownership is also high, as 59% own their own smartphone, 48% their own games console, 39% their own tablet and 37%
their own laptop. Use of social networks is also high, as 87% have used a social network or app in the last month” (Segal, 2014). “Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you” (NHS Choices, 2015). The use of the word addiction can be used for many behaviour patterns such as drug addiction, food addiction, work addiction and technological addiction. “As computer and mobile phone use has increased, so too have computer and internet addictions. People may spend hours each day and night surfing the internet or gaming while neglecting other aspects of their lives” (NHS Choices, 2015). Many teenagers of today spend a lot of time using technological gadgets. According to Simmons (2008), some individuals may become as obsessed with obtaining the latest in technology as with using it. It becomes a status symbol, and long lines may form with people waiting for hours in inclement weather just to be the first through the doors as sales of the newest device begins. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable when it comes to technology addiction. “Teens tend to have poor coping mechanisms. In the face of stress, they often turn to what’s comforting to them, usually something easy to focus on, including online videos or social media sites” (Verial, no date). Due to the high level of availability of technology it enables teenagers to change their focus from the real world to the online and virtual world. “One attraction of technologies such as online video games and the Internet is the anonymity it brings, allowing teens to express themselves without putting their ego at risk” (Verial, no date). Research conducted by Segal (2014) shows that some 66% of children who use social media say they check their profile or app at least once each day, 57% fear being left out of their friendship group if they aren’t on social media and 42% say they feel more confident expressing themselves online than in real life. 1.1 Context of Study This study is an empirical based research project designed to examine the impacts of addiction to technological devices. The study will look into the impact that addiction to technological devices has on health, lifestyle and social skills of individuals aged between 18 and 35. A gap has been identified in literature surrounding the topic. Current research tends to
negative impacts of technology. Chapter 4: Results and Findings The results and findings of all of the research will be presented in this chapter. Graphs and figures will be used to clearly display collected data. It will outline how the data from the research was processed and analysed to ensure the research questions are answered to the best ability. Chapter 5: Discussion Chapter 5 will be a critical analysis of the results and findings of the research and an analysis of the methodology that was used. It will discuss the results of the research with reference to the literature that has been discussed in the literature review. It will also reference to what the research initially set out to do and if it met the aims and objectives of the study. Chapter 6: Conclusion The conclusion will include a summary of the research results along with a discussion of the study aims and objectives. There will also be an explanation of each conclusion that has been drawn from the research. The results will also be linked with existing literature on the area.
Chapter 2 Methodology 2.1 Aims and Objectives The aim of the research is to identify the effects that addiction to technological devices has on health, lifestyle and social skills of individuals between 18 and 35 years of age. The objectives of this study are; To examine the time spent by individuals, aged between 18 and 35 years, using technological devices. Primary research methods of an online questionnaire and focus group will be used to gather research. To investigate the intentions behind the use of technological devices and services using both primary and secondary research methods. Online questionnaires, focus groups and academic papers will be used to gather research. To critically assess the impact of the addictive use of technological devices on individuals, aged between 18 and 35, health, lifestyle and social skills. Online questionnaires and academic papers will be used for both primary and secondary research methods. 2.2 Participants and sample This is a study consisting of primary data collection using a mixed method approach. A questionnaire and focus groups have been completed by individuals aged between 18 and 35. The questionnaire participants are any individuals aged between 18 and 35. Purposive sampling has been used within the study. “The purposive sampling technique, also called judgment sampling, is the deliberate choice of a participant due to the qualities the participant possesses. It is a nonrandom technique that does not need underlying
methods. The researcher decided on the use of a questionnaire in order to provide mainly quantitative data with some qualitative. The questionnaire consisted of mainly closed questions. Crowther-Dowey and Fussey (2013) suggested that “surveys can be the best-known method of collecting data”. This method was chosen as questionnaires “have the ability to gain a large response rate within a short period of time” (Caulfield & Hill, 2014). The use of a questionnaire was most suitable for this study as it enables a standard set of questions to be asked to all respondents. A large amount of individuals are also able to participate. Although there are both negative and positive aspects of each research method. A negative of using a questionnaire is that it may “not allow the participant to expand on their answer and fully express their view” (Crowther-Dowey and Fussey, 2013). Questionnaires