Humanity has used technology to improve life in some way since the dawn of time. Every invention is a type of technology. Creating fire was once considered cutting-edge technology. We come a long way in a short time because of the creative ways we’ve used technology over the generations. Technology improves our lives, but it can also be a hindrance to our daily routines. Modern technology has the potential to be addictive. The average smartphone user checks their phone nearly 100 times per day. We have reached a point where we rely on technology more than our own ingenuity.
What Are the Pros of Technology?
It allows us to learn about new cultures.
Because of technological advancements, the world has shrunk. It is possible to travel to the other side of the world in a single day to see new countries, cultures, and opportunities. This benefit was provided by shipbuilding technologies in previous generations as well. Spacefaring technology may be the next evolution of this experience in the future.
It enlightens us more deeply.
Massive amounts of data are collected by technology and can be mined for numerous insights and benefits. These analytics enable us to identify specific weaknesses that can be transformed into strengths. It can help people discover new facets of themselves and identify new business opportunities, as well as create new learning opportunities, allowing them to achieve more than ever before.
It enables us to accomplish more with less.
Consider what a cutting-edge farm might have looked like in the early 1800s. There was no automation. Everything had to be done by horseback or by hand. This limited the amount of yield that an area could produce. Those yields, however, were still higher than what previous generations could achieve if they didn’t even have horsepower-related equipment. Every time technology advances, we are able to do more in any industry while using fewer resources.
It increases profits.
New technologies are always costly, but this is because they increase profits. A sole proprietor can now run a global business from their garage or home office thanks to advances in technology. New technologies have enabled freelancers and independent professionals to earn more on their own than they would if they worked for a traditional employer. Technology can even improve the efficiency of delivery and distribution mechanisms, thereby increasing profits.
It makes research much easier.
There was a time when finding information required a trip to the library or owning an encyclopedia for children born in the 1980s or before. Today’s data access technologies allow us to find out almost anything at any time. Do you want to know why your leg hurts? Do you need to place an order for dinner? Do you want to plan a vacation? You can’t recall the name of a movie, but you know who starred in it. Every day, technology makes it simple to research, buy, or discover what we want or need.
it saves time.
If a worker can save 10 minutes due to technology, that’s an extra 10 minutes they can spend doing something else. Technology can help us save time by improving communication, manufacturing processes, and automating systems. After all, computers have the ability to work more efficiently than humans.
It aids in the preservation of the environment.
New technologies, among other things, are assisting in the improvement of recycling and the reduction of emissions. New technology, for example, is reducing emissions by increasing the use of vehicles that run on alternative fuels to fossil fuels, making our homes more energy-efficient, and developing methods to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.
What Are the Cons of Technology?
It has the potential to be extremely destructive.
Depending on how it is used, technology can be “good” or “evil.” With atomic, nuclear, and hydrogen bombs, innovation has resulted in incredibly destructive, world-changing weapons. Hackers can steal personal information by using the internet. A single data breach at Equifax affected over 143 million people in September 2017. If humanity were to become extinct, there is a good chance that technology would step in to help.
It causes health issues.
Many forms of technology, such as computers, televisions, and automobiles, force people to sit for the majority of the day. This constant sitting could be as harmful to a person’s health as smoking. Consistent use of technology can cause hand, wrist, and forearm pain, and social isolation, and may even contribute to the development of depression-like symptoms.
It has resulted in a loss of privacy.
If you want to learn a lot of personal information about someone, the internet’s technology can meet your needs quite well. Dirt Search, for example, allows you to enter a phone number, look up a business, or locate a person using public records. Crawlers can aggregate all of your social media feeds onto a single page so that anyone can review everything you’ve ever posted. Consider the cameras and CCTV in most public places, and it is possible to track a person’s every move both online and in person.
It is not inexpensive.
Because of their high cost, new technologies are out of reach for some socioeconomic groups. This includes technologies that we may regard as life-sustaining, such as medical advances. Because of the costs involved, reaching some nations with standard vaccines or something as simple as a mosquito net to prevent malaria can be extremely difficult. Technology has created the notion that everything is a profit/loss proposition, and one could argue that as a result, a portion of our humanity has been lost.
It creates a constant need to upgrade.
Technology can increase efficiencies, but it can also create a need to constantly upgrade and improve the technologies that are used. Nothing will be accomplished if a specific technology is completely reliant on it.
The benefits and drawbacks of technology demonstrate that we can live a better life and be more productive if we are aware of the potential drawbacks and work to mitigate them. Technology will always have a positive and negative side. It is up to each of us to look for the good in everything every day.
