Impact of Technology on Society - Coursework Example

Impact of Electrification on Society For generations, people have lived without electri doing all their activities without the help of machines and technology that we can easily take for granted. Farming was a major source of livelihood and many activities were carried out by hand. With the discovery of electricity, a lot of industries were revolutionized, families changed in how they conducted business, social interactions changed and life in general was improved (Meyers 45). But like everything else, electrification did not come without its disadvantages and negative influences. More and more people became lonely even when with other people, cities became over populated and pollution became a major concern (Zerriffi 23). 1.0 Introduction Electrification is the process through which power is provided by electricity. It was called “the 20th century greatest engineering achievement” by the national academy of engineering. Broadly speaking, the term usually applies to a region or a national economy (Hu and Hu 67). It was built out of electrical engineering and systems of distribution that occurred in Britain, United States and other countries in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It included change from the use of steam engines and water power to electric motors. Electrification of different sectors has been referred with terms such as rural electrification, railway electrification and many others. This paper takes a look at the historical background of electricity, how people lived in rural areas before the electrification process, the changes that came with the embrace of electrification and the impact of these changes to rural society, both negative and positive (Meyers 45). It covers the effect of electrification in rural areas (rural electrification) in the United States examining what is that was not as a result of electrification as well as what is not that was. 2.0 Background 2.1 History of electricity For many years people over the entire world have been fascinated by electricity, some wondering how the power could be used. Only in the 18th century did the use of it for lighting and other uses begin to take shape. In 1752 Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm to prove that lightning was electrical (Zerriffi 23). Throughout the next many years many scientists and inventors tried to find a way to use electrical power to make light but failed. In 1879 Thomas Edison was able to produce light. By the end of the 1880s, small stations were established in U.S cities but each station was able to power only small areas. By the 1930s, majority of people in cities has electricity but only about 10% of those living in farms had the benefits of the same. At that time, electric companies were privately owned and their charges were too high for farmers to afford (Meyers 45). The president of the United States then, President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that farming areas should have the same access to electricity as cities. In 1935, the Rural Electric Administration was created which saw an increase in the number of farming households with electricity to 25% by 1939. Farmers were able to buy electric appliances such as stoves and washing machines and their lives were made easier (Hu and Hu 67). Today, many Americans have their standards of living having improved a lot due to embracing this technology (Meyers 45). 2.2 How people lived before electricity Generations that lived before us did not enjoy the many things that we do like the use of tap water. They hauled their water from artesian wells, cooked using burning stoves and did all things off the grid as there was no grid then. 2.2.1 How farms were run Farms were mainly run by lanterns during the nights. The farmer had to water their animals by hand and even milk them by hand. Milk obtained was kept cool by water that was fetched from wells and for the lucky ones, pumped by hand or wind mills. To stay warm in winter meant that people would put on heavy clothing and warm their beds at night with bed warmers that were heated with the use of fireplaces (Hu and Hu 67). Others also used warm bricks that were wrapped in heavy clothing. Trees needed to be cut down and chopped to provide firewood as many households used wood stoves that were hard to start and keep going. Stoves would have to be emptied frequently to remove the ash, and operations such as baking were difficult to carry out as logs had to be thrown in the firebox so often (Meyers 45). Without electricity, there was no refrigeration and vegetables and fruit had to be canned on the day they became ripe. Social events were not governed by loud music from sound systems but by people, musicians and instrument players playing in real time. Interactions were mostly face to face and travelling was limited to shorter distances (Hu and Hu 67). This is a clear indication that electricity has had a mega impact on how people socialize when in social joints, how they interact and relate to one another. 3.0 Positive impacts of rural electrification 3.1 Economic impact 3.1.1 Impact on income The average annual income for households that have electricity is an approximated 64.5% higher than that of households without electricity. In terms of the broad categories sources on income for households that have electricity are higher on account of the non-agricultural sources (Meyers 45). Households with electricity have looked to many different sources of income rather than farming and those that continue to farm have embraced use of machinery that helps to increase the yield and thereby raise their incomes. 