Argument Draft for Peer Review

7/29/2019 Argument Draft for Peer Review

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Dave Knight

Professor Dolmage

ENGL 109, University of Waterloo

7 July 2013

Research and Argument Essay: Is Our Dependency on Computers Good?

Most people today cannot imagine what life would be like without their laptop, tablet, or

smart phone. In this modern world, computers are a necessity. Without computers, most

industries including education, business, and technology would be severely hindered. However,

peoples use of computers has transformed from dependence to addiction. This addiction, just

like any other, is dangerous and can lead to health, social, and environmental issues. This makes

it easy to see thatpeoples dependency on computers is not good and should be closely

moderated.

Using a computer for many hours every day can lead to repetitive stress injuries.

Although these injuries are not life threatening, they can be very painful and debilitating

(Hendrickson). As explained by Hendrickson: Repetitive strain injuries can be caused by a

variety of work conditions, including computer use (Hendrickson). Back and neck problems are

also a common problem amongst computer users. Over time, sitting in an incorrect posture can

damage your spine which worsens back and neck pain (Triano). One of the biggest repetitive

stress injuries is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) .CTS has become very common among

computer users due to incorrect sitting postures and extensive typing over a long period of time

(Hendrickson). CTS has many symptoms which can vary from the inability to perform simple


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hand movements such as holding objects to the complete loss of feeling in your fingers or hand.

A person's quality of life is decreased with CTS, it prevents them from doing whatever they

enjoy. Since using computers for many hours at a time can lead to repetitive stress injuries and

back and neck problems, our dependency on them is not good.

As well, sitting in front of a computer screen late into the night can lead to many

problems. It is easy to see that staying up all night on your computer leads to sleep loss. Sleep

loss can affect a persons mental health (Peri). As explained by Dr Peri: Sleep plays a critical

role in thinking and learning. (Peri). Thus, sleep loss can influence a persons ability to learn,

concentrate and reason (Peri). However, sleep loss also leads to serious health problems. A study

has proven that long term sleep loss harms our immune system (Wickham). This has a negative

impact on our lives because it increases our vulnerability to diseases. Another study has shown

that long term sleep loss can affect the body's hormones which regulate appetite (Rettner). This

appetite change makes us eat more fatty food which in turn leads to obesity. It is clear the sleep

loss people experience through their addiction to computers decreases their quality of life by

hindering their mental and physical health.

Moreover, many people ignore the eye risks and problems of using computers. Eye Strain

is a major effect which can happen from starring at a computer all day. When you look at things

that are closer to your face your blink rate slows down (Chan). This makes tears evaporate more

quickly compared to when you are blinking at a normal rate causing your eyes to dry up (Chan).

Therefore, staring closely at a computer screen for long periods of time can cause dryness, eye

exhaustion, and even muscle aches (Webster). Although not proven, eye professionals notice a

seeming link between nearsightedness, and staring closely at a computer screen for long periods

of time (Webster). Thus, our addiction to computers is not good for our eyes.


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Furthermore, computers have been known to emit radiation (Barone). These low levels of

radiation are harmless for short lengths of exposure, but with enough exposure they can be

harmful (Barone). Computer radiation can burn your skin and make you feel sick (Barone).

Having a laptop on your lap for a long period of time can cause a skin condition just from the

heat (Barone). For men, studies show that the use of laptop computers connected to internet

through Wi-Fi decreases sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation (Freur T. et al).

Clearly our addiction to computers is not good for human beings, due to side effects including

radiation.

Computers pose a huge threat to society because it is very easy for our youth to become

addicted to them. Studies have shown that adolescents are more prone to becoming hooked to

computers (Guana). Once hooked students have less time for doing homework, studying or

socializing. Such a pattern will eventually affect their grades, health, and social life (Guana). It

also takes time away that should be spent exercising to help them grow. The lack of exercise may

contribute to weight problems such as obesity (Guana). It is easy to see our addiction to

computers is not good for todays youth.

Furthermore, Computer addiction disrupts relationships of people with family and

friends. People that are addicted to computers tend to remove themselves from social interactions

just so they can spend more time on the computer (Shek T. et al). Also, if their primary friends

are screen names online, they may end up having difficulty with real life conversations (Shek T.

et al). When someone becomes addicted to their favorite video game they tend to place more

emotional value on events within the game rather than things happening in their real lives (Shek

T. et al). Since our addiction to computers can lead to behavioral issues, it is not good for our

social lives.


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Computers also have a negative impact to the environment. Many computers are obsolete

within a couple years causing them to be discarded often. A predicted amount of 40 million tones

is generated every year, most of this waste ends in landfills (Mcallister). This waste has a

negative impact on the environment since the heavy metals and dangerous chemicals make up

these electronics pose health risks to the society. These heavy metals contain chemicals which

are toxic and help contribute to global warming (Mcallister). Toxins from the waste eventually

reach drinking water which poses a huge health risk to our society. Computers also cause an

unnecessary amount of waste of paper. People that use their computers and never turn it off

waste a large amount of electricity. This electricity could have been potentially saved and reduce

the amount of electricity produced by burning fossil fuels. Therefore our addiction to computer is

clearly not good for our environment.

The health and mental effects related to using a computer for long periods of time are

taking its toll on todays society.As well, a large part of todays youth is suffering from

computer addiction. It is clear that our dependency for computers has a negative influence on our

society. Therefore even though computers are vital for many aspects of our daily lives we must

be more aware of the side effects of excessive computer use and take precautions in order to

mitigate them.


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Works Cited

Wi-Fi decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation Fertil Steril , p. ,

2012 , Freour T. et al.

Andersen, Johan Hviid. "Computer Use and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome." JAMA The Journal of

the American Medical Association. JAMA, 11 June 2003. Web. 16 July 2013.

Barone, Danielle. "Computer Radiation." Bellaonline- Family Health. Bellaonline, n.d. Web. 16

July 2013.

Hendrickson, Mark. "Repetitive Stress Injury." Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic, n.d. Web. 16

July 2013.

McAllister, Lucy. "The Human and Environmental Effects of E-Waste." Population Reference

Bureau. Population Reference Bureau, Apr. 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

Rettner, Rachael. "Sleep-Deprived Teens May Pay a Hefty Price." LiveScience.com.

LiveScience.com, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 16 July 2013.

Topping, Alexandra. "Energy Bills and Emissions Still Rising Due to Gadget Addiction, Says

Report." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 July 2013.


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Works Cited

Triano, John J. "Office Chair: How to Reduce Back Pain?" Spine-health. Spine-health, 02 Aug.

2002. Web. 16 July 2013.

Webster, Molly. "Sitting Too Close to the Computer Screen Can Make You Go Blind: Scientific

American." Scientific America. Scientific America, n.d. Web. 16 July 2013.

Wickham, Chris. "Late Night TV/computer Sessions Linked to Depression." Reuters. Thomson

Reuters, 24 July 2012. Web. 16 July 2013.

Chan, Amanda. "3 Ways Technology Affects Your Eyes." LiveScience.com. LiveScience.com, 1

Apr. 2011. Web. 16 July 2013.

Guana, Shu-Sha Angie, and Kaveri Subrahmanyam. "Youth Internet Use: Risks and

Opportunities." Http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/. Http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/, 2009. Web. 16 July

2013.

Shek, Daniel T. L., Rachel C. F. Sun, and Lu Yu. "Internet Addiction." Springerreference.com/.

Springerreference.com/, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 July 2013.

Peri, Camille. "10 Surprising Effects of Lack of Sleep." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 17 July

2013.

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