Digital Technology that destroys the rhythm of life!

AACS is one of the premiers and highly recognised professional commercial training academies in Sri Lanka that takes great pleasure in training students to be professionals in various disciplines mainly Fashion Design, Professional Model and Fashion Marketing and Management.

AACS 4TH Edition Graduation Show is another gigantic event to look forward, as a batch of new fashion designers and professional models will be launched and awarded for their creative talents. Similar to last three editions, AACS has organised the fourth edition event also to bring surprising glamour experience to the audience.

The Fashion Show structures the collection of outfits designed by nine graduating students studying the Diploma in Fashion Design and two other designers who won the winner and the 1st runner-up titles for the best collection last year. Each student will be presented their original collection of four outfits under their chosen inspirations and themes, which demonstrated their innovation and creativity.

Inspirations of designers showcasing graduation collections are Mermaid inspired evening wear collection by Navindya, Night Sky inspired evening wear collection by Bhagya, Butterflies inspired dressy casual wear collection by Chamithri, Taj Mahal inspired bridal wear collection by Manoji, Snake inspired evening wear collection by Dhanushika, Coral Reefs inspired evening wear collection by Zafshana, Vampire inspired evening wear collection by Prautha, Betta Fish inspired evening wear collection by Sharanraj and Motor Bike inspired smart casual wear collection by Ramesha; also Frida Kahlo Floral Paintings inspired casual wear collection by Fazmeen Sourjah and Cactus Plant inspired evening wear collection by Shantharubini Shanmuganathan under the winner category.

In our youth, technology addiction did not merit as much concern as scraped knees or broken Legos for that matter. Yet nevertheless for today’s youth, however, digital starts to take its toll as early as infancy.

If you are yet to witness the development of tech addiction among today’s youth, visit a family restaurant where Kids fight over iPads and iPhones, or children silently engrossed in their own devices. Better still there are instances when parents often stick a smartphone, or ‘digital babysitter’ under the eyes of rowdy children with the aim of calming them down.

And as they grow up, children are constantly encouraged to go online and it becomes an addiction before they even know what is happening. The boost in screen time increases the likelihood that children will experience low selfesteem, relationship problems as well as difficulties with social interactions. The problems related to tech addiction follow children as they develop into teens and enter adulthood which has become a major issue for kids, preteens, teenagers as well as for adults. In terms of adults addicted to technology they tend to suffer from strained relationships as well as social problems and those who are digitally overloaded often are not somewhat familiar with facial expressions or hand or eye movement that people frequently use to communicate.

Unfortunately, the problems associated with excessive digital dependence go far beyond social awkwardness. And as adults far too engrossed in screen time are also known to suffer from insomnia, short-term memory loss, eye irritation, as well as spinal damage.

Technology may have the potential in improving your health but it can also be dangerous in numerous ways as well as resulting in interrupted sleep cycles it is evidently proven. So if you have constant trouble in sleeping then it could be your iPad as we are all guilty of using computers, smartphones, and tablets before calling it a night. The problem is, electronic devices emit blue light that can trick your brain into thinking it is daytime. The brightness can mess with your circadian rhythm, the internal clock which ultimately decides as to when you fall asleep and when you wake up.

Around 9 to 10 p.m. each night, the brain starts to secrete a hormone called melatonin, which signals the body that it is time to rest. If the eyes are exposed to brightness for a long period of time, they tell the brain to wake up. The brain stops emitting melatonin and disrupt the ability to fall asleep. So next time if you have trouble sleeping, try dimming your screen before bed time.

Facebook may have been designed to improve human connectivity, but the social networking site may be doing us more harm than good. Researchers at the University of Michigan discovered in a recent study the proof of a decline in happiness and life satisfaction among Facebook users. The study found that the more people are socialized, the more they compared their own social activity with that of their Facebook friends.

Their conclusion aligns with the results of a study conducted by former grad student Moira Burke at Carnegie Mellon. Burke found that while Facebook interaction could lead to positive results, people who spent time scanning others’ activity and posting their own statuses were more like to feel lonely, disconnected and depressed.

There is no question that technology has made us lazier. Not only do we have more access to digital media and entertainment; we spend more of our time using it. In a survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on American time use, researchers found watching TV occupied an average of 2.8 hours per day. That does not count time spent on tablets, PCs or smartphones. The more time you spend watching television, the more likely you are to be inactive overall. Further, it has shown that people pay less attention to their eating habits when watching TV or movies, making it easier to overeat typically high-calorie snacks like sugary drinks and fast food.