that are “lengthy are linked to respondents suffering from questionnaire fatigue” (Schuman and Presser, 1996). The researcher ensured that the questionnaires were designed to engage the participants and therefore prevent fatigue. Another positive of using a questionnaire as part of the study is that the researcher was able to access a large sample extremely easy and cheaply. The positives outweighed the negatives for this research and a questionnaire has been deemed the most suitable research method. An inductive research strategy was used throughout the study. “Inductive approach starts with the observations and theories are formulated towards the end of the research and as a result of observations” (Goddard and Melville, 2004). The research conducted was a cross sectional design approach as it was “completed by a respondent at a single point in time” (Rindfleisch et al., 2008). Unlike a cross sectional design, the longitudinal design “employs repeated measures on the same group of people over a substantial period, often a number of years” (Coolican, 2014). This is in order to achieve an understanding of how the topic changes or develops over time. The researcher decided to conduct a cross sectional based approach due to the aim of wanting to gain data from one point in time. The benefits of using a cross sectional based approach within this particular research was due to the time scale provided to complete the research. Due to the research being both qualitative and quantitative different analysis methods
have been used. The quantitative data collected from the questionnaires have been statistically analysed using Microsoft Excel. This type of analysis has enabled clear conclusions to be drawn from within the data. The qualitative data collected from the focus group has been labelled and coded enabling the researcher to carry out content analysis. Thematic analysis has also been used to analyse the results supported by spreadsheets and graphs to illustrate the analyses made. “Thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analysing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. It minimally organises and describes your data set in (rich) detail. However, it also often goes further than this, and interprets various aspects of the research topic” (Boyatzis, 1998). The focus group has been used to add significance to the conclusions drawn from the analysis of the questionnaire. The information collected from the focus group has provided qualitative information regarding the time spent by individuals using technology and the intentions behind the usage. The questionnaire used in this study was clearly structured. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of information about the demographic profile of the individual, such as gender, age and whether they are a student. The questionnaire then goes on to contain both open and close ended questions regarding the individuals use of technology and technological devices along with the health status of the participant. The semi-structured focus group was conducted with students regarding their own use of technology and technological devices along with the intentions of using these services and devices. The semi-structured focus group was chosen to enable “a form of strategy in qualitative research in which attitudes, opinions or perceptions towards an issue, product, service or programme are explored through a free and open discussion between meters of the group and the researcher” (Kumar, 2011). The focus group consisted of an opening question followed by further questions drawn from the discussion. This enabled relaxed and natural responses from the participants rather than a highly structured focus group which some participants may have felt intimidating. 2.4 Ethical Considerations There were many ethical considerations that needed to be addressed throughout the
Chapter 3 Literature Review 3.0 Literature Review There are many studies that consider the negative impacts that technology has on individuals. There are also studies which show the positive impacts of technology on individuals. Other studies take both sides into consideration and reveal a balanced approach regarding the impacts of technological services and devices. 3.1 Positive impacts of technology “Technology has become important in our daily lives” (Ramey, 2012). Mobile technology allows individuals to talk to each other around the world. “The global smartphone audience surpassed the 1 billion mark in 2012 and will total 1.75 billion in 2014” (Srivastava, 2014). Technological devices may have positive effects on individuals as creativity skills and strategic thinking can be revealed. Technology also enables better sources for learning and encourages youth to enjoy learning. “It has provided opportunities for students all over the world to receive an education online, while still maintaining work schedules and family” (Walker, 2014). The following studies support the positive effects of technology and technological devices. The growth of the internet continues every second. “Almost 42% of the world’s population has access to the internet in January 2015, representing a significant jump in reported numbers since last years’ report, when the same figure was just 35%” (Kemp, 2015). In August 2014 the number of “worldwide social media users exceeded 2 billion” (Kemp, 2015). Research conducted by O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson (2011) shows that “Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical skills” “Online communication of all types is the most efficient yet, with email being a near- instantaneous version of the paper letter; webcams, paired with communication programs such as Skype, iChat or Google Video Chat, make it possible to see the person you are speaking with rather than just hear his voice” (Storm, no date).