3.1.2 Impact on expenditure Households with electricity have increased the amounts they spend say on food. Electrification has acted as a factor in urbanizing the consumption pattern of the rural people. They have embraced different types of food products that come at a price (Zerriffi 23). 3.1.3 Impact on employment Electrification provides employment. People who are skilled are required to handle the process for example in installation of the electric cables and the systems. This has provided an opportunity for those who are skilled in the area and for others to acquire the skills (Hu and Hu 67). Not only has it provided employment for those directly involved but has also promoted other industries that have helped by providing employment. 3.1.4 Impact on surpluses and savings On average, the electrified households have an increased surplus compared to those that are without electricity. Electrification has also improved the situation in terms of land ownership whereby those that have electricity are better than their counterparts (Zerriffi 23). The rich and the poor gap has become less pronounced in terms of electrical power. The influence of electricity on savings has increased due to the increased incomes and less recurrent expenses. 3.1.5 Impact on credit Since both assets and income have been found to be increased by the electrification process in those households, the creditworthiness also increases. Therefore, he average amount of credit taken by households with electricity and logically so increases. This is the reason most banks, mainly in the developing countries, consider households goods as part of security when advancing credit to their customers. 3.2 Social impact The average literacy rate increased as more and more people enrolled into education institutes. The quality of education also increased. Households embraced different technology more and more and with them came exposure and therefore a general improvement in the way of life (Meyers 45). Over time, with adoption of other technologies such as mobile phones, interactions began to change to the present day situation whereby communications are a lot over social media. Social events have transformed so that their nature has changed over time. Music has also changed in that now it is available in recorded forms that are now used on social events (Hu and Hu 67). Lanterns are not used anymore and social gatherings are not limited to the day as electricity provides light. This change gives people amble time to work because they know they can go to social joints after work and will not worry of darkness. 3.3 Impact on health and sanitation As pertains knowledge about crucial public health concerns, electricity has helped this largely for instance by the purchase of such as radios by households that were then used in the communication of such issues. Electricity has contributed amazingly in knowledge building with TV playing a major role as a major source of this information. This is because people need electricity to charge their smartphones in order to connect to the internet, they need electricity to use their laptops and desktops, and the change is felt all over. 4.0 Negative impact of rural electrification 4.1 Rural urban migration With the introduction of electricity, more and more people move towards urban areas that seem to offer more opportunities to them in terms of entertainment, employment and education. This has led to congestion in cities and overpopulation. 4.2 Pollution Electrification has helped in enhancing such other industries such as the agricultural industry. More and more factories are opened as people continue to explore the numerous opportunities that present themselves (Meyers 45). Emissions from these industries have led to pollution. Development of other areas such as in the entertainment industry with the advent of recorded music has been abused often times and has caused noise pollution. However, laws have been put into place to control these effects. 4.3 Loneliness Electrification has created a society that has people who are driven by power and money, where life events are fast moving and everyone to earn a lifestyle has to keep abreast. People have often times forgotten to take a break and those that do so often find themselves alone even though they are surrounded by many people (Hu and Hu 67). This has also been influenced by the advent of social networks that have minimized face to face interactions. 5.0 Conclusion Rural electrification has had a lot of impact on society, and has contributed in making the lives of people easier in more ways than one. People no longer have to fetch water down streams and carry it on their backs, they no longer have to chop wood with axes to be able to keep warm during winter and they do not have to bear with wooden stoves in order to be able to obtain a meal. Other industries have been revolutionized on the advent of electricity such as the agricultural industry and the entertainment industry (Hu and Hu 67). However, as with many other things, some challenges have come about that were not there before it such as more lonely people even amidst large numbers of people. 6.0 Works Cited Hu, Zhaoguang, and Zheng Hu. Electricity Economics: Production Functions with Electricity., 2013. Internet resource. Meyers, Robert A. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. New York: Springer, 2012. Internet resource. Zerriffi, Hisham. Rural Electrification: Strategies for Distributed Generation. Dordrecht: Springer, 2011. Internet resource. Read More