Running Head: GOVERNMENT CONTROL ON TECHNOLOGY OVERUSE 1

Government Should Restrict the Widespread Use of Technology

for the Welfare of the Nation

Group Members:

Md. Jamiul Islam (09221002)

Maksud Alam (16201033)

Arefin Nabi (15304054)

Habiba Jannat (16101191)

Sumaia Akhter Ahona (16104149)

Section: 03

ENG 102: English Composition 1

Date: 6 August, 2017.

BRAC University
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Xioyi left a suicide note on December 27, 2004 saying he wished to “join the heroes

of his worshipped game.” The 13- year- old then jumped off a tall building after remaining

engaged in “Warcraft” game for duration of 36 hours at a stretch. Later, his parents sued the

Chinese developers of the game for as much as 12,500 US dollars (Lan, 2010). This incredible

story portrays how adversely the excess use of gaming technology can affect our lives. Indeed,

although science has blessed us with numerous gifts, the overuse of these contributions has

raised the concern of people around the world. So, government should restrict the widespread use

of technology since the abundance of electronic entertainment, e-communication and

sophisticated weapons have a harmful impact on the welfare of the citizens.

Firstly, the government must check the overuse of technologies since electronic

entertainment is harming our young generations. Computer games are considered one of the most

important innovations in the field of teenage entertainment. However, excess playing of games

creates addiction among the players, causing them to neglect their studies and to have a poor test

score. Researches of Ubelacker (2010) found that computer games, with their fast-paced action

and flickering lights have a particularly over stimulating , long – lasting impact on the brain,

which often hinders the gamers from concentrating deeply on academic lessons. The game

addicts often fail to work at their optimum level because of being exhausted from a late night of

game playing. Moreover, studies have shown that spending an increasing amount of time on

computer games can significantly reduce physical activity in children and teenagers, thereby

increasing the risk of obesity among them. Excessive game use can also cause eye discomfort,

blurry vision, backaches and headaches. According to Higushi, Motohashi, Liu and Maeda

(2005), exposure to bright light of computer screen delays melatonin (a hormone that controls

the sleeping in human bodies) production, resulting in shorter sleep duration at night for gamers.
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In addition, sophisticated game controllers and realistic game actions often tempt the gamers to

learn violent acts like shooting or stabbing. Often, there is a lucrative reward for these violent

works in the games, and these sorts of acts are performed repeatedly while playing the games.

All these factors contribute significantly to learning aggressive acts by the gamers. As an

instance, in 2005, a Shanghai online gamer killed a fellow gamer because this fellow gamer had

sold a virtual sword borrowed from him (“Chinese Gamer Sentenced,” 2005). As we can see

how electronic entertainment is taking its toll on our future generation, so its overuse must be

prohibited.

Secondly, our government should limit the widespread use of science as electronic

communication is adversely affecting the users’ lives and societies. At present, we may easily

enjoy online relationships using social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, but research has

found that communicating online replaces face-to-face interaction for users, reducing the amount

of time they actually spend in the company of other human beings. In addition, these social

networks sometimes replace a small number of strong social connections with a larger number of

much shallower connections, leading to situations where a user may have large numbers of

"friends" but few actual real-world companions. This can lead to depression and feelings of

loneliness. In fact, having close and direct connections with other members of a community

makes an individual physically and mentally healthier. Since electronic communicating media

deprive the users of mutual direct contacts, so the users inevitably suffer the sadness of isolation.

According to Morche (2012), the number of adults who describe themselves as "lonely" has

doubled since 1985, and that spending more time online with social networks can actually have

an adverse effect on a user's happiness level. Moreover, elements of non-verbal communication

essential to reading emotions, such as facial expressions, body posture, eye contact, and gestures
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are missing from texts, instant messages, and social networking conversations. Consequently,

electronic media transmit emotion so poorly compared to in-person communication. For

example, we write things like "LOL” to describe our laughter, but they are no real substitute for

hearing people laugh, which has real power to lift our spirits when we're feeling low. Also,

displacement of face-to-face time by online activities often negatively impacts empathetic skills.

Research of Konrath, O’Brien and Hsing (2010) showed lower empathy scores for contemporary

college students in comparison to college students over the last 30 years. The declines in

empathy could be related to people spending time online and engaging in superficial interactions

with others. Since technology is deteriorating social norms and emotions, so its overuse must be

checked by the government.

