How Technology has Changed Our Lives - Assignment Example

How Technology has Changed Our Lives Technology has changed travelling. Whenever people travel, they need connection with family members and friends. The use of mobile phones makes such connections possible. However, before the invention of mobile phones, people relied on the traditional landline phones. Although they could connect people, the landline phones lacked the conveniences of mobile phones. For instance, if a problem such as car breakdown occurs, one can call a tow truck instead of waiting for passing cars to provide help. Also, if one is in trouble, the police can use the in-built GPS in mobile phones to find the exact location and provide help (Centertech). On the contrary, landline phones do not have such conveniences. For example, if a vehicle breaks down, the traveller would find it hard to get help. Technology has changed the way people work. Currently, the use of smartphones and laptops has enabled people to work far from their offices and other workplaces. It is the internet that allows organizations to store their information in cyberspaces. The stored information can be accessed and retrieved using internet-enabled devices. Thus, an employee can access the company information using a smartphone and work from remote places without travelling to the workplace (Dewey). Working from remote places also enables managers to act on urgent matters that could otherwise be delayed by the inconveniences of travelling to the workplace (Cairncross 10). Apart from the convenience of working from remote places, the internet technology has also transformed the workplace itself. Currently, the internet is also becoming a workplace particularly for the self-employed people. Such as people, who are mostly IT experts, can work by providing specialized services to internet-based organizations. For example, some of them look for security weaknesses in the websites of some companies. Once they identify the loopholes, they inform the respective companies to take action immediately before hackers can exploit them. Thus, without the internet, the jobs of such people could not exist (Centertech). Technology has transformed the conventional way of doing business. Nowadays, it is possible to buy or sell items on the internet. Credit cards allow people to do some transactions from their homes. There is no point of going to a bank to withdraw cash for shopping or to pay for utility bills. Indeed it is a suitable way of doing business because one does not even have to travel to shopping malls to purchase some items. The items can be requested or ordered and delivered to the customers doorstep (Dewey). Technology has affected some conventional businesses negatively. For instance, it has forced certain businesses such as postal telegrams to close down. The invention of portable internet enabled devices such as mobile phones has allowed users to send messages faster. Thus, people no longer use telegrams because they are inefficient compared with sending emails using mobile devices. Apart from telegrams, the traditional music stores have also closed down their operations. They have been replaced by online-based music stores that provide wider varieties of music to the users. The sale of print papers has significantly declined because people can access the same information online. More importantly, the internet-based information is reliable because it is updated many times in a day (Dewey). Technology has changed the way individuals find information. Nowadays, the internet is replacing other sources such as books or peers. Some people rely on the internet as a source of information on some issues that are affecting their lives. For instance, if a family member has a chronic illness, some internet sources such as government and corporate websites can provide reliable information and medication. Thus, a family can seek the best medicine instead of wasting money on perceived therapies, which might be expensive but ineffective. People also use the internet to find information on recipes or new products in the market. The internet is convenient because the information is available to the users practically on a 24/7 basis. Without the internet, people could waste much time finding information in books or from friends (Dewey). Technology has changed the way people interact socially. The internet has created new ways of socializing (Cairncross 3-4). Initially, people could only interact in the workplace, social places, or at their homes. However, the advancements in technology have expanded social interactions. Currently, people can interact through some internet-based social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Social sites act as platforms that allow users to connect with friends, schoolmates, workmates, or even family members. Thus, instead of face-to-face meetings, people can make video calls to friends or family members (Dewey). People can also chat, share, or publish files such as photos and videos in the social sites. Although social sites increase a person’s chances of interacting with others, they are also sources of social isolation. Social isolation occurs when individual bonds strongly with the people they meet in social sites than in the surrounding community. Such strong bonds develop when an individual meets new people online, often strangers who they share common beliefs. In some situations, strong bonds between social media users become virtual communities, which isolate individuals from their real communities (Dewey). Technology enables people to work safely in unsafe environments. Currently, robots are used in places that are considered too dangerous for human beings to work. For instance, if there is a leak of radioactive substances, robots can be used to clean it. Robots fitted with cameras can also be used to photograph or film such dangerous places. Thus, if there were no robots, working in unsafe environments could be virtually impossible because of the dangers associated with them (Centertech). Technology has change the ways in crime is committed. Not all people use the internet responsibly; there are those who use the anonymity of the internet to commit crimes. Some of them try to steal sensitive information from individuals or organizations. In some cases, the stolen information can lead to financial losses to individuals or companies. In other situations, the stolen information can be published in other sites that are accessible to the public. Thus, the use of internet makes people or organizations to lose their privacy. Nevertheless, people can still use the internet safely because there are advanced ways of protecting personal information or detecting internet crimes. Computer forensics helps the law enforcing agents to detect crimes committed on the internet (Centertech). Technology has affected the way people remember things. Nowadays, people no longer memorize phone numbers because they can save and retrieve them from their phones or tablets. Initially, people could take their time to master the phone numbers of important people in their lives. For example, children could memorize their parents’ or friends’ numbers. Family members could also memorize the numbers of close relatives. In addition, businessmen could remember the phone numbers of their important customers. However, the advances in technology have made people to be reluctant in remembering simple things such as phone numbers. According to a 2010 study, seven in ten people do not know their friends’ number. The same study also found out that at least five in ten people do not remember their parents’ numbers (Dewey). Technology is likely to cause the extinction of some languages in the world. Currently, about five percent of the world’s languages are used in the internet. The remaining 95 percent have failed to make it to the web. The real danger arises when the adults in a society use the languages that are common in the internet. If this happens, children will lose interest in their native languages and adopt what the adults do. Although they might be in a position of understanding some words in the native language, the children will not master the language properly. As a result, the children will fail to pass the language to subsequent generations. Therefore, certain languages will fade with time and eventually become extinct after some years (Dewey). Technology has changed the way political campaigns are carried out. Politicians nowadays use the internet to campaign for themselves and their political parties. People can also announce their favorite candidates online. For example, in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, it was easy to predict the way the elections could go because a number of voters expressed their opinions in the internet (Dewey). In conclusion, technology has transformed people’s lives in various ways. For instance, it is possible for individuals to connect with family members and friends while travelling. It is also possible for employees to work from their homes instead of travelling to the workplace. In addition, people can order and pay for certain items from their homes instead of going to the shopping malls. Additionally, the internet provides information; it is replacing print sources such as books. Works Cited Cairncross, Frances. The Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution is Changing Our Lives. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2001. Dewey, Caitlin. “36 Ways the Web Has Changed Us.” Washington Post. 12 March 2014. Web. 2 November 2014. . “How Technology Has Changed Our Lives in the Last Five Years.” Centertech. n.d. Web. 2 November 2014. . Read More