Research indicates that the amount of sitting we do is slowly killing us. So get up and stretch your legs. Most of us already live fairly sedentary lifestyles due to our jobs. And thanks to technology, we continue sitting once we reach home too engaging in many ways of interacting with technology such as watching TV, surfing the Web, playing video games and so forth that lacks any form of physical exercise whatsoever.

Sitting for prolonged periods causes muscles to become stiff and contributes to poor blood circulation. Healthy cholesterol drops 20%. Sedentary behavior has shown to lead to cardiovascular problems, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. In fact, sitting for eight to 12 hours per day boosts the risk of type 2 diabetes by 90% it is evidently proven. So if your work is a desk job, cut your risk by trying a standing desk, or by getting up and walking around for a few minutes once every half hour.

Technology has changed the way we pay attention to, learn, and remember information. It seems that heavy reliance on digital can have negative effects on short-term memory. German neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer used the term ‘digital dementia’ to describe how excessive use of electronics can result in cognitive impairment similar to that caused by psychiatric illness and head injury. Shortterm memory function is particularly affected due to our brains not been adapted to storing certain bits of data as we tend to depend far too much on technology following the rhythm of the modern world.

Remember when you were growing up and had to recall basic information like friends’ phone numbers and local addresses which is really not necessary in today’s world due to innovations of smartphones. However research shows that when we know a device will store information for us, it is very unlikely that we bother memorizing it!

Technology, with its constants streams of information, also zaps our attention spans and interferes with short- term memory storage. For example, if you were livetweeting the season finale of ‘ Game of Thrones’ you might not remember everything that happened the next day!!

Furthermore when staring at a screen for long periods of time, you usually forget to blink and a habit that would eventually lead to a condition called ‘computer vision syndrome’ which causes dry eyes, fatigue, irritation, headaches, problems on focusing, or neck and shoulder pain. Also known as digital eyestrain, it has become more prevalent as people spend more time using electronic devices.

Although computer vision syndrome does not cause lasting eye damage however it is important to take necessary precautions. Try limiting the amount of time you spend in front of a screen and taking frequent breaks. Also do not

Research indicates that the amount of sitting we do is slowly killing us. So get up and stretch your legs. Most of us already live fairly sedentary lifestyles due to our jobs. And thanks to technology, we continue sitting once we reach home too engaging in many ways of interacting with technology such as watching TV, surfing the Web, playing video games and so forth that lacks any form of physical exercise whatsoever.

forget to keep some eye drops at your desk in case of any eye irritation that might occur.

Your electronics may be causing some serious spinal damage every time you tilt your head forward to check your email or send a text, which puts greater pressure on your neck. When bent at a 45-degree angle, the head places 49 pounds of pressure on the neck; a 60-degree angle equates to 60 pounds of pressure.

A study by New York spine surgeon Kenneth Hansraj explains that people spend an average of two to four hours per day with their heads bent over smartphones and electronic devices which equals between 700 to 1400 annual hours of excessive stress on the spine.

Over time, the study explains, this increased stress can lead to early wear and tear, and potentially surgery. While it is impossible to suggest that we abandon our devices altogether, you should make a conscious effort to straighten your back next time you send a message.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has long reported noise pollution as a prevalent cause of adult hearing loss. This exposure used to take the form of boom boxes and stereo speakers. Sound is projected directly into the ear via headphones or buds inserted directly in the ear. Both volume and duration of exposure combine to alter the extent of hearing loss. If you can hear someone’s music through their headphones, it means the sound is too loud, as reported by hearing specialists where sound played at 85 decibels ( dB) or less is a safe amount.

The Internet may be an abundant source of health-related information, but it also has potential to increase the medical concerns of people who lack health training. It isn’t too complicating to go online for the purpose of diagnosing a cough, only to log off a couple hours later convinced you have lung cancer!

Cyberchondria is hyperchondria for the modern age. It describes the anxiety of humans when they try to self-diagnose and fall into a panic when Internet confirms their worst suspicions which is somewhat common among people who have genetic for a disease or who recently had a passing away of a loved one.

All in all look on the bright side if you are still alive and can see, hear, or stand up straight, technology has not won just yet!! There are plenty of ways to minimize your risk of digital overload; you just have to be proactive about adopting healthy habits. Start by monitoring your smartphone use. An hour before bed, leave your phone in the kitchen to charge instead of putting it on your bedside table overnight. If you have a desk job, set a timer every 20 minutes so you know when to stand and stretch your legs. Alter the Volume Limit on your iPod, which lets you adjust the maximum level of sound emitted from the ear buds. And finally, walk past the couch when you get home, put on a pair of sneakers, and go for a stroll. No doubt your body will thank you for it!!!