The Impact of Technology on Culture and Society - Assignment Example

Culture, Technology and Society Introduction The current age is an era for technology. It has advanced greatly today compared to the olden days. Throughout the whole world, technology has played major roles in many fields in the society. Having come up with many ways to solve problems, technology has made it easier to carry out tasks which would take long to complete manually. Difficult tasks have been made easier to tackle and the whole world has changed a great deal. This however has had an effect on human life as well as other living organisms on their ability to adapt and control their environments. Technology can be defined as the application of skills, tools, knowledge, crafts, techniques, methods or systems of organization on a concept to have an outcome (Ehrlich 2000). As much as the technological advancements have been of great help to the society, their negative effects are highly noticeable. For many years, different observations and questions have been made and asked in relation to the effects of technology on culture and the society. Technology has become part of every day activities globally and as a result, it has inflicted its merits and demerits on the society as well. Technology and culture Can culture exist without technology; or can technology exist without culture? Many scholars say that culture and technology have good relations and they mutually depend on each other for survival. As it is well known, every coin has two sides. Technology has had its positive and negative effects on culture and the society at large. These effects have either been socially, economically, politically or even culturally. Culturally, some technologies like television and radio have contributed to racial or tribal discrimination among members of a certain society. This is because they portray a certain race or tribe to be superior to others and this causes tribal problems and discrimination. Culture refers to the visible aspects of the community like food, dressing, and housing. There are different cultures in the society and each has their own values they uphold and believe in. Broadcasting of offending jokes about other people’s culture by media has lead to increased racial or tribal differences and conflicts. This has been made possible by advancement in technology in the media industry. Through technologies like computers, working has been made easier and enabled people to multitask at one time. On the other hand, these computers have led to unemployment; this is where a man’s job is replaced by a computer. People have also lost their jobs as a result of this technological advancement. Another effect they have had is slowing mans way of thinking. These machines are operated by hardware and software which have guidelines that assist you on how to operate them. They have taken the place for a man’s brain leaving him idle and not thinking (Ehrlich 2000). Technology has also had effects on the values, beliefs and tradition of the people. This has greatly affected the culture and society at large. In the society today, traditional ways of dressing, communicating, interacting has been replaced with modern ways which have led to unethical practices. Beliefs have been replaced by the new technological advancement while many of the people being born nowadays have no idea of their history. This is because the traditional aspects of the society have been absorbed in the technology and hence it is not easy to differentiate between the two. Technology has come up with concepts like abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia which were not present in the old times. As a result, there have emerged conflicts between the traditional ethical norms and the modernity brought about by technology. Technology and economy Economically, many large firms, factories and organizations have come up as a result of technology. As many of these technologically enabled factories are in the urban centers, there has been a great deal of migration from the rural areas to the urban centres leading to congestion. As a result many natural resources like forests have been cleared to create room to accommodate the people form the rural areas. Many rural areas are deserted and they have not advanced in technology as such. Rural areas support the urban areas with food and if everyone goes to the urban centre, food shortage is experienced. Every problem in the urban areas accumulates to another; with food go high and thus increases the cost of living in the urban area. To add to that, technology has enhanced many developments in economy by introducing services like online banking, home office, project management easier messaging and outlook. All this services have been of great improvement to the society at large. However like many more technological advancements in any organisation, they have led to unemployment as people loose their jobs to machines like computers (Frank 2007). Technology and education In learning institutions and centres, technology has had a major impact. Through technology like computers, internet, microscopes, and other academic equipments; learning has been made easier to the students and teaching has been made easier for the lecturers and teachers too. Other services like online learning have made it easier for people to learn when they are at a far distance form their institution. Computer aids are being used in teaching and the internet has made research easy for students and tutors too. Learning process has also been made faster and hence more knowledge is being impacted to the students each day. However, these advancements have their negative effects on the schools, students and the lecturers too. Due to the availability of everything on the internet, students have become very lazy and reading of books has become a rare occasion. Through the internet, they are able to access materials meant for adults. Internet has been linked with pornography among students. Teachers and lectures have also taken the advantage of technological advancement and become lazy in issuing go notes referring the student to the internet (Plummer 2004). Mobile phone is another very recent development in technology that has had a major impact in the society. Mobile phones have made passing of information from one person to another or from one place to another easy. Before mobile phones were invented, people used to use telephones which were only found in a room or at the bus stops. One major disadvantage with these telephones is that they could not be carried to anywhere one went. It is from this idea where they came up with mobile phones which have served as mediums of communication among people. As the society grows more advanced mobile phones are being made in the market (Frank 2007). However mobile phones have been associated with certain negative effects in