Technology and Its Impact on Life - Essay Example

A Reflective Essay on Technology and its impact on life. Technology has power; it can bring change in life either for better or for worse. One small piece of invention can bring about a social revolution and major transformations in a society. The invention of printing press for instance, brought with it the industrial revolution. Introduction of farm machinery posed economic challenges for many individuals associated with farming and altered their socio economic status for ever. A new advancement in technology may sound thrilling, but history is full of incidents where technology has influenced the social, economic and political aspects of human life; therefore, outcomes and long term impact of technology on the society must be evaluated before the decision is made to adopt or reject a a particular advancement in technology. I believe that technology in itself is not manipulative, inventors or scientists do not necessarily work to manipulate the society, but there are often political forces which intend to use technology in a manipulative way to achieve a certain social or political goal. For example, use of certain civil engineering techniques in designing and constructing overheads in various regions of America have restricted the entry of buses (which are the only affordable means of transport for the lower class) in the posh recreation areas. Automobile vehicles led to the formulation of traffic laws, the blind man for whom all cars automatically used to stop when he attempted to cross the road, now needs assistance from somebody who would guide him as to whether or not the light is green. Some technology when applied and adopted, can lead to intentional or unintentional social injustice. It is very important to consider all implications in the social and political sense before adopting a certain technology. Technology may be an objective aspect of life, but it is deeply linked to the subjective aspect. It has strong ties with and strong influence on the subjective, social side of life. Reflecting on technology and its impact at a personal level in my own life, half of my daily life activities are shaped by technology. I used to cycle my way to school, but when my parents were able to afford a car, I was picked and dropped by car. I did not get the chance of cycling much then. At that time, it seemed a blessing. But looking back now, I realize that may be I was better off with my cycle. I could enjoy the scenery, view nature in slow motion, breathe fresh air on my way, enjoy the wind blowing through my hair and I could have had an optimum amount of exercise daily due to my bicycle ride. But I traded all this for a ride in car, without even thinking for a while why I was doing so. That’s because I was under the impression that since car is greater technology than bicycle, it must be better by all means. I was wrong. Both bicycle and car have their respective pros and cons. Just because car uses more advanced technology than bicycle doesn’t necessarily mean that it is superior. Same is the case with microwave oven. I used to enjoy pop corns cooked in a nice small pan on the stove. I always thought the aroma was amazing and it was fun because I could see each piece popping and blooming into the final product. Then, I was introduced to the microwave oven. It took less time and less effort to make microwave corn, so I switched to it. But I didn’t consider what I was trading. I no longer smell the wonderful aroma during the process and I can’t see them popping in the microwave either. I just switched to microwave because it was a technological wonder. As humans, we need to break through these deep rooted misconceptions regarding technology. To analyze the feasibility of something new, we need to believe that all pre existing assumptions are wrong; this will enable us to systematically think on our own behalf, using our own mind, according to the circumstances. Though I believe that all technology must not be adopted just for the sake of technology, but sometimes humans are forced to adopt technology and they are left with no other choice. When the USB Flash drive technology came into market, most of my stored data was on compact disks. I did not want to switch to USB, I was fine with CD ROM, but soon I found out that CD ROM accessories were no longer easily available in my the market. I was forced to switch to USB when one day my computer’s CD ROM became dysfunctional and I couldn’t find any technician who could repair it for me! They were all advocates of USB technology and replaced the CD ROM with USB port instead of repairing it. I had no other choice but to start using USB technology. Technology can be equally useful and harmful for humans. Microwave saves cooking time and hassle, but researchers have proved that food cooked in microwave is chemically altered and may contribute to diseases like cancer. Same is the case with radiation technology. Almost all departments of medicine use radiology to treat various diseases now days. However, people radiated with the wrong dose mistakenly, have to face conditions like blindness, nerve issues and even paralysis. While opting for such a technologically advanced treatment, all possible effects it can have on the person’s life must be chalked out and anticipated and only after such evaluation must an informed decision be taken. I have been hearing since childhood that necessity leads to invention. But I believe this statement is no longer true in today’s world. Today, we are presented with an invention first, and we devise ways of how to use it in our daily lives, and that too, without anticipating the side effects it will bring to our social lives. I am of the view that we need to turn this situation around. To develop and adopt technology as per our needs instead of just trying to use every new piece of technology that comes our way just because it happens to be affordable. Read More