Nowadays, the rapid advancement of smart devices and social media interferes with the way people are engaging with nature. There are multiple causes to this trend, which create effects that can be harmful not only to humans, but to the environment as well. This essay will address the causes and effects of the problem, as well as provide evidence to support them.
With social media and online communications, people tend to care less for the environment and see it as a resource for them to exploit . Social media allows individuals to interact with nature via pictures, videos and articles about it without the need to leave their homes. This may have a negative impact, because online users may start feeling less personal responsibility for protecting the environment, delegating it to other hundreds of thousands of viewers. Therefore, with no actual engagement with the environment humans may consider nature as a resource for them to consume and exploit, without the need to give anything in return. This, in return, raises the amount of irresponsible people, not knowing how to behave properly in order to preserve local ecosystems. For example, how to sort their waste or how to decrease their water usage, etc.
Current demand for advancement of smart devices and their сontinuous production pollute breathable air, increasing the levels of dangerous pollutants. Smart devices not only make human lives easier, but also decrease people’s responsibility for protecting nature, since technological conveniences have increased our dependence on it. With the amount of digital helpors, both regular users and smart geeks developed an addiction to their features, which leads to more and more purchases and advancement because of the growing demand. And in order to fulfill today’s request for technology, technological development and annual upgrades of devices require high manufacturing capacities. Constant electronic production decreases air quality, since industrial plants release carbon dioxide, along with toxins and chemicals. As a result, highly polluted air has a substantial impact on public health, since toxins and heavy metals accumulate in our bodies, leading to various issues, such as higher rates of asthma and cancer.
In conclusion, careless attitude towards the environment and increasing amounts of exploitation for technological advancement may result in worse public health and degradation of nature.