Good Productivity And Overdependence On Technology Case Study Example

A society that is too dependent on technology will only be crippled if so ever the same technology malfunctions or ceases to exist. Technology has made the lives of people more comfortable and easier by turning what was seemingly impossible before into a reality that people have benefitted from. One can now travel faster and communicate with other people no matter the distance. One can search for information and gather data that would have taken a long time in a matter of seconds. In terms of productivity, technology has contributed greatly in its augmentation. However, an overdependence on technology can lead to negative consequences. People and society must learn to draw the line between productivity and overdependence on their technology to avoid crippling consequences of its loss.
Technology has supplanted the need to do things that require effort or work from individuals. The skills that people are now learning are the skills to operate the machine rather than the skills themselves. Due to the fact that technology has helped people in this regard, individuals have lost the ability to acquire the skills if they rely on technology. These can be seen through computers wherein individuals can more easily type out words and edit their mistakes. The advent of computers have supplanted the need to write documents through a pen and typewriters – this being more productive and faster than writing and typing itself. If seen in a more futuristic manner; technology, which translates for the individual in real-time, as a tool for easier translation and communication, negates the necessity of learning the target language of the person being spoken to. If ever the same technology becomes unavailable, the language barrier again becomes an impeding factor to communication. This example shows how crippling the loss of technology is, when foreign or second language learning has been made obsolete by technology.
The future is optimistic in terms of productivity, in that work that can be done with minimal effort and with lesser constraints. This assessment is the positive side of what was discussed earlier. Technology seems to progress to a point wherein bulky and larger hardware are replaced with smaller, lightweight and more mobile versions. The required number of people to do work is also lessened by technology. With faster and more work being done, productivity reaches a new height. Almost anything and everything that can be done is now in the people’s hands. The ability to multitask and do work wherever you are becomes an asset in overcoming the hurdles of time and space. Through technology, society gains the ability to recreate itself in an environment where everything is part of the technology. A child who grows up with such technology and environment will enjoy a more comfortable and easier life. However, the skills that they will acquire will be limited to the skills necessary to operate the technology.
The constraints of time and space become debatable with technology, in that there is no longer the need to be in the same place at the same time to interact with other people. Although this can be seen through the technology we have today, it fails to show people is the negative connotations of virtual interactions. If anything and everything can be done through the comforts of one’s home: paying bills, ordering necessities, and other such activities, then there will be fewer and fewer interactions between people outside their homes. Although one can interact with other virtually, it fails to show an individual’s isolation and alienation from everyone else by being alone all of the time. Fewer and fewer people will be seen outside their homes, and because work can be done anywhere, there is no longer the need for an office to meet up in. Education, travel and other such activities that require interaction becomes disarrayed by virtual interactions. This calls into question the goodness of productivity and overdependence on technology. By no longer having to be in the same place and at the same time, the time spent on travel and other such restrictions becomes focused into higher productivity.
Technology has made society more productive by lessening the time and effort needed to do work. Technology can do the things and activities that take a long time for an individual more efficiently, quickly and consistently. The skills then that one must acquire are the skills to operate the technology rather than the skills to do the work itself. This is problematic in that the loss of the technology will cripple society, due to the lack of knowledge to do the work. Productivity can be seen in a positive and negative light. Technology makes life easier for individuals by giving one the ability to access and do almost anything with one’s hands. The constraints of time and space are also overcome by virtual interactions. One can interact with another individual without being in the same place at the same time. This poses a problem in that fewer and fewer people will leave the comforts of their homes in order to interact with other people. People need to demarcate the line between productivity and overdependence on technology. Although one does not necessarily need to distance and reject technology itself, one must know when to rely and not rely on technology. A society that is overly dependent on technology is a bleak future because technology may cease to exist, but the skills acquired by an individual to do work are irreplaceable.