Issues on Effects of Technology - Coursework Example

Effects of Technology Section A Question Evidence from Canada and elsewhere suggests that new computer-based information Technologies are having differential effects on employment and the quality of work. Which groups of workers may be benefiting from the implementation of these technologies and which groups may be negatively impacted? Why? Is the situation any different for workers in the information-services economy compared to workers in the older industrial economy? Evidently technology has had far reaching effects on the society. There have been diverse perceptions of the effects of technology on the social organization and structure. With the increasing effects of technology on the society, many scholars have sought to understand the complex relationship between technology and social structures and organizations. There is evidence that, the emergence of technology has served to redefine employment as well as the categories of work that exist in the modern day (Lytras & Corti, 2012). Notably, before technology exerted its effects, there were three clear work categories, namely the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. The primary sector denotes the work within agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and extraction of natural resources. The secondary sector is defined by employment in the manufacturing and the construction industries which serve to produce goods. The third category classified as tertiary involves the provision of services such as banking, health, education, insurance, restaurants and hotels. Notably, the tertiary sector relies immensely on the information. According to Canadian statistics, the beginning of the 20th century saw 45% of the labor force having jobs in the primary sector (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). On the other hand, 165 of the entire work force were in the secondary sector. However, there is evidence that these statistics have changed immensely, as will be described below. According to some scholars, technology has served to degrade work. This is because capitalism has taken advantage of the emerging technologies and utilized it in mass production, hence eroding the function of hand workers. Moreover, such use of technology has served to increase the need for organization and management of the labor process. There are fears that the future may see more degradation of work. However, there are scholars who believe that, new office technologies specifically computers and other computer based communication systems are likely to introduce more forms of employment. According to the evidence obtained from Canada, it emerges that, the computer and the information technology registered new areas that required the economic activity, but that did not exist before. Notably, as this form of technology became more and more enhanced, organizations realized the value of technology in introducing new structures in the manufacturing industry (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). Moreover, the value of technology in large bureaucracies belonging to public and private spheres was recognized. Evidently, such recognition and the efforts to utilize technology to transform such organizations introduced new forms of economic activity as well new categories of occupations. A clear example is highlighted regarding the Canadian automobile and resource industries, which embraced technology an adopted it transforming the sectors. However, the fact that these industries adopted technology; they registered a reduction of their workforce. Since they had adopted technology in the manufacturing and the production processes, they needed fewer middle managers, supervisors and office workers (Lytras & Corti, 2012). Therefore, they decreased their workforce in their categories from 26.5% to about 15%. Notably, this reduction regarded jobs related to manufacturing. On the other hand, the industries registered an increase in other sectors such as personal services, business and community services. An increase from 18% to 37.1% in these forms of services was registered. This only serves as proof that, the impact of technology in the manufacturing sector has shifted employment from the secondary roles to the adoption of tertiary roles which involves services. Statistics indicated that, after industrialization, the service sector was responsible for between 65% and 75% of the total employment in Canada (Lytras & Corti, 2012). The fact that the service sector accounted for about 75% of employment brought about the idea that technology was slowly bringing about the homogenization of jobs. This means that, many people were belonging to one homogeneous working class. However, other scholars have highlighted that technology has created the polarization of jobs as well as workers. There are two distinct classes of jobs and workers that have emerged as a result of technology in many industries. One of these categories involves good jobs which present a high salary package and a high level; of security but require a high level of skill. These jobs are only accessible to a small percentage of the population. They include computer and information analysts, financial managers, consultants as well as doctors. Scholars have highlighted that these job categories specifically make use of the technology (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). The other category denotes the lower end of jobs with minimal pay, high job insecurities requiring minimal skills. These include the retail trade, personal services as well as accommodation services. Therefore, this polarization brings about the idea that, the lower end workers are only objects under the use of technology. In the middle of these two categories, are middle class jobs which present a measure of security and desirable pay but are blue collar jobs. Section A Question 2 Genetic engineering and new reproductive technologies (reprogenetics) are often critiqued on terms of their implications for the creation or reinforcement of various