Thirdly, the government should check the pervasive use of technology since many

technically improved weapons take a heavy toll on a nation. Science has revolutionized the war

related technology, making it more devastating than ever before. For instance, atom bomb,

manufactured by the sophisticated process of chain reaction, was first dropped on Hiroshima in

1945. Consequently, around sixty six thousand people lost their lives, and many others were

permanently disabled. The survivors of the blast suffered from cancer and respiratory problems

as a long term impact of the radiation from the bomb (“Voice of Hibakusha”, 2008). Even at

present, devices like drone aircrafts, chemical weapons and inter-continental missiles are

traumatizing the lives of innumerable number of innocent civilians like an untamable monster in

several parts of the world. According to interviews with victims of drone strikes by researchers

from Stanford University, people who live in the affected areas "hear drones hover 24 hours a

day," and live with the fear that a strike could occur at any moment of the day (Singh, 2013). In

addition, the production of these advanced weapons often imposes a significant financial burden
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upon the authorities. In the name of upgrading national security and symbolizing the defense

improvement, the governments of some developed nations often imprudently utilize latest

technologies to manufacture costly arms and weapons on a large scale. Consequently, many

important tasks like job creation or infrastructural development of the country is neglected and

people in general become utterly dissatisfied with the authorities. According to Kaplan (2010), in

2007, the USA spent around 11 million dollars on control, communication and intelligence

system of nuclear weapons, and this expense could easily pay the full salaries of twenty two

thousands college teachers. Consequently, the policy makers face demonstration from opposition

Democrat leaders at the town hall. Since science is devastating our civilization during wars and

is also causing a lot of unwise expense, so the authority must refrain from using it excessively.

However, many people politely argue that science is the driving force of modern

civilization, and we will be no better than the primitive people if the use of technology is

restricted. Almost all the spheres of current life, like education, commerce, banking, agriculture

are so dependent on science that without it, our regular activities will come to standstill. The

scientific inventions have made life easier and comfortable, have given us power to control

nature, have lessened our sufferings, and have also given us the power of observation and precise

thinking. For example, online research has become an indispensable component for activities of

a vast number of researchers. At present, internet has an easy accessibility, it provides access to

valuable newspapers, magazines and journals within a short period of time, and has the

advantage of being less time consuming. According to the Royal Society (2011), due to this

availability of internet, the number of scientific publications internationally has grown rapidly,

from 1.09 million in 2002 to 1.94 million in 2010. However, just as the unchecked use of a knife

increases the risk of cuts or injuries from its sharp blade, the widespread application of science
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proportionately raises the chances of harms and dangers from its inventions. Indeed, the

proponents of science should remember that the negative impacts of technology can never be

overshadowed by its numerous gifts, and these detrimental effects can only be avoided by

prudent and limited utilization of scientific tools. For instance, instances of misconducts in

research have also risen alarmingly for the widespread internet use. In 2011, an analysis of 1385

submissions to the Croatian Medical Journal revealed 28 cases of scientific misconduct. Ten

cases were related to duplicate publication of the same results in different journals, eight cases of

multiple submissions, and five cases of plagiarism (Marausic, 2011). So, people should

remember that technology is not an unmixed blessing, and it will only be effective in our daily

life through a limited and thoughtful utilization.

Since technical communication, electronic amusement and production of lethal arms

are jeopardizing our lives, so authorities must curb the over-use of technology. Both the

government and the citizens should come forward to ensure the limited use of science in our life.

Government should introduce the game ratings to lower the opportunities of inappropriate game

contents reaching young people. Parents must limit the time spent for playing the electronic

games by the teenagers. Citizens should engage in local communities regularly along with

enjoying the benefits of e-communication. The rulers of a nation must implement science for

beneficial acts like solving energy crisis or increasing food production instead of producing

dangerous weapons. Online researchers should conduct their activities with due morality. We

should remember that guns can be used to maintain peace and discipline of any nation, but the

abuse of these guns may result in anarchy and loss of life. Technology is very similar to the guns,

and it requires a prudent utilization.

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References

Chinese gamer sentenced to life. (2005), Retrieved from http: // news.bbc.co.uk/2/technology/

4072704. stm.

Higuchi, S., Motohashi, Y., Liu, Y., Maeda, A., (2005). Effects of playing a computer game

using a bright display on pre-sleep physiological variables, sleep latency, and REM sleep.

Sleep Rep, 14, 267-273.

Kaplan, H. (2010). Security in the nuclear age: Developing U.S. strategic arms policy,

Washington, D.C: Brooklyn Institute.

Lam, R. (2010). Top 10 cases of extreme game addiction . Retrieved from http:// listverse.com

/ 2010/ 11/07/top-10-cases of game addiction.

Marausic, A. (2011). Problems of editors with authorship in small medical journals. The

International Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine, 2 (3) : 130-132.

Rike, S. (2013, July 22). A meta- study of drone strike casualties, Retrieved from http: //

lowfareblog.com.

The Royal Society (2011, March 23). Knowledge, network, nations : Global scientific

collaboration. Retrieved from http: // royalsociety.org/ policy / reports / knowledge-

networks- nations.
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Ubelacker (2010). The potential harms of gaming. Retrieved from : // link.network.com /

low75m.

Voice of Hibakusha (2008), Retrieved from http: // inicom.com / hibakusha/ hinue.html.

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