Modern Technology

Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in the work and personal lives of citizens. Computers, communications, digital information, software – the constituents of the information age – are everywhere. There is though, a considerable number of people that are really concerned about the changes that modern technology implies, stating that it embodies potential risks to social values, freedoms, and relationships and this is what Sherri Turkle also states in her Forbes magazine article ‘Can You Hear Me Now?’. I must agree with Turkle’s point of view that technology, along with all the positive aspects it brought into people’s lives, it also brought loneliness and sameness of lifestyle because of this abusive way people got to use technology nowadays. But as opposed to Turkle’s and millions of other people’s fearful thinking that mankind is developing too intimate relationships with machinery; I would say that this can be absolutely controllable. While it is true that the future of technology is only limited by our imagination, people have to learn that no matter how developed technology might get, the basics of a better life are self-esteem, respect for the others and willingness to self-educate and build up a strong character.
According to Dictionnary.com,’ technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science’. Commonly, technology can be defined as the science applied to practical purposes.
It can be argued that modern technology makes life easier and more dignified for most of people. The first and the major advantage is that medical science is very progressive and vastly available. Without the needed technology a lot of people would struggle with their health. In addition it saves many innocent lives. The point is to spread it and reach with medicine help to the poor nations of the Third World. Secondly, the advanced technology improves industry by making it more effective and, what is vital today, safer for environment.
Moreover when we look at TV, personal computer, mobile phone or internet for instance, it is quite obvious that all these inventions have been made in the last 20 years. Thus the speed of improvement is huge and unpredictable. We can get the fastest ways of communication through modern technology which ties humanity together like a nervous system ties the parts of an organism together. Today we are connected with every other human being on the planet in a way people never have been before this leading to globalization through diversity, a very powerful current which is really to consider nowadays.
On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the new technologies. Hence the main problem is the proper use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance. Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other hand while many people live in horrible conditions and famine governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Modern technology should prevent social disproportions and not add up even more.
Technology entered our lives over a relatively brief period of time with little warning and essentially no preparation. Many who currently use information technology have only a limited understanding of the tools they use and a probably correct belief that they are underutilizing them. This is why most of the people pay more attention first to their interlocutors coming through the modern gadgetry considered a more elevated audience; the ‘real’ ones have come to fill just a second position. This is where Turkle’s fair point comes when she describes these people’s feelings – ‘Being put on pause’ this is the impression we get when the one we are engaged with in a conversation answers his cell phone or replies to an e-mail or a text message.
Another example of the modern technology taking over the unprepared people is the virtual lives they build and end up becoming addicted on that up to a certain point where it can even become dangerous for themselves and the ones close to them. Millions become someone else every day, lying about their age, gender, occupation or appearance. If you can be anything, you might as well be who you wish you were rather than what limits you in the real life. So if someone decides they like their online persona better, and decides to spend as much time in that persona as possible, living virtually – are they crazy? These games are addictive by design, and a lot of people get sucked into a virtual world existence, at the expense of their real life happiness. And surely a large part of the attraction is this ability to live an alternate, and in many ways, happier existence. But this can get really dangerous when it comes to children and adolescents as they may discover ‘world in the Second Life’ as Turkle puts it in might be much easier and funnier and they can develop serious issues in forming their character and personalities. And the negative effects technology can have on children are numerous: less physical movement, lack of attraction towards reading, no sense of responsibility. With parents buying their children cell phones and expecting them to call as often as possible showing them actually how little they trust them, this only adds up to children’s developing a lack of responsibility and a sense of dependence, as Turkle puts in and I agree. The time of self-reflection at adolescence is taken over by ‘quickly communicating a state over the cell phone or through an instant message and emoticons’ (Turkle) leading to a new dependence in their early emotional lives.
Another point that Turkle makes is that technology leaves less or no time at all to sit and reflect of ourselves uninterrupted and I agree with that. Unless we are really strong as to put away or turn off all the technology around us we cannot get a moment with ourselves as all this machinery can be very distracting.
Nowadays, when the rapidness of development and research is so impressive, it is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology. It is obvious that we are close on an era where technology is limited only by our imagination. Therefore the most frequently asked question is: Does technology go the right way and will it save or ruin our civilization? I believe that we can just let ourselves carried along with it or we could impose on ourselves in being more aware of the disadvantages also and try to control it.