10 Groups Adversely Affected by Technology

In an era where technological innovations accelerate, seen as the savior that rescued humanity from the darkness of ignorance and backwardness, technology has become an indispensable part of our lives, inserting itself into every minor and major detail—from mobile phones transcending borders and continents to self-driving cars and drones.

Despite the blessings that technology has brought, it carries within it many curses. It is like a double-edged sword, summoned by specialized soldiers for use on the battlefield. Some fighters, if they use it incorrectly, will be killed by it, ending their lives. Similarly, some individuals, if they misuse technology, will undoubtedly fall victim to it. Who are these people? Why does technology destroy them? And how can they protect themselves from this danger?

The Bright Side of Technology

There is no doubt that technology has simplified many tasks, saving significant effort and time. What once took years to accomplish can now be done with a single click. This isn't limited to one field; technology has left its mark on all domains.

In education, a student in Kuwait can learn from a professor in California.

In healthcare, it began with AI diagnostics, leading to surgical operations that utilize microscopic robots.

In communications, someone at the North Pole can connect with another at the South Pole.

In financial transactions, payments have become easier and instantaneous through quick payment applications.

Even in transportation, we find self-driving cars that reach their designated point without the need for a human driver.

In engineering, programming, and various aspects of daily life, it has even reached the point where companies and homes are managed entirely by AI via mobile phones from anywhere in the world.

The Dark Side of Technology

Despite its numerous advantages and unlimited facilitations across various fields, technology has a dark, mind-killing, and thought-scattering side. Some individuals today cannot make a simple decision without consulting "Google" or "ChatGPT."

Even emotions, which are supposed to be genuine, are now borrowed from these tools.

We entrust our secrets to their algorithms, so they know where we live, what we eat, whom we love, where we are now, and where we are heading!

There is no longer any privacy because we simply treated these tools as trusted friends. They have replaced real relationships, making us live in digital isolation, far removed from real life and human nature. We now live more on our phones than with people, speak less, and think less and less.

Above all, it has impacted us as Muslims, blurring the lines of the future, threatening jobs, closing many doors of livelihood, bringing idleness into our homes, and engulfing our bodies in laziness, as we rely on machines for everything.

10 Victims of Technology

Technology claims many victims—those who have made technology their entire life, finding it sufficient for everything, even their own minds, as if their brains no longer exist. They have destroyed themselves by their own hands under the guise of this enchanting word: "technology." These victims include:

1.      The Over-Reliant: Those who depend on technology for everything, to the point where they stop thinking and cannot make the simplest decisions. You can't even consult them on a specific matter without them grabbing their phone to ask it what to do or say.

2.     Concentration-Impaired: Those whose minds are imprisoned behind the walls of technology, losing their ability to focus. Their phones have become an integral part of their bodies; they don't sit, eat, or sleep without them. If their phones are taken away, it's as if their souls have been snatched – indeed, losing their souls might be easier for them.

3.     Social Comparers: Those who constantly compare their lives to what they see on screens, never satisfied with what they have, no matter how blessed. They always feel inadequate – perhaps even helpless – chasing the illusion of a perfect life, wanting everything without any effort or hardship. Technology has instilled in them the belief that they can get anything instantly, with just one click, without realizing that these individuals might need someone to press the button for them.

4.    The Socially Isolated: Those who have isolated themselves socially, replacing their mobile phones and digital tools with their real families, making them their only friends. Their genuine relationships have eroded due to their digital addiction, leading to isolation. They lose the ability to connect with real people, and even attempting to do so becomes futile.

5.     The Overly Trusting: Those who trust technology more than themselves, surrendering their minds to it and believing that the machine is always smarter. They marginalize their innate abilities: thinking, analyzing, creating, and contemplating. Even their emotions are borrowed from "ChatGPT," searched for on "Google," and then posted on "Facebook" and "Twitter," transforming themselves into machines that operate without thought and speak without awareness.

6.    The Chronically Distracted: Individuals whose attention spans have been severely fragmented by constant notifications, endless scrolling, and multitasking across various devices. They struggle to engage in deep work or sustained thought, finding themselves easily sidetracked by digital stimuli.

7.     The Emotionally Detached: Those who find it difficult to experience or express genuine emotions in real-life interactions, have become accustomed to curated and filtered emotional expressions online. They may struggle with empathy and understanding non-verbal cues.

8.    Physically Sedentary: Individuals whose excessive screen time and reliance on technology for entertainment and tasks have led to a significant decrease in physical activity, contributing to health problems such as obesity, poor posture, and other lifestyle-related ailments.

9.    Sleep Deprived: Those whose sleep patterns are severely disrupted by blue light exposure from screens late at night, and the constant mental stimulation from digital content. This leads to chronic fatigue, reduced cognitive function, and increased irritability.

10.                  The Unsupervised Children: Children left unsupervised in front of screens all day, allowing technology to dictate what they consume. Their minds develop under the influence of directed content unsuitable for their age or identity, shaping their personalities away from values, religion, family, and society. Consequently, we reap the thorns we sowed with our own hands.

Technology is neither an absolute good nor an eternal evil; it is merely a mirror of our usage. Whoever uses it well finds it a blessing, and whoever misuses it falls victim to it. Therefore, it must be used as a supplementary tool to develop human skills, not as a replacement for the mind. We must teach the younger generation how to use it optimally, without excess or addiction, because it can reshape us without us even realizing it. At that point, we will lose what makes us unique: the ability to think and create.