What Technology Has Mostly Benefited Our Society the Most?

Which Technology Has Mostly Benefitted Our Society?

Computers: they are the modern wonders of our world and consume our daily lives. Acting as one of the most remarkable innovations created over the past ten decades, the computer has revolutionized the modern world, digitizing it despite the public’s unappreciative attitude towards it. Nonetheless, the days of manually executing work have ended, and a fresh era of completing work is at large. At the click of a button, rocket machines are launched, ICU life-support is run, and instant communication is enabled. Computers stand out among any other technological advancement, as they have significantly changed our world through improvements in business, education, and medicine, and continue to develop at an exponential rate. The business world has transformed beyond recognition over the past few decades. Since the latest progressions in technology were often necessary to accomplish firms’ successes, businesses have been at the forefront of technological changes. As computers emerged in the 20th century, they promised a new age of information technology. For example, until the 1980s, a large corporation with a separate accounting department rented a large space in order to house its accounting personnel. In that facility, several Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Purchasing, Receiving, and Payroll each had its own set of book accounts. It also took the combined efforts of several employees over several days to generate a standard periodic account report using typewriters. However, the landscape is different today for the accounting departments of such large corporations. One is now much more likely to output more work in a shorter time span using computers because of its multiple processes. While typewriters are only capable of typing up documents, computers are capable of automating business processes that accomplish the work in a fraction of the time. For example, by transferring bookkeeping functions to the computer using facilities such as Microsoft Excel, accounting data is entered into the spreadsheet faster and more accurately, totals are obtained automatically, and data on the spreadsheet is sorted in any order and by any “field” the user desires almost instantaneously. Ergo, in today’s world, anything that can ameliorate the production process is guaranteed to boost business success.
Furthermore, computers have replaced methods of transportation and allowed geographically dispersed teams to meet from virtually anywhere around the world. While cars, trains, airplanes, and other means of transportation can physically get a person from one place to another, computers allow people to communicate at the push of a button with little-to-no cost at all. Why spend the time, energy, and money transporting from one location to another when the ability exists to merely set up a video conference call on Skype through a computer? With the computer, conference calls and videos take milliseconds to arrange, and face-to-face conversations can be had without the hassle of being in the same room as someone else. On the other hand, classroom computers have expanded the seemingly magical world of telecommunication, allowing students to access national and worldwide educational websites. Instant access to current materials enables students to respond, analyze, read and digest educational content that is not available in most textbooks. Multimedia presentations and electronic communication tools also give schools the ability to educate students, including those who are unable to attend due to sickness, or those who take online classes. In addition, computers encourage interactive learning. For example, instead of simply reading about the Black Death in textbooks, computers give students the opportunity to research what types of modern-day illnesses pose similar problems. Other benefits include interactive smart boards and online group discussions that provide educational opportunities teachers could not simulate otherwise. Thus, educators often use software programs and online resources to help students develop and hone basic skills, such as reading comprehension, grammar, math, spelling, and punctuation. Among the aspects of life most impacted by technology, modern medicine is one that would not even be possible if not for technology’s powerful capabilities. For example, the discovery of X-rays by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad in 1895 allowed doctors to look at internal organs of the body, making it easier to diagnose broken bones, cancer, and other diseases. However, X-rays are a form of radiation, and radiation is dangerous to the body. Since X-rays were designed to help people, rather than hurt them, it should not be surprising that technology came to the aid of this particular problem. As the years progressed, radiologists learned how to use the lowest doses possible as a result of different techniques and imaging brought about by the computer. They also learned how to use targeted X-rays and other forms of radiation in order to destroy unwanted cells. Thus, radiation has become a standard treatment for cancer thanks to the ever-advancing ways of the computer. More modernizations include the computers’ scanning technology. Such technologies run the machines in operating rooms and intensive care units, allowing medical records and drug prescriptions to be kept and transmitted in electronic form.
The rate of change in regards to computer technology has increased drastically. Business processes have changed and made organizations more efficient. At the same time, computers have opened lines of communication, allowing businesses to communicate and collaborate beyond borders with ease. Also, computers improve classroom learning as long as teachers and students are equipped to reap the full benefits. Internet access allows students to conduct comprehensive research and communicate with other education providers beyond the four walls of the classroom. Computers also run specialized software programs that enable teachers to provide tutoring or personalized instruction for students who need advanced or remedial educational resources. Lastly, the use of computer technology has greatly enhanced the medical field. This is particularly so in hospital environments where reliability and quality are critical factors. Many computer applications, such as patient information systems, monitoring and control systems and diagnostic systems, have been used to enhance healthcare. The importance of computers cannot be stressed enough. They have given a new dimension to every field, and medicine is no exception.
Works Cited

1.) Vasseli, Groth B. "Advances in computer technology: impact on the practic... [J Med. 1995] - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., Sept. 1995. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
2.) The Financial Standard. "How computers have changed the business landscape." Kenya Kountry Business Incubator Enterprises::Helping you Grow. N.p., 24 Apr. 2007. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .

3.) Weatherall, David. "Science and Technology for Disease Control: Past, Present, and Future - Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries - NCBI Bookshelf." National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .

4.) J Duffin, ‘Laennec’, in W F Bynum and H Bynum (eds), Dictionary of medical biography, Vol. 3, (Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2007), pp 757-61

Works Cited

Cited: