Technology: The New Addiction
Proceedings Magazine - September 2018 Vol.
By Captain Peter “UGH†Ryan, U.S. Navy
(Retired)
The first cell phone hit the market in 1973, and 40 years later, more than half the U.S. adult population was carrying a cell phone in their purses or pockets. Today, that number is closer to 95 percent, with 77 percent of Americans owning a smartphone. 1 But does this technology work as it originally was intended—to enable us to communicate better? Or is the increase in personal technology a sign of mass addiction?
The New Drug in Town
It is estimated that by the 1950s, 45 percent of adult Americans smoked tobacco. The percentage of smokers was much higher within the Sea Services, particularly during and immediately after World War II. Cancer was identified as one of the risks of smoking cigarettes by the 1960s, a public health campaign informed Americans of the risk, and today the number of adults who smoke is roughly 22 percent of men and 18 percent of women. With the available research, it is hard to fathom that smokers overlooked the consequences of tobacco use for so long—and continue to do so. 2
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-09/technology-new-addiction
