As communication technology, including smartphones and laptops, has been undergoing an unprecedented rapid development, some people claim that the drawbacks of such an advancement will outweigh its benefits. This essay will argue for this statement because communication technology indirectly leads to the decline in attention span and proliferates consumerism.
One might argue that communication technology provides humans with increased exposure to diverse information, allowing them to deepen their understanding. However, this is unsound since people merely read the titles of online news, rather than deeply explore the mentioned problems there. Instead, with the growing amount of short online content, this daily habit of consuming information might lower people’s patience and attention span, thereby discouraging them from reading complex documents or working attentively. Consequently, those individuals will fail to approach in-depth knowledge, or hone essential skills acquired through reading, such as critical thinking.
Furthermore, communication technology also fuels consumerism among individuals, triggering many social crises. A wide range of firms today leverage numerous social platforms, ranging from Facebook to Tiktok, to use algorithms that are able to analyze users’ needs. These users will be then suggested with many relevant products’ advertisements, notably those which are endorsed by influencers or consumed by a variety of individuals. As a result, such advertisements can successfully stimulate consumers driven by the fear of being left out to immediately make purchases. Nevertheless, these purchases appear to be insensible, leaving many people indebted as a result of their unintentional buying, putting an enormous strain on the economy when people fail to afford basic everyday services.
In conclusion, I maintain that communication technology results in a number of social issues, including the adverse implications for humans’ concentration span and one of the main drivers of consumerism, making its disadvantages overshadow the advantages.