Overdependence on technology
In the contemporary society, technology is taking control of virtually all spheres making the human species become almost solely dependent on it. This has gone to an extent that almost everything in the environment is technologically controlled making the whole world virtually wholly mechanized and technologically enclosed. This has come with some cost which has pushed me into thinking and writing on some of the important reasons why we as human beings should not be fully dependent on technology (May, 2011, pg 4).
First, I would like to appreciate the many advantages that are brought about by technology some of them being ease of transportation (movement), better medical care, improved communication and increased ability to resolve conflicts in a humane manner. However, technology is at the edge of making human life fully dependent on it a fact that might have dire consequences on our social, political, emotional or even religious organization (May, 2011, pg 4).
The other factor that comes with improved technology is the ease in transport. This has brought about over reliance on modern transport means making the people to walk minimally. As a result, these people tend to have accumulation of fats in the body since very little is oxidized to produce energy which would have been used to walk or work. In the end, that person develops some medical problems like obesity, a situation which would have been avoided by calling for practicing or doing some manual jobs. This means that the technology has come with some health problems as well if not well controlled and over relied on.
The other thing is technology and automation of some household chores. Of, late there have been direct allegations which have proven true that human race will soon be replaced with machines. This has already started taking place in some areas of production and is soon encroaching into all spheres of the economy. One of the main affected areas in the economy is the business decision making situations (Edmund, 2012, pg 12).
Back in the twentieth century, most decisions made in any business unit required the stakeholders to come together as a unit to discuss and come up with a decision on majority vote. This led to a solidarity feeling of the stakeholders making them feel part and property of the business unit. With the invention of the computer, which acts as jack of all trade, master of none, this tread has been seen to die out of the business world with each day (Edmund, 2012, pg 14).
A perfect example of the effect of computerization of the business world is management information systems. These systems are very much like the human systems and depend on human based knowledge to carry out some tasks which were earlier delegated to human beings. One of the most impacted on areas is the decision making process of the business entities. Decision making systems have eliminated the need for the stakeholders to meet in person and discuss any matters pertaining to the business. As a result, even vital decisions are left at the intelligence of machine systems which is prone to error. In the end, some decisions made and adopted are not the best and they would have been made better by a physical meeting which would make the whole decision to be debated on and agreed upon by consensus. Therefore, for this shortcoming, I would prefer dependence on technology only up to a certain level (Fogram, 2011, pg 24).
Taking a look at our own lives, one of the basic questions I ask myself every time I come across a technological idea is ‘how will this idea help me efficiently accomplish my intended task of adopting it?’ and not ‘how will this idea help completely accomplish the intended task without my effort?’ the main reason why I ask this question is to enable me have a room for change and error in the technology I want to apply. However, I find the second idea rather vague since it depicts over reliance on technology while knowing too well that technology has its limits thus cannot fully operate as a human being (Edmund, 2012, pg 14).
The other idea that makes me opposed to fully dependence on technology is automation of humans. Looking at technology, systems are modeled to help solve a certain human problem. As a result, the systems do not consider factors like fatigue and rest. If this is applied to us as human beings, it is practically impossible to work without relenting or resting. Hence, over reliance on technology automates human beings as machines resulting in excessive strain on human beings (Hingham, 2010, pg 4).
Looking at the other side of the story, technology has some core advantages that are mostly used to make people turn from their humanity. For example, the use of teleconferencing reduces the cost of meeting at the expense of cohesion in employee relationships. This has been witnessed in many institutions that use these gadgets in their mode of operation. The technology also reduces employment vacancies making the whole idea of technology and mechanization appear a curse not a blessing.
Drawing examples from the real world, ask yourself how many times you have been with your pals physically and how many times you have chat with them online. You will definitely find that the times you have chat with them online surpasses physical meeting and chatting by far. What has this turned you into? Is it possible to live without your physical friends and only by online friends who rarely visits you? Well, these questions may provoke you mind into thinking that I’m against technology but the truth is that technology is a two sided sword which should not be fully over relied on. Relying on it wisely makes human life very comfortable and knowledgeable but over reliance makes a person a prisoner of his/her own-self since at no time will the social technology or even networks replace the natural social networks. In fact, it creates more distance between you and I in the society (Hingham, 2010, pg 6).
Among the areas that I would recommend limited technology use is in homecare and nurturing. Imagine a situation that a baby is left under the care of a machine. How will the device know that the child is hungry or wet? In some cases, it might have some clues but perceiving the idea from a human perspective, it will be inhuman.
Another area is in learning institutions. In most cases, learners are given work to do after classes but instead of using the long tedious methods of understanding the concept, they use shortcuts and yet get to the correct answer. This has been brought about by advancement in technology where the learners are allowed to use some equipment to ease their work. This is not an exploitation of human ingenuity but wasting of brains. Think of a situation in which one learner is allowed to use a calculator in some mathematical computations and another is only allowed to use some mathematical tables to accomplish the same task. The learner using the calculator will do the work fast and gain very little compared to the learner who will use the table, do a lot of actual computations and arrive at the same answer but having gained a lot. Another tool is use of laptops and internet resources. This has brought about ease of research but at the expense of reading. As a result, if a question is slightly twisted to test the understanding o f the learner, he/she is completely blank on the topic yet got the correct answers. Is that possible? All I can say is that the learners will just cheat the systems and then be unable to deliver in the work place (Edmund, 2012, pg 16).
In summary, my stand on limited dependence on technology still remains firm that in fact, technology is not there to be fully relied on. It is a product of the human brains and is subject to failure. Technology is also a tool that makes things appear simple than they are actually resulting in reduced exploitation of human potential. Lastly, this can lead to social disintegration which in result can lead to a society which does not mind of its own people (Fogram, 2011, pg 6).
References
May, L. 2011 Ten timeless persuasive writing skills, retrieved from
Fogram A. 2011. English: Persuasive writing Skills. Scotland: Crown Publishers
Edmund G. 2012. Over Dependence on Technology Hinders Innovation in the Education Space in India, retrieved from
Hingham M.2010, Overdependence on technology, retrieved from