forms of social inequality. In what ways might these criticisms be valid? Are there potential social benefits as well? Genetic engineering denotes a cluster of techniques that have been developed and that have the potential to identify, amplify and allow the manipulation of different genes. This has resulted in numerous new technologies in different fields. For example, genetic engineering has found diverse application in agriculture, in medicine and in industries. The impact of genetic engineering is immense because biotechnology, which is one of the fields in genetic engineering, is considered as a potential solution for the global economic challenges. Notably, some of the techniques under genetic engineering have been positively received in the society. However, some of the emerging techniques applied in medicine and reproduction, genetics have attracted a measure of controversy in the society (Lytras & Corti, 2012). In the modern day, it is possible for experts carry out genetic screening and be able to identify the DNA, RNA chromosomes as well as proteins and other metabolites which are connected to heritable traits. This has made it possible for numerous tests such as fetal, pre-implantation, diagnostic and predictive tests. On the other hand, the emergence of gene therapy has presented a new hope for the replacement of faulty genes in a bid to cure genetic disorders. Reproductive technologies have emerged making it possible for invitro fertilization, surrogacy, and numerous tests involving genetic testing (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). One of the benchmarks in genetic engineering was the successful human genome projects whose main objective was sequencing the human DNA. The completion of this project brings about numerous possibilities related to the genetic engineering in humans. One evident claim is that, the genetic engineering procedure as well as the reproductive technologies serves to introduce a measure of social inequality. The fact that human beings have the capacity to understand and sequence the human DNA, there is a possibility that many people will adopt a reductionist view that will regard people as a combination of genes instead of a according them the right dignity. Moreover, being able to associate different types of problems with genetic origin will introduce new social categories (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). This will bring confusion between the social causes of problems and introduce a new blame on nature and genetics. Notably, some of the technologies developed and genetic engineering resent multiple benefits to the society. However, it has not been established who exactly is responsible for ensuring that these technologies do not go overboard. For example, there is still no clear definition of the difference between bad and good genes that can be incorporated into the human genome. Since the sequencing of the human genome project was successful, it has become possible to carry out multiple genetic screening procedures (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). For example, women attending prenatal care can get information concerning the unborn baby on whether the baby can have any form of genetic effects. In some countries, elective abortion is allowed if the unborn baby presents some genetic defects. Moreover, there is evidence that elective abortion is considered a means of sex selection between either male or female children in some countries. From a different perspective, it is possible that the genetic screening procedures will be abused by parents and doctors in a bid to only give a chance to the child with superior genetic qualities. It is likely that in the future, children that will be born will depend on human decisions because genetic screening will determine which unborn babies will be fit for the world. Moreover, this selection based on genetic screening will extend to the choice of partners. Nobody will accept to marry or be married by an individual possessing any defective genes. A case in Greece on the prevalence of sickle-cell anemia identified a population which was more prone to the disease. Unfortunately, the public got to know about the results and only stigmatize that group of the population. Evidently, that information introduced social inequality which gave the rise to stigma and cause people from that group of the population not to be married (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). In addition, social inequalities may result in the workplace because employers may be tempted to only hire people presenting superior genetic qualities bringing a disadvantage to those with any genetic defects. There is evidence that some companies plan to begin genetic screening prior to hiring employees. Results obtained from the genetic tests may also affect premium rates paid to insurance companies. People presenting superior qualities would demand that they need to pay reduced premiums because they face a lower risk. On the other end, people with genetic defects will be required to pay higher premiums (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). The final concern on the creation of social inequality surrounds the field of eugenics. This is an effort of introducing improvements in the human species by monitoring heredity through rigorous selective breeding. A historical example of this is evident in from what Adolf Hitler did. He was of the opinion that only some races deserved to reproduce and bring forth offspring for the future. Therefore, he sought to do away with all other races that did not present superior qualities worth of being reproduced. There is the fear that a new form of eugenics will emerge as the genetic engineering allows the modification of embryos and the selection of reproduction components. If this trend continues, the future will see the creation of designer babies. These forms of social insecurities are the factors contributing to the criticism of genetic engineering. Worth noting is the fact that genetic engineering presents multiple benefits in