How technology affects our lives

ENG COM 121-1863
October 13, 2013 How technology affects our lives Have you ever considered how different our lives would be without the continued advancement in technology? Technology today has become such a big part of our lives. When you’re out in a public place, for example the mall, and you look around almost everyone has cells phones, tablets, ipods, or portable game systems. There are a lot of things such as the internet, that have made our lives a little easier and we have become almost dependent on that we can’t imagine living without. Technology is helping the world globally stay connected faster than we can begin to imagine. Today technology is being used in ways that didn’t seem possible forty to fifty years ago. Technology today is being used to find better ways to produce clean energy, creating a more efficient work force, and making amazing advances in the field of medicine. Technology has become a part of our everyday life. We see the effects of technology and its changes every day in how we communicate, learn, and how it affects the medical field. New technologies have transformed education, everything from smart phones to smart boards. These tools have enhanced communication, research and literacy. Technology has helped to make it more convenient for almost anyone to attend college and obtain degrees from the comfort of your own home. The convenience of being able to take classes online without having to step foot in a traditional classroom can be very appealing. It has made it possible for many people to continue their education, people who otherwise would not be able to fit college into their busy lifestyles between work and other family obligations. These are just a few of the positives of how technology has affected education, of course there are also negatives to such technology, such as making it easier to cheat. “Things such as cheating are now simpler than ever, and I don’t mean writing on your hand. Your class is allowed to use a graphing calculator for the test? Write a program on it that contains all the formulas that you need and presto, you pass the test” (Wilhelm, 2011). Advancements in technology have also impacted the work place in both positive and negative ways. Some businesses have computerized schedules making it easier to access from a person’s laptop, tablet or smart phone. The down fall is if there is no Wi-Fi your unable to access the internet, or if your computers crash you have no access to your schedule. Employee’s sometimes are given the option of working from home, which can make it easier for families who have children in sports or after school activities. E-mail, teleconferencing, video conferencing, and new emerging technologies are enabling people around the world to communicate and collaborate rapidly and efficiently (Todd, 2007). Some industries using machines once controlled by the worker’s hand are now run by computers, resulting in the demand for higher skilled employees. The positive is that the computerized machines can produce a higher number of material and also a better quality product. There is less human error now that a computer is controlling the machine. The negative is if the computer on this machine fails, the machine will not work resulting in no products being produced. Another negative is the need for higher skilled worker; this could leave someone who may have the skills but not the degree out of a job. Many improvements and breakthroughs in healthcare have come about due to medical advancement. Changes in the medical field from the instruments being used, to medicines prescribed to patients to operations performed are effects of changes in technology. From treating cancer and delivering babies to dealing with heart attacks, doctors have developed technology and improved techniques (Hendricks, 2013). Doctors are now able to save patients they may have never been able to save before because of the advancement in technology. Positive impacts of technology in the medical field are discoveries such as antibiotics, vaccines, organ transplants, and heart surgeries. CAT scans and MRI’s have saved many lives. These machines are monitored by a computer making it more accurate and less likely to result in human error. When it comes to healthcare there aren’t many negative outcomes of the growth of technology. The problem modern doctors face is a broken medical system and rigid insurance companies (Hendricks, 2013). In conclusion these are just a few of the positive effects of technology in our lives; it has become very useful on a daily basis. People are always looking for the most convenient and easiest way to do their work, ultimately we are becoming evermore reliant on our computers and without them we would be lost (Pretty, 2008). Of the negative effects of technology in our lives, the one that stands out is its interference on human relationship. With so many people with iPods, tablets, handheld gaming systems and smart phones we’ve detached ourselves from the outside work and one another. The positives of the innovations in technology by far outweigh the negatives.

Works Cited
Wilhelm, Alex. "How Technology Has Changed Education." TNW Network All Stories RSS. Dell, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Todd, Jason. "What Is the Impact of New Technology in the Workplace." By Jason Todd. HELIUM, INC., 4 July 2007. Web. 27 Oct. 2013
Hendricks, Drew. "How Technology Is Changing the Medical and Health Care Field." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 May 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Pretty, Thomas. "How Technology Is Affecting Our Lives." Articlesbase.com. Articlesbase.com, 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Cited: Wilhelm, Alex. "How Technology Has Changed Education." TNW Network All Stories RSS. Dell, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Todd, Jason. "What Is the Impact of New Technology in the Workplace." By Jason Todd. HELIUM, INC., 4 July 2007. Web. 27 Oct. 2013 Hendricks, Drew. "How Technology Is Changing the Medical and Health Care Field." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 May 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Pretty, Thomas. "How Technology Is Affecting Our Lives." Articlesbase.com. Articlesbase.com, 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.