Technology and Bodies

Technology changes our bodies. It can let us do so much more, and go beyond our normal bodily capabilities. However, it can also damage our bodies.

Health articles pop up all the time panicking about how technology is actually hurting us. When the Wii first came out, Wiiitis became a diagnosable medical condition characterized by intense pain in the forearms and shoulders caused by playing Wii too long and too intensely. Other more common medical conditions are carpal tunnel from typing, back issues from hunching over cell phones and eye problems from looking at screens for too long. Micromanaging our time with technology is possible, but difficult. Some apps can help. For example, I use a program on my computer called f.lux which tints the screen at night to reduce the blue light that might interfere with our circadian rhythms.

Some technology might not even be as bad as we originally thought. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently updated their recommendation for screen time for children. Whereas before they advised no screen time for children under two and ‘limited’ screen time for children over two. Now they advise parents to be mindful of what their children watch, rather than how much, although still limiting screen time for young children.

 

2 thoughts on “Technology and Bodies

  1. Your post makes me think not only about the medicalization of the body, but also about the social model of disability. I remember us talking about how instead of thinking of people as disabled, we could alternatively think about the ways in which society is disabling. In this case, is “society” at fault for mass-producing and commercializing advanced technology that is not only attractive, but crazily addictive? Or are people at fault for not exercising adequate self-control over their use of technology, thus leading to their development of physical ailments and chronic discomfort? Just food for thought I guess.

  2. I wonder what less-technological things faced blame for body problems before our modern technological age. Last year, I took a pretty intense literature class, and constantly having my arms bent at the angle conducive to reading a book greatly aggravated my cubital tunnel syndrome to the point that I had to wear arm braces at night to keep my elbows straight in order to fix it. I was injured by books! It makes me stop to think, when the magic lantern came out, were people perplexed by the problem of staying up too late amusing themselves with the images it produced, making them weary the next day? It’s kind of like how cellphones get blamed for giving us ways to avoid contact with other humans, when we’ve been find ways to ignore each other since time immemorial — I wonder if every time period saw its technology face criticism for its impact on our bodies and routines.

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