Effects of Information Technology on the Society
Technology has brought a great boon in the society in the form of luxury, security communication etc., yet on the other hand it has also caused nuisance in the form of laze, violence and theft. Comparing the present to the past we can see how we have become accustomed to technology more than we were in a hundred years. Life in the past was highly limited due to lack of technology, as the daily routines were full of excessive physical activities.
Considering life without technology is overwhelming because of how it has dominated us entirely and has made our lives easy. To explain, we begin the day with the use of alarms to wake up, and end it with switching off the lights before going to sleep. Additionally, daily chores of washing or drying clothes, cleaning the floors, washing dishes, heating food, etc., have become simple with the use of machines. Most of our work is done by a touch of a button; for instance, in winter or summer we turn on the heater or air conditioning by just touching the button on the thermostat, while in the past to keep warm in wintry weather people had to burn fire which required extensive labor.
Technological advancement has increased awareness in populace. People residing in a corner of the world get to know about it through radio television or internet; hence media has brought people at a hand span. Furthermore, the use of cell phones to communicate with others is so common that every other person you see on the road uses it to either, text, email, call, browse or listen to music. Nowadays almost everyone has a mini computer like cell phones in their pockets, such as iPhones, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Android and others; with their use people upload videos on the YouTube or write a blog in an instant from anywhere and anytime.
Technology has groomed people tremendously and the primitive methods of living have been replaced by a new mind set. This has even broadened our vision for religion, as religious dogmas are no more followed blindly. Internet research has enabled us to reason out facts about religion.
Medical progression has made life span larger as people would die of anxiety and pain. Nevertheless, technology has equipped medical science where diagnoses are made accurately and treatment of incurable diseases has become possible due to timely diagnosis. Furthermore, if there are difficulties in treatment there are possibilities of even replacing the organ, overall, progress in technology has improved living.
. In the same way, education has been made accessible for all even parents who have children to look after, or people with a nine- to- five jobs. Universities offer online education which makes it easy and affordable for people to study and perk up professions. These distance learning programs have enabled people from all over the world to participate and earn a foreign degree from the comforts of their homes.
Though the evolution in technology has affected our society to a great extent, but if not used ethically can lead to serious tribulations. To explain, people can hack, send spams or viruses, and become a different person online to deceive others. This has enabled people to steal through online sources and not getting caught.
The use of cell phones while driving; to email, text or converse with someone can lead to serious accidents. The statistics given by the Alberta Medical Association in 2008 states that, “Collision risk is four-to-six-times higher for drivers using cell phones.”
Obesity, another factor being affected by the development of technology, is increasing among the youth as people have become inactive due to the use of technology; for example, they lounge on comfortable couches and research the libraries online on their computers rather than visiting one. More time is spent on technological equipments than in doing physical exercises or playing outdoor games, in other words being active.
Extensive use of technology has resulted in a reduction of family time, bonding and lack of the personal touch in relationships. People use messengers, texts and emails to contact and chat with each other rather than meeting face to face. Children spend more time in playing online games than sitting with the family or doing other physical activities. Hence the result is no productive family time.
As has been noted, the domination of technology in our society is very intense in both positive and negative way. If on one hand it provides facilities to man and helps reduce the effort applied to complete a particular task, on the other hand overexposure of it can lead to serious catastrophes. We may be able achieve something by the use of technology, but not be able to enjoy the feeling of actually doing something entirely on our own. To sum up, it is a fact that Information Technology plays a vital role in our lives, so we ought to use human intellect to utilize these machines effectively and not misuse them.
Oak, Manali. (2012). What is the Impact of Technology on Our Society?. Buzzle. Retrieved from < http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-the-impact-of-technology-on-our-society.html>
