It’s our nature to be skeptical about some things. There are people who argue that technology is negatively impacting our ability to think. But, until we have data to prove it, we can’t agree to this. In fact, studies show that technology helps us to excel in our lives. If you want, you can verify this in your own life. Haven’t technology provided you with resources that otherwise would have been difficult to obtain? And, weren’t you able to use it to get good grades, or maybe complete projects?
Did the use of technology make you less smart in any way or limit your thinking ability? No, right? Technology when used properly can make you smarter. With this, let’s dive into the discussion.
Quick Answer of How Technology Makes You Smarter
Technology makes us smarter by facilitating access to an almost limitless amount of information anytime, anywhere. It encourages self-paced learning through online courses and digital resources, enhancing our cognitive skills. Also, technology provides tools for problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making, stimulating our intellectual growth.
Technology and smartness: Is there a relation?
We live in the information age, where new technologies are developed every day in different fields. Do you wonder, how are we able to do this? Through innovation. We are becoming more innovative each day. Technology provides us with the means to experiment and speed up innovation. It makes us smarter by providing us with information.
In addition to this, it has the ability to transform our lives. Previously, without modern technology, experimentation was limited to specific organizations. Only the organizations that had resources could experiment with new technology and ideas. This is not the case anymore, all thanks to technology. Now, we have affordable technology that lets different types of firms experiment with their ideas.
We don’t have to wait for years to plan, develop, and test ideas. We have technologies for that, which can make the process of converting ideas into reality short. Take examples of virtual reality. It is used in different sectors because it can train individuals well before they can start working in real life.
In the healthcare sector, healthcare professionals are becoming smarter as they are using this technology. It helps them to visualize the surgery in advance. This is also good for the patients. With virtual technology, they can now know what exactly the surgery will look like, and they can give consent for the same accordingly.
How to use technology to become smarter
The technology eliminates the need to develop all skills. Say you want to take good care of your health. You don’t need to learn the skills to measure your blood pressure or heart rate.
You have the technology to keep track of your health. In fact, technology is so advanced that it collects your health data and provides you with insights to make better health decisions. All you have to do is use technology to develop healthy habits, and you are good to go.
Now, let’s look at some ways, you can use technology to become smarter.
Learn about different perspectives
We live in social media times. Here, we have digital platforms that let us express ourselves. If you want to understand some concepts, it is always better to approach them from different perspectives. There are benefits to this, you understand things well and remember them for a longer time. This is exactly what technology lets you explore. You can learn about different perspectives and live a better life.
Social media technology allows people to share their thoughts in a few words. If you really like someone’s thoughts, you can follow them and check their posts regularly. In a bigger picture, you will be able to understand their mindset. Learning about other’s mindsets is beneficial to you as you get to learn more, and you can become smarter.
Now imagine, if you didn’t have the technology, how would you have known about them and the insights that they have to offer?
Freedom to choose
Technology gives you access to lots of information. And, this also includes unnecessary ones. But, the best part is that you get the freedom to choose the information that you want for yourself. To become smarter, you can decide what you want to follow and what you want to avoid.
You can equally learn from things that you should do and things that you shouldn’t do. Technology provides us with the means to carry out tasks that need to be done. In addition to this, it provides us with tools to prevent ourselves from doing things that shouldn’t be done.
You become smarter when you are in control of what goes into your mind. Using technology, you can learn things to become more productive, or you waste your time doing things that don’t matter. Earlier, the learning experience was limited to what was accessible.
But, now, with technology, you can learn anything at any time. There are obvious advantages to this, you become more brilliant. You get amazing information which you can apply in your life. Also, now, you no longer have to remember things, we have technology that stores information for us that we can easily retrieve.
Smart Technology: An Overview
Now you can save time, effort, and resources by using smart technology. Previously, we took more time to do things that now can be easily done in a few minutes using technology. Having all the required tools makes you smarter. There are some tasks that you can’t escape from, like household chores.
It is important to get these things done on time, and thankfully now we have smart technology for that. You can use them to automate repetitive chores and invest time in doing things that you like. Imagine, if you have time in your hand, then you would be able to invest it in broadening your mind.
Keep Yourself Away From Negative Effects of Tech
When you use technology carefully, it can give you a ton of benefits. Technology can help you become better and improve your mental health if you are using it in the right way. However, the wrong use of technology can create a lot of negative effects on mental health. In this section, we will discuss what negative effects of technology you should avoid, so that you can always remain in a good mental space.
Do Not Get Addicted
Technology addiction is not uncommon these days. But remember, it can lead to some serious consequences. Since the pandemic, more and more people are getting addicted to the technology. The Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is a common issue among the youth.
According to a Cyberpsychology, Social Networking, and Behavior report, over 6 percent of Internet users are facing addiction problems, and the numbers are growing continuously. It is spreading continuously through gaming, adult material, social media, etc.
Here is what you can do to make sure you do not get addicted to using the Internet too much:
- Set Screen Time: Decide how long you’ll use the internet each day and stick to it.
- Try New Hobbies: Do fun things that don’t need the internet or gadgets.
- Talk About It: If you think you’re spending too much time online, talk to friends or family.
Take Care Of Your Emotional Intelligence
When was the last time you expressed your emotions physically? Okay, let us think of an easy one. When was the last time you used emoticons while chatting? In today’s digital age, we understand the other person’s emotions by reading the emoticons they are sending and not their facial expressions.
This dependency upon technology to understand the next individual’s feelings has drastically reduced our emotional intelligence. Someone with high emotional intelligence is known to be self-aware, self-motivated, self-regulated, and empathetic. Many experts believe technology is making a massive dent in our empathy. According to a report by Computers in Human Behavior, digital media are destroying social skills in children.
So, what can really be done to prevent this from happening to you? It all depends on how much control you have over your usage activity. Other than that, you can follow these steps to have a high EQ:
- Meet People: Spend more time talking to people face-to-face to understand their feelings better.
- Use Words, Not Just Emojis: When texting, try to use words to express how you feel.
- Think About Your Feelings: Take time to think about your feelings and why you feel that way.
Tech Hinders Memory
Have you heard of the Google effect? Also known as digital amnesia, the Google effect is basically the increased likelihood of forgetting information that is easily gettable via search engines, such as Google. We do not rely on our memory anymore to get information at any place. We all have mobiles in our pockets that can be used to access Google and get answers to any question.
All it takes is a question and a couple of clicks, and we get what we need. This has decreased our dependency on learning new information. Studies have also shown that the Google effect has led to a decrease in our cognitive abilities, which can increase our chances of getting memory conditions, such as Alzheimer’s. Here is what you can do to make sure you do not fall for the Google effect:
- Write Things Down: Use a notebook to write down important info to remember it better.
- Play Brain Games: Do puzzles and games that make your brain work harder.
- Limit Google Use: Try to remember things instead of always looking them up online.
Wrapping Up
There are downsides to using technology more. We become dependent on it. But think about it, if we can achieve more using technology, then isn’t it worth pursuing?
You become smarter when you are able to get things done efficiently. And, smart technology makes you more productive and improves the quality of your work. We live in a busy world, where we might get sometimes lost and lose track of things. During these times, all we have to do is use technology to get our lives back on track. It provides us with all the data that we need to make the right decisions and get going.