Nowadays, the rapid advancement of technology and smart devices interfere with the way people are interacting with nature. This trend has multiple causes, creating effects that can be harmful not only to people, 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.
Social media and smart devices not only make our lives easier, but also influence our attitude towards the natural environment. The former allows us to chat and communicate with our friends and families without the need to leave our homes. This opportunity, although being helpful, inclines us to be more passive and decreases the time we spent outside. The latter makes our homes more comfortable and interesting, since many digital appliances and devices allure us with the amount of new features and functions. But since many devices will not work outside without electricity, we choose to stay at home to be able to maintain our usual lifestyles. As a result, our society is becoming less and less interested in the natural environment, which has long-lasting effects not only on our mental health, but the environment itself.
Spending time outside and going to the parks are crucial for people’s mental health and the development of the natural environment. Studies show that spending too much time inside alters our brain chemistry, since we need fresh air and sunshine in order for our nervous system to operate properly. Without exposure to the sun people tend to become more depressed, this is why daily walks are a proven therapy for mental illnesses. Moreover, if people are choosing to stay home, parks and playgrounds around them will not have enough financing to maintain them. Since governments look at the popularity of such places and will not allocate fundings to the ones which are not visited often enough. This leads to increased levels of mental illnesses and decreased qualities of parks and natural environments.
In conclusion, even though modern technology can be helpful and alluring, we need to maintain a more healthy lifestyle by spending more time outside. Otherwise, we will end up with higher levels of mental illnesses and less maintained public parks and natural environments around us.