Technology - good or bad?

We as humans are progressing and learning at exponential rates.  In just a little over a century technological advances have been nothing short of astonishing.  Families used to produce most of their own food on their own land and now Dominos is just a (i)touch away.  People had to be thrilled at the introduction of the first automobiles...and now we fly to space!  We are living in the information age; times in which the next impossibility is realized.  While it's plain to see the benefits of most of these advancements what are the disadvantages?  With so many questions and viewpoints that concern these issues one could easily spend a lifetime researching and studying them.  What I want to focus in on though is what I believe to be the most important questions to be asking.  Do these technoligical advances have adverse effects on our health and well-being?  And are there any detrimental effects on planet?

It is easy to see that technologies and their byproducts have created harmful consequences to our environment.  The central valley of California has the perhaps the biggest concentration of air pollution in the United States with 4 of the top 10 most polluted cities nationwide.  Most of this pollution stems from automobiles and irrigation pumps (which run on diesel fuel).  The nuclear power plant disaster in Japan was another great example of what a mess our advances can make.  While the disaster was actually caused naturally by an earthquake, technology (nuclear energy) is to blame for the aftermath.  There are tons of more examples and simple proof that technology has indeed comprimised our environment.  Luckily the majority of the world has recognized the impact of our actions and are now working on rectifying our mistakes.  Our generations are doing what previous generations did not.  Researching the effects of technologies instead of just introducting them to the world without knowing what the side effects will be.

The link between environmental issues and human health problems is not only obvious, but it is also being examined continously.  What I'm more intrigued with is health problems related to the internet, mobile phones, television and other forms of technology.  If you add up the hours we average on the internet (32/month), watching television (151/month), sleeping (186/month) and working (184/month) it totals 553 hours of our time.  The average month has 660 hours, leaving just a little over a hundred hours for us to run our errands, groom ourselves, eat and all the other things we do.  That doesn't leave us with much time outdoors (quality time, not work), or for socializing (at least face to face).  Humans need touch and are losing it to electronic commnications.  While it is easier to connect this way it does not satisfy our physical needs.  There are also links of too much time using electronic tools that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, ADHD, and perhaps the biggest problem in American society obesity.  In a video I watched on Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv suggests that a big player of obesity in society is that we use our energy differently now.  Video games, television, and the internet don't let us burn energy as good as playing outside does.  And because obesity is linked to so many severe diseases and disorders one can't help but wonder if the information age will also be known as the "fat and lazy" age.