Technology can be defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes to solve problems or invent useful tools. Humans have always tried to make their life easier and happier and technology is one of those inventions that complements human life perfectly.
Day by day, the expansion of technology is scaling new heights. Though technology has made our life easier and helped us in reaching new realms, the downside is that it has made us overly dependent on it. This has made people so reliant that they have lost the ability to exercise and do physical work or mental exercises, spend quality family time and much more.
For even the smallest of tasks, we look towards technological gadgets instead of doing it on our own. Mobile phones have snatched the space for almost everything. People have begun to live in a virtual world and have forgotten their ground reality.
Technology plays a major role in our lives and while technology certainly makes life easier and more convenient, many wonder whether our society is too dependent on technology. It has led users to be completely engrossed in their devices. In fact, there is even a term to describe this: ‘nomophobia’ (no-mobile-phone-phobia) which is when a person has an actual fear of losing or being away from their phone.
Before technology changed everything, there were many ways that people could be entertained, which usually involved interacting with others without a device between them. For instance, people used to go to cultural programmes, live events, amusement parks, the circus, theatre events or simply play with their friends. Then the cinema was invented and people went to the movies. Once the TV was introduced, people no longer had to leave their homes to be entertained. The ability to consume entertainment became more and more convenient because of technology. These days, there are many entertainment options at home within the reach of your mobile phone. This has severely affected our physical activity and people are becoming lazier and indulging in exercise which is providing passive entertainment and increasing our screen time with its associated side effects.
Technology has also influenced how we communicate. Back in the day, people had to communicate primarily by talking to each other in person. Now, with just a click of a button, we can talk to anyone in the world, at any time of the day. Technology has given us the unique ability to communicate with people who are far away from us, whether it is by making a phone call, sending an email or shooting off a text. This may be good in theory, but the basic principles of healthy communication have been broken down. It is difficult to understand tone, intention or feeling on communication made via messages.
Technology has strongly impacted the way we travel. Today, we can find where we are going much more efficiently. Our current location can be shared immediately or other people can also access our location. The invention of GPS and its mass adoption has made it easy for people to find where they need to go with ease. It is essentially a map that tells you where you are and where you need to go. You barely need to concern yourself with your surroundings if you have GPS on your phone. Map apps will even tell you what routes will take the least amount of time and what roads to avoid because of accidents or other issues that could slow you down. With the click of a button, we can book an itinerary, hotels and make payments. Though it has made life easier, it has accumulated an enormous amount of information which is a lot to absorb and creates confusion. It is difficult to decide the authenticity of financial transactions made online on these sites while sitting far away. It also gives hackers an opportunity to delve into the details of your card details. While beneficial most of the time, it may be disadvantageous also.
With technology, you can quickly type the question you have into a search engine and find your answer. The internet is essentially an unlimited source of information, making it easier to do research and to inform yourself than ever before. In fact, spreading news and information has never been easier, which has both positive and negative effects. Although people are more informed than ever and can easily educate themselves on a variety of topics using the internet, the ease at which information spreads has proven to be dangerous as well. With the easy access to information, there is often a lot of misinformation out there, too. You cannot be sure about the authenticity of information available. Most of the time you get multiple pieces of information. It is important to understand that you should know how to identify the correct information. The ease of access to information also makes you reliant on the internet which may be cognitively less stimulating. The use of a calculator for simple calculation is reducing our power of mental exercise. Misinformation can spread just as easily and have serious consequences. Reading books, on the other hand, makes you smarter. Experiencing real life makes you smarter.
Culturally, people lose track of who they are and what is acceptable for them. Essentially, there is a lot of cultural dilution that occurs with the use of technology like the internet. People start to adopt what they want to see themselves online and practice it in their daily lives rather than believing what is real.
Technology has improved healthcare through modern machines and equipment and now more and more lives can be saved due to technological advancements. But simultaneously it has made the process of dying unnatural in the ICU amongst various machines and alarms, rather than dying naturally at home amidst loved ones.
In the industrial sector, modern machines that improve efficiency have been developed and this has improved productivity and economy but simultaneously reduced the need for manpower, hence increasing unemployment.
To conclude, technology has many benefits and there is nothing wrong with using it to make life easier and more convenient. It is when we become too dependent on it that we need to take a step back and re-evaluate our reliance on technology.
– Neilay Agarwal, 10D