“The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year” (Bowen, 2014). 3.2 Negative impacts of technology The following studies highlight some of the negative factors accosted with technology and the use of technological devices. “Keeping the kids busy during a long car ride is a cinch thanks to digital devices that will play apps, games, music, movies and TV shows. But children often wear earbuds and headphones, and in doing so, risk irreversible eardrum damage if the volume is too loud. Further, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that computer screens emit low levels of x-ray radiation. While there is no evidence that this radiation results in health problems, the EPA also advises that you limit your child’s time with a computer or tablet in on their laps and in front of their faces. Also, because enjoying digital devices tends to be a sedentary pastime, children may be more susceptible to weight gain” (Walsh, 2012). “Teenagers spend, on average, 8.08 hours a day using various forms of media, not including time spent doing school work or talking or texting on a cell phone. This includes television, commercial or self-recorded video, movies, video games, print, radio, recorded music, computers, cell phones, and the Internet” (preventtogether.org, 2015). Gaming addicts will choose their game over responsibilities and people in their life. They will make excuses to stay home and play and may miss important events to do so. Their social life will no longer take place outside of the home, and they may “meet” friends online to interact rather than seeing friends in person. The game becomes their reality and consumes their life. The relationships built online through gaming will often become more important than those with family and close friends, leading the addict to isolate themselves even more” (Tyler, 2014). 3.3 Both positive and negative impacts of technology “Technology is an essential need in everybody's life. Without technology, many things would not be able to materialize” (Moradi, 2016).
Chapter 4 Results and Findings 4 .1 Profile of respondents Knowing the profile of the respondents is useful when analysing the data. Out of 158 respondents 53 were male and 105 were female. This gives a percentage of 34% and 66% respectively. The age category of the respondents was also asked. As you can see from Figure 1, 68% of the respondents were aged between 18-21, 24% aged between 22 - 25, 7% between 26-30 and just 1% aged 31-35. The respondents of the questionnaire were also asked whether they were students. 74% were currently students and 26% were not. The demographic of the respondents is due to the research being conducted by a female student. This can be linked to the higher percentage of female participants, student participants and participants aged between 18 - 21. Figure 1. – Age of Respondents 4 .2 Time spent using technological devices To analyse the addictive use of different technological devices it is essential to determine the time spent using the devices. The respondents were asked ‘In a day how much time do you spend on the following devices?’ The devices were a Smart Phone, a
Tablet and a Laptop/Computer. The results can be seen in Figure 2. The results found that 37% of respondents used their Smart Phone for 2 - 4 hours a day. 22% of respondents used their Smart Phone between 4-6 hours and another 22% used their Smart Phone for over 6 hours a day. Only 3% of respondents use their Smart Phone less than 1 hour a day. The next device was a Tablet. The results show that 42% of respondents do not use a tablet device at all. Out of the respondents that do use a tablet 48% of them use it for less than 2 hours a day. Only 9% of respondents use a tablet for more than 2 hours a day. The last device was a Laptop/Computer. The results found that 26% of respondents use a Laptop or Computer between 1 and 2 hours a day. 14% used the device less than one hour a day and 5% did not use a laptop or computer at all. 21% of respondents use a laptop or computer 2-4 hours a day. The results also show that 18% use a laptop between 4 and 6 hours along with 15% of respondents spending over 6 hours a day on a laptop or computer. The results determine that the use of both a tablet and laptop/computer is not as much as a Smart Phone. This may be due to the fact that a Smart Phone tends to always be closer to hand than a tablet. Analysis of the results also determined that out of the 70 respondents using a Smart Phone over 4 hours a day, 77% of these respondents were aged between 18 and 21. Out of the 7 respondents that use a tablet over 4 hours a day, 72% of the respondents were aged between 18 and 21 and out of the 51 respondents using a laptop/computer over 4 hours a day, 55% were aged between 18 and 21. This determines that individuals aged between 18 and 21 spend a much larger amount of time using technological devices. This could lead to the addiction of using these technological devices.
