technologies affect

How new technologies affect us

From first thing in the morning until we go to bed, we are slaves to new technologies. Experts insist that they are not a danger since used correctly they are excellent tools to make life easier for us.

For example, there are scientific studies by experts from British and American universities that have linked the blue light emitted by modern technology (computers and mobile devices) with poor sleep quality. This short wavelength blue light disrupts the circadian rhythm and delays the segregation of melatonin, the precursor hormone for sleep, making it more difficult to reconcile it and waking up is more costly affecting our performance and alertness. On the other hand, keeping the mobile device connected at night can disturb the sleep of many people who cannot avoid checking if they have received an instant message, making it difficult for them to resume sleep and can contribute to their sleeping difficulties or insomnia. “Martinez Selva warns.

How we relate

But it is without a doubt in social and labor relations where these new technologies have had the greatest influence. Despite the fact that a universe like the one portrayed in the movie Her (Spike Jonze), in which the protagonist falls in love with a computer operating system, is somewhat foreign to us, the truth is that our reality is not so far apart.

The various instant messaging applications, email, social media programs, or dating services have taken a turn in the way we strike up a friendship, work, keep our friends, start a relationship, or break it. In this sense, Professor Martínez Selva recalls that “you have to be very careful with what is written or how we interpret what we receive. It can lead to misunderstandings because we do not get the same feedback as when we have a face-to-face conversation or even On the phone. In addition, the Internet can give rise to exaggeration and even project an ideal image of ourselves or imagine qualities in others that do not exactly correspond to reality. On the other hand, it is common to confuse true friendship,

The expert, author of the book ‘Tecnoestrés’, by the Paidós publishing house, insists that a ‘code of conduct or courtesy’ is urgent, just as it exists in real life. Meanwhile, we have no choice but to adapt to them in the best possible way. How to do it?

Five basic rules for behaving

Before downloading an application or launching to use a social network, it is convenient to find out about its operation and ask yourself if it is going to be really useful to us.

  • – You have to start small. For example, observing how others use it.
  • – Avoid falling into excess and try to behave the same way as in real life.
  • – In the event of a misunderstanding and before it becomes a snowball, it needs to be clarified by other means of communication such as the telephone or, of course, a face-to-face conversation.
  • – And disconnect. It is necessary to have private spaces and turn off the devices at least one or two hours a day, as well as establish a schedule to respond to work messages. In France, for example, following the example of a German company, several unions have succeeded in urging the government to ban the sending of emails starting at 6pm as a measure to protect workers from some practices that they consider abusive.

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