the agricultural sector as well in medicine because genetic disorders can now be addressed effectively (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). Section B Question 4 In thinking about social outcomes and the idea of social progress, many people would label themselves as technological optimists, others as technological pessimists. A third view is that neither position is the appropriate way to think about the technology-society relationship. Discuss this (you can defend one position but you do not have to) by drawing on relevant conceptual arguments and actual technology-society relationships to illustrate/develop your essay. A close analysis of the numerous effect of technology on the society has made some people either pessimists or optimists depending on their perceptions of the issue. This has led to the development of an unending controversy surrounding the issue. Some scholars are convinced that technology has only served to increase social problems. However, others look upon technology as a solution to numerous social problems. Each of these views has been continuously defended using examples of the effects of technology on the society. However, despite these opposing views defining the opinion of many towards technology; it is worth mentioning that technology has presented desirable effect on the society. Notably, everything that has benefits usually presents a measure of disadvantage (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). This is the case with technology. It is possible to laud technology for the new possibilities that it has brought forth. However, it is also critical to recognize its adverse effects and think of ways of minimizing them. Without doubt, technology has become embedded in the society and is only likely to exert more effects in the future. This paper will highlight the view that the benefits of technology can be maximized and the negative effects minimized. Evidently, the emergence of technology in the 20t century served to present an economic boost. Worth noting is the fact that the adoption of technology in industries served to increase productivity in a bid to meet the needs of the growing population. However, analyzing the negative effects brought by this reveals that workers lost their jobs. Worth appreciating is the fact that, while technology took away some jobs, it introduced a range of other new categories. The overall outcome of the impact of the technology in the industries during these times was far much greater on the positive side than on the negative side. In a bid to reduce the negative effects of technology in such a setting, it is critical for the workforce to acquire advanced knowledge that will empower them to access jobs in an organization that has adopted technology (Lytras & Corti, 2012). The increasing percentage of jobs created by the computer and the information system has introduced new job categories which are contributing to economic growth in many countries. For example, in the modern world, technology has made it possible for individuals to work online. Contrary to the traditional setting whereby physical proximity was a must, many people are able to work internationally without necessarily migrating to another location. This means that, individuals with the right skills can access the job anywhere in the globe irrespective of the geographical location. Moreover, technology has served to enhance other sectors, introducing new departments in some organizations (Lytras & Corti, 2012). For example, in the modern day, each organization must have a website and must indulge in active online marketing. This increases the demands for computer and information technology experts as well as qualified online marketers. In the sector of medicine, technology has brought about numerous benefits. Notably, new drugs have been developed and mass production of these drugs is possible with automated machines. Moreover, modern diagnostic technique is that are more effective and efficient as well as less time consuming have been developed using technology. Multiple surgical procedures which are the products of technology are now available. The successful sequencing of the human genome introduces a realm of new possibilities in gene therapy (Winston & Edelbach, 2014). The world is more enlightened concerning the causes of different diseases because of the proper use of technology. All these benefits have only served to save lives in different settings. Evidently, these benefits of technology cannot be underestimated. Without technological advances, the health system would be in a devastating state. In the modern day, health institutions have adopted different computer applications and software in order to ensure automated services to clients. This has served to reduce medical error in hospitals, saving more lives. In this perspective, there are fears that technology may serve to create social inequalities in the future. I strongly assert that, it is possible for governments to determine the boundaries of the technologies while completely embracing technology that presents benefits to the society. The negative effects of technology can be addressed effectively if people have the right view of the potential benefits that technology has brought forth (Harrington, 2009). It is rational to maximize the benefits of technology and combat its negative effects because technology is only here to stay. A balanced view of technology reveals that the society needs it in many different aspects. Considering the pace with which technology advances, the possibility of limiting it is minimal. Therefore, it is better to focus on combating on its negative effects. References Harrington, J. L. (2009). Technology and society. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Lytras, M. D., & Corti, I. N. (2012). Trends and effects of technology advancement in the knowledge society. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Winston, M. E., & Edelbach, R. (2014). Society, ethics, and technology. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More