the society. They have been linked with; increase of crimes as people organise and commit crimes easily due to communication. Mobile phones are expensive to purchase, as a result street children steal them from individuals to go and sell and earn a living. Mobile phones have rally affected mans way of life in many aspects. It has enhanced communication with people from far distances, they are being used for emergencies, and they are being used for businesses. However they have led to increase in cost of living in the society. Technology and environment Many technology oriented processes produce by products and end products that lead to pollution of the environment, other processes have led to natural resources being depleted and hence posing a health hazards to the society at large. Pollution of air, water, land has been on the increase due to the technological advancement like machinery which emits unhealthy substances into the air, land or even water (Plummer 2004). Pollution of the environment and depletion of the natural resources like the forests, hills and rivers affects the society in a very major way. Society depends wholly on this the natural environment for survival. Other problems like acidic rain are fatal and can cause death of flora and fauna. The death of plants will definitely led to death of living things. Much technological advancement plays a major role in environmental pollution which leads to depletion of natural resources. When natural resources are depleted, tragedies like drought and famine may hit the society involved. Unfortunately, technology can not be used to solve tragedies like famines and droughts in the society. Depletion of the environment leads to a fall in the countries’ economy. This is because most of revenues gained from the environment like tourism and mining is not charged. Depletion of trees leads to loss of forests which are very important water catchment areas. Forests also hold the soil together and hence if cut, disasters like land slides may occur leading to death and loss of property (Ponting, C 1991). Technology and health Health is the most important aspect of a person’s life. Technology has come with advancements that have reduced work effort making it easy. As a result of work being made easy by computers, there are possibilities of people suffering form diseases and disorders like heart arrack and obesity due to lack of physical practice and the use of technologically generated foods which are on the rise in many developed countries. Use of equipments like microwaves has also been associated with heart diseases. This is because microwaves are known to emit rays that get into food when heating and they can cause food poisoning leading to diseases or even death. Technology has been associated with developed means of transport like electric trains, more vehicles, airplanes spaceships and many more. These facilities have led to congestion in the market and depletion of natural resources to create a room for each one of them. Technological advancement has led to discoveries of mass destruction weapons which are being used by nations at war, for example guns and nuclear reactors. These fighting weapons and equipments have a very big impact on the society. For example nuclear reactors cause death by polluting the environment (Ponting, C 1991). Technology and digitalisation Digitisation of media and electronics is another technological advancement that cannot go unnoticed. Most of electronic products have been upgraded to meet the new market demands. Digitalisation of electronic has made it easier to access more information and perform more but it has also increased peoples way of living. Technologies like computer and internet have lead to source of crimes. Some people who are very conversant with computers have been using their knowledge to rob for people through internet (Ponting 1991). They are able to hack people’s credit cards and other electronic money transfer cards and transfer money to their accounts. This crime has been on the increase and the government is working very hard to get the culprits. While these people use the internet, others use mobile phones to issue threats and demand money and other valuables from individuals. The advancements are very essential for commercial purposes but when they are used for the wrong kind of job, we have no good in having them. The new technologies have had a very big significance in the modern community. By the use of media which includes; radio, television, internet, newspapers ,magazines journals, telephone to mention just a few, people are able to know news around the globe and they are able communicate with one another easily nationwide (Plummer 2004). It is through media that people have come know of new ideas or things they have never heard before in the past. Contrary media has also been a source for moral decadence in the society today by displaying vulgar materials and offending contents to people who are not rated to view them. These is been done by use of magazines, journals, emails, faxes, songs, videos, movies and other forms of media which have developed rapidly to date. Technology and scientific developments Technology can also be linked to scientific developments in the society today; for example DNA and molecular biology, genetics, medical science, space and aerospace. All this scientific developments have had their effect of the society at some point.DNA and molecular biology has been in use in hospitals to for various reasons (Crump 2001). They have been used to determine the DNA composition of children to know its real parents. Incases of blood donation, blood transfusion and surgery, doctors need to use technology advanced equipments to conduct their processes. These equipments have their faults and at times they have led to loss of life. Although mostly their effect has been affecting the society directly, their effects have indirectly affected the society. For example, when they are being manufactured or are in use they emit dangerous gases or by products to the environment. We cannot however blame them for their mess wholly and forget to see their brighter side. Without many of these technological developments, many things would have not been discovered and cure for many illnesses could not have been discovered too. Technology and entertainment Technology has also advanced the leisure activities of man by introducing entertainment facilities like X-box, gaming consoles, play stations games and PC gaming tips to assist in learning how to play the game. Many games for computers and play stations and other forms of entertainment have come up with technology. However despite this facilities being form of entertainment, they have also become predisposing factors to diseases like obesity. Children who are exposed to play stations at a very tender age do not go out to play with other children. They