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Youth Culture is generally described as how young people or adolescents who consider themselves as a cultural class or a subculture class people. Nosek and Baer (2000) referred new technologies as computer hardware and software and other new tools that are not currently used in the medical education. Medical technologies help provide medical equipments that aid people. For example, the ultrasound, x-ray machines, CAT-scans and other equipments. Medical equipments help patients to identify their illnesses specifically. Additionally, patients would seek advice from medical practitioners of what medical actions should be taken to improve their physical health. Defining health in a positive way means an individual is healthy and has the ability to cope with everyday activities. However, a negative way of describing health shows that an individual is ill or has dysfunctional body parts.
Past experience with the media and technology showed that simple awareness of potential dangerous health behavior patterns usually does not leads to lifestyle changes. Additionally, motivation alone quickly fades without support systems to bridge from understanding a problem into altering unhealthy patterns of behavior (Harris, 1995, p.167). Furthermore, when health information and decision support tools were not computerized, patient participant in the health care process decreased. This would be determined by how well they are connected to the information highway.
Medical professionals are continuously seeking for new equipments to help cure patients’ illnesses. But, if people in the society continue to care less on their health, it will bring no benefit to them. For example, addiction to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco costs billions annually, especially in the United Sates (Harris, 1995, p.167). Furthermore, technology devices also influence individual health, such as video and computer games.
In today’s society, there are many useful technologies that are invented, which also would influence individual’s health. Video games or computer games are examples of technology instruments which influence physical health, especially young people. Video and computer games have been a major role in today’s culture and society around the world. Additionally, a number of youth in the society are addicted in playing video and computer games. Addiction of playing video or computer games would lead to certain physical symptoms, such as back aches, dry eyes, migraine and other physical symptoms.
Advances in computing technology and networking can improve the incorporation of health and human services by interconnecting health experts (Harris, 1995, p.89). This would assist to collaborate across time, space, and organizational boundaries. Additionally, improvements in technology would assist medical professionals to seek or invent better equipments to cure patients’ illnesses.
On the other hand, parents play an important role in preventing youngsters from becoming addicted to too much video or computer games and other technological devices (The parent report, 2005). If parents can control their children from not playing too much video or computer games at a young age, their children are most likely not to develop addiction behavior towards video or computer games.
Youth Culture and New Technologies
Youth culture and new technologies-health
Harris, M. L., 1995, Health and The New Media, Lawrennce Erlbaum Associates: New Jersey
Nosek, T. M. and Baer, W. R., 2000, http://www.shaw.medlib.iupui.edu/cgea/newtech.html 4/10/2005
The Parent Report, 2005, Video Game Addiction,
http://www.theparentreport.com/resources/ages/preteen/kids_culture/130.html
Joanne Chin Li Ling 11:47, 4 Oct 2005 (EST)
