Do you think “twittering” or “facebooking” for a few hours a day is “no big deal”? If you answered “Yes” to this question, you may be like thousands of other Americans…addicted.
Since the early 1970s, Americans have been obsessed with learning, and teaching people, how to use computers. Some people have argued that this technology addiction is harmless, but following this trend may just come back and “byte” you. Poor writing skills, health risks, and non-existent social lives are just a few things that make technology addictions detrimental to our country’s growth and development.

First, in my opinion, using “text language”” ruins people’s writing skills. “d0 y0u u$e txt spk” Sadly, this is the “language” some teachers face when grading students’ writing assignments. Twenty-two percent of elementary school students own cell phones, and have texting. These children, who haven’t even had a chance to learn or refine their writing skills, are already learning shortcuts, and throwing grammar rules out the window. Although, if you practice proper English while texting, which most of us don’t, the only things that are going to hurt are your thumbs.
Secondly, it’s scary to think about all of the health risks that come from the technology we use every day. Did you know excessive computer use has been linked to glaucoma? Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can cause blindness without warning. About three million Americans have it; over half of them don’t even know it. Also, carpal tunnel syndrome becomes a risk for people working in the “safe” office jobs. Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure placed on nerves in the carpal tunnel, which is in your wrist. On the other “hand”, there are various tips to follow that can prolong, or even prevent these things from happening. For example, to prevent carpal tunnel, it is important to keep your wrists straight, and elbows at a 90 degree angle while typing.
Lastly, this technology addiction, that many Americans deal with, is hurting peoples face-to-face social skills. Sure, you have over a thousand twitter followers, but how many of them do you actually know? People that spend a lot of time “plugged in”, find it harder to express feelings, instead of saying “LOL” or “OMG”. Do you find yourself spending more time in “petville” than you do in reality?
It is time that we unplug the Xboxes, power down the laptops, and finds the strength to take our hands off the phone. We can’t let technology run our lives. What will happen when the computers suddenly fail? What will happen then?