Societal impacts of functional technology dependency: A case study of waze navigation

As functional technology becomes a daily necessity rather than a convenience, it increasingly reshapes human cognition. This paper applies the Information Technology (IT) addiction model to WAZE, investigating how a utilitarian navigation tool triggers behavioral patterns typically associated with "hedonic" platforms like social media. Based on 50 in-depth interviews, the study highlights a significant "shedding of responsibility" among users, particularly digital natives, who now bypass personal judgment in favor of algorithmic spatial orientation. This dependency is characterized by four key parameters: mood modification, conflict, relapse, and withdrawal. The societal impact is profound, suggesting potential changes in spatial and decision-making practices, such as spatial memory and autonomous judgment, in exchange for algorithmic efficiency. This "unconscious dependency" creates a new social reality where the absence of a digital tool results in acute psychological distress and reported difficulty navigating without the application. The study concludes that the integration of automated systems into daily tasks necessitates a broader understanding of how modern technology reshapes human agency and the long-term cognitive costs of technological convenience.