Essay Example on the Impacts of Technology

Introduction

This research report focuses on the impact of technology on the lives of people. Technology is a process where scientific approaches are employed for practical activities, especially in the industries. Since its inception, technology has played a significant role in the lives of people. This aspect has made it popular among individuals of all backgrounds. The increased use of technology is attributable to the high rate of development of gadgets that facilitate people to use technologically-related applications. Technology influences adults and children's lives in positive and negative ways of which several means of mitigating the negative impacts have been invented.

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Background Information

The term 'technology' originates from the Greek word, Techne, which refers to arts and crafts. The history of technology dates back to the year 4000BCE when people started using iron metals for making ornaments. In the year 3500BCE, human beings invented the first wheel. A major technological invention took place in the year 1989 when an English scientist known as Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web (WWW) (Inkster & Sumner, 2009). His invention ushered in the era of the internet, which has seen significant milestones in the world of communication. The invention of the World Wide Web fostered the development of technology whereby more discoveries took place. This century has witnessed the growth of technology whereby social media has taken the world by storm. People can now interact through sites like Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram, and Whatsapp, among other applications. There are several types of technology, and the main ones include Transportation technology, energy/power technology, communication technology, bio-based technology, and manufacturing technology (Inkster & Sumner, 2009).

Discussion

Many people depend on technology because it helps them execute several errands daily. According to Kirschner (2013), all activities stop when the internet gets disconnected since it is the central point around which social events occur. Human beings depend on technology, especially the internet since it offers a platform where social engagements take place. Communication, for instance, can only take place between people living in different locations through the internet. Office work such as typing relies on technology to occur. There is no doubt that technology has become an aspect, which people depend on for their daily tasks. In most cases, people use technology in the communication arena. Applications such as Facebook and Tweeter receive a lot of traffic on a typical day since they offer avenues through which people can communicate.

Technology has had positive and negative effects on the lives of people. Through technology, people can interact with one another since the World Wide Web offers the forum for internet communication. The internet has also facilitated education whereby literature can spread quickly in society. According to the article, Effect of Technology on Our Lives" (2011), human beings can interact through mobile phones; these are some of the significant gadgets that are attributable to technology. Apart from using mobile phones for communication, they can also be beneficial in money transfer errands. Technology facilitated a breakthrough in the energy sector whereby scientific experts can now convert carbon dioxide into fuel. This technological finding has eased the pressure of finding fuel for machine operations. Nevertheless, technology also has negative impacts on the lives of people. Nielsen (2018) avers that technology has significantly led to the loss of jobs. Today, many industries have resorted to using technology in their operations. Therefore, they use computers to execute tasks that were initially done by humans. As a result, many people have lost jobs. It is worth noting that technology has ushered in social isolation whereby friends no longer interact physically. When they are on a single table, people focus on their smartphones instead of interacting physically. Furthermore, it has increased relationship challenges since couples no longer solve their differences physically, but opt to make heated exchanges through messages.

Children get affected by technology in many ways. However, the most common impact emanates from social media use. This fact is attributable to the fact that social media is easy to access, and it is entertaining to the level of attracting the attention of children. Through social media, children can interact with friends who are miles away. This interaction improves their socialization skills. According to the Health and Wellness Services (2019), technology helps to connect friends and families since they can organize for dates and arrange for lunch outs through social media. These are activities that children mostly love. However, technology, especially the internet and social media, may adversely affect children when they see or read content that does not interest them. The Health and Wellness Services (2019) further states that "Social media makes it easy to compare yourself to other people, which can lead to anxiety and feelings of loneliness..."To children, such a feeling may negatively affect their growth and development.

It is possible to use social media positively. For example, one can use it for planning physical meetings or interactions. The Health and Wellness Services (2019) suggests that proper use of social media entails weighing the conversations made by people, and if they seem adverse, one has to unfollow people propagating such discussions. There are several ways of reducing the adverse effects of technology on both adults and children. For instance, keep social media apps away from the home screen. This effort helps you and children to avoid the temptation of opening them. The Health and Wellness Services (2019) suggests that people should schedule periods when to use social media. This initiative enables children and adults to focus on other issues of life. Putting phones on silent mode helps people to focus on other errands not related to technology. Lastly, both children and adults can take a break from social media apps to reduce the negative impacts of technology.

Conclusion

The first technological project took place in 4000BCE, and it led to more developments that caused the emergence of the World Wide Web. There are many types of technology, which have facilitated the operations of humans. Technology has both negative and positive impacts on adults and children. With regards to positive effects, it has improved communication. On the other hand, it has contributed to the loss of jobs and human isolation. To mitigate these challenges, both children and adults have to schedule when to use technological gadgets. In light of the findings, it is clear that technology is a necessary evil, and humans cannot do without it. Therefore, since people use technology, they should work on how to reduce their overindulgence with technological gadgets to minimize on the gadgets' destruction of both adults and children.

References

Inkster, I., & Sumner, J. (2009). History of Technology Volume 28: Special Issue: By Whose Standards? Standardization, Stability, and Uniformity in the History of Information and Electrical Technologies. London, United Kingdom: A&C Black.

Effect of Technology on Our Lives. (2011, July 2). Retrieved from ngopulse: www.ngopulse.org/blogs/effect-technology-our-lives

Kirschner, C. (2013, September 30). 7 signs we are too dependent on technology. Retrieved from mnn: https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-electronics/stories/7-signs-we-are-too-dependent-on-technology

Nielsen, J. (2018, January 18). A look At the Negative Effects of Technology on society and Humans. Retrieved from transhumanist party global: https://transhumanistpartyglobal.org/look-negative-effects-technology-humans/

Health and Wellness Services. (2019, March 5). Healthy Buffs: How to stop the social media spiral. Retrieved from CU Bloulder Today: https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/03/05/healthy-buffs-how-stop-social-media-spiral