sit and play the play station the whole day as they eat foods with lots of cholesterol, sugars and fats. These predispose the kids to heart conditions and other diseases like diabetes due to much sugar, obesity due to too much fat in the body and no physical practice. All technological advancement has its ups and downs in the society and in a way it affects the culture (Morgan 1997). Technology and social amenities Technology has also had an impact on improvements of the infrastructure facilities and social amenities in the society. To add to that, technology has also been involved in providing basic facilities. As a result of technology housing, transport, facilities have been modernized. This has really changed the people’s way of life. Improvements have ranged from building of better roads to improve transport, bringing in advanced forms of transport like electric trains to building houses with the latest technology like heating system and other advancements. Globalisation has also been as a result of technological advancement. Labourers in farm lands have had their wages increased as a result of globalisation in the community. Employees’ conditions have also been improved and this has enhanced higher productivity in many farms. With the latest technological advancements, the government is starting projects and programs to help in boosting the living standards of people living in poverty. This is by improving their transport sector, housing and introducing the latest technology like computers for people to learn (Chant 1999). Technology and social interaction Technology has also made an impact in the social interaction of people in the society. Due to growth in telecommunication sectors people prefer staying indoors while they communicate with people through technology like mobile phones, internet, fax and telegrams. More and more people have developed anti social behaviours and interpersonal communication has been affected at a greater extent. This is due to developments of gadgets like I-pods and other entertainment facilities that keep people busy and hence no face to face interaction with their surrounding environment. As you walk in the streets, travelling in buses, relaxing at parks you will find many people in earphones listening to music or radio. This is a form of an anti social behavior which hinders social interaction among people from the same society or even neighbourhood.Other gadgets however like webcams have enhanced distant communication with visual abilities. One has the chance to see whoever they are communicating with from far countries. This serves as an advantage to the technology (Charlie 2005). Theoretical foundation Presently, the introduction of Information Technology (IT) in many firms has expanded their market. I.T has helped in advancing the general technology to come up with vital components of the organisation. In many work places, the technology present shapes the structure of the organization. Before the introduction of introduction, many organisations relied on manual labour which was not very effective in service delivery (Morgan 1997). Unlike human being, machines do not get sick and therefore they can work for longer spans than the human beings. Making of decisions and carrying out research in the olden days before technology hit the market was a very tedious activity. Nowadays it is the easier task to accomplish within minimum time and very few resources. Some people argue that technology is not important as far as cultural knowledge is concerned. However, technology has played a major part in instilling knowledge to the people .It has served as a transformation tool to the recent developments of culture form the olden times. Through technology, culture is been reserved and thus providing future reference to the generations to come. Although it has made alterations to the culture, it is very important to conserve whatever that has been left for future generation. It is also through technology that workers of a certain organization share their views and preserve them in order to achieve their vision. All organizations have their own cultures too and they need to be maintained for easy running and management of the firm. It technology is used for the right purpose; it will serve its purpose and assist the organization in its productivity process (Kremer 1993).Technology has advance and its going to keep on advancing. People are coming with new and great ideas each day to improve the technology. The society has a big task to get along with the adverse developments of technology as they maintain the cultural standings in the society Conclusion Technology has had a major implication on the society today. It has brought about much advancement which has developed the society despite having negative effects on the culture of the people. There are various views that have been expressed by people about technology in relation to culture and society. While some people feel that technology is erasing away the culture of the people, others think otherwise. Very many approaches can be offered in this situation. Culture and technology have a positive correlation and neither can exist without the other (Plummer 2004). People should learn how to use technology for the benefit of the society not for self enrichment. The reason as to why there are many problems being associated with technology is that it has been excessively commercialized. People should learn how to use technology conveniently and responsibly. Different cultures make up the society; as cultures advance, technology will advance too. This will be attributed to the growth of cultural interactions between different societies and hence coming up with greater ideas to advance. Society cannot exist without technology and technology cannot exist without culture. Therefore, all that is needed is to embrace technology as it comes try to make it fit within our society’s cultural perspectives. References Chant, C (1999), "Chapter 2: Greece" in "pre-industrial cities and technology," Routledge Press. Charlie, G (2005), Art, time and technology: Histories of the disappearing body, Berg. Crump, T (2001), A brief history of science. Constable & Robinson p. 9. Ehrlich, PR (2000), "Human natures: Genes cultures, and the human prospect" Island Press. Frank, P (2007), From technological to virtual art, Leonardo Books, MIT Press. Kremer, M (1993), "Population Growth and Technological Change: One Million B.C. to 1990", Quarterly Journal of Economics vol 108 (3): pp. 681–716. Morgan, G (1997), Images of organization. California. SAGE Publications Inc. Plummer, T (2004), Flaked stones and old bones: Biological and cultural evolution at the dawn of technology, Year book of Physical Anthropology. Ponting, C (1991), A green history of the world: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. New York, St. Martin's Press. .  Read More