The debate on technology advancement has been an issue of concern to many people globally. Reason being, there are numerous positive and negative effects associated to technology since the introduction of civilization. To the current generation, technology is best since it makes most of the things easier and faster. However, scholars who have done research on lifestyle trends before and after civilization can argue out the negativity of technology in the world. The research paper is a persuasive essay that aims at evaluating different views on how technology has affected human kind (Rubin 48).
That means the debate shall have both supporting and opposing points to fulfil the requirements of an argument. Highlighted points will be explained and supported with facts from credible sources such as peer reviewed journals, books and academic videos as well as websites. In that case, the motion on effects of technology advancement shall be well tackled and concluded by taking a stand.
Negative Effects of Technology
Scholars in different fields of study have conducted research on how technology has affected the normality of life. In most cases, authors talk of the developments associated with technology and forget to mention the challenges encountered before and after introduction of new mechanisms. There are several ways in which technology has affected humans negatively as discussed below.
Turning the World into a Battleground
Everybody in the globe is aware of the existing situation of violence in different geographical regions. People have chosen war as a way of solving disputes and neglected negotiations used before the civilization begun. Countries are well-equipped with technologically designed fire arms used to destroy enemy territories. For instance, heavy machine guns are produced every day with an aim of enhancing victory in war. It might be argued that fire arms and other weapons are used by security officers to maintain peace in the nation (Wajcman 143). However, they have led to the death of many innocent souls whenever crisis occurs. Form another perspective, countries are fighting die to the measure of superiority which is measured by the level of technology advancement. Being of the ruling class requires a state to have powerful weapons that act as a threat to other nations globally. A good example is the G7 group of countries that was formed as a result of superiority in war.
Under developed countries can no longer advance using their scars resource. Reason being, there are many external forces that push them towards a state of violence. The situation can be compared to the colonialism era where third world countries were colonized developed nations due to lack of civilization. Being in a state of war does not necessarily mean that people are fighting each other. Instead, the fear of the unknown is worse than physical war. People are living in a world that is full of uncertainty of what could happen the next minute. Such a situation could not be experienced if there was no technology that leads to easy manufacturing of harmful weapons. To some extent, same tools claimed to be used by security officers in maintaining peace are also used by criminals to accomplish their missions (Wajcman 150).
May people have died in the while trying to protect their properties from being robed or destroyed by the thieves. However, technology has made possible for criminals to make their way to whatever they wish to acquire. High rate of Crime Activities Historically, the level of crime experienced today in the society is much higher compared to when there was no technology. It regrettable to see the crime advancing with advancement in technology. That includes both physical violence as well as cybercrimes. Introduction of technological gadgets such as phones, iPad, computers, among others have boosted the rate at which criminals attack people in such of properties to resell. The streets are turning to be dangerous with people fearing for their items to get robbed (Gibbs, Edmund and Mark Axelrod 543).
Despite the government efforts to deal with criminals, good networking tools enable them to stay aware of all the moves made by officers to track them down. It is unfortunate to see the technology used by security departments is the same mechanism used by thugs to carry out their activities safely. It leaves the common citizen in fear of whether the expensively acquired properties shall serve their purpose before falling into bad hands. When it comes to cybercrimes, there are many ways people lose their money as well as confidential information stored in their computers. As business changes from physical to online, criminal are determined to ensure they benefit in the transactions made between the customer and the supplier. They do so by hacking information available in the transaction details and use it to steal or demand money from victims (Gibbs, Edmund and Mark Axelrod 545).
Technology has enabled hackers to withdraw peoples money from their bank accounts without the knowledge of the owner. As a result, citizens are deviating from online transactions that were initially introduced to replace physical process. Global Warming Global warming is an issue that many people are aware of since it affect the whole world. Technology has led to the introduction of motor vehicles and other machines that use fuel to work efficiently. The gases produced by these machine to the air include carbon dioxide that is harmful to the atmosphere. Once the gas is released to the air, carbon elements reacts with oxygen and water to form acid rain. High rate of industrialization can also be counted as a factor of global warming (Mowery, Richard and Ben 1011). Technology has made it possible for human beings to manufacture chemicals used in agriculture and other industrial services that cause harm to the environment. Most of the waste products from the industries are drained into water bodies leading to water pollution. Therefore, technology it is correct to say that technology is a primary contributor to global warming. Another way in which technology causes global warming is through development of infrastructure using the available natural resources that make up the environment.
Statistics shows that rural to urban migration is very high more so in developing countries. Therefore, building of houses and roads are the activities taking place in most of the cities (Mowery, Richard and Ben 1013). Human beings are using available technology to cut down trees and gather numerous resources used in infrastructure development. Technology cannot be useful if there are no natural resources to use as raw materials. Hence, extortion of these resources leads to deforestation and other results that contribute to global warming.
Positive Effects of Technology
Despite the fact that technology has adverse effects on the life of human beings, there are numerous positive ways in which it has changed the world. People are currently benefiting from the fruits of civilization and innovations taking place day after the other. Most of the things problems experienced in in the Stone Age are solved through technological means. Below are the advantages of having technology advancement in the universe. Improved Living Standards Today, a high population percentage is living in well built houses and that are easily accessible at any given time. Before the introduction of technology, people used to live in grass made houses in the bushes. However, civilization has shed light for people to move from rural and build houses in the urban region.
Good infrastructure has also been put in place to make movement easier and faster (Schleicher 1). People can now transport their products by road, air or water. Introduction of cars made things better by increasing flexibility of movement from one point to the other. Residents are no longer travelling for long distances on foot to work for a living. Apart from improved infrastructure and proper settlement, advancement in technology has contributed to quality health serves in the society. Traditionally people were used to natural medicine that was scar. Patients had to travel for long distances to look for witch doctors in need of help. Contrary to that, modern health facilitates have been built to offer services to patients at the local and international level (Deb 1). Doctors have machines that are capable of detecting diseases in the human body. Scientists have also discovered numerous types of medicine used to cure diseases. Therefore, technology has contributed towards making health services sufficient enough to save peoples lives.
Effective Communication
Experts in the field of management argues that effective communication is the key to success. Communication is a primary need in a family setup, workplace or even in any other institution where people have a similar activity. Innovation of communication gadgets such as phones and computers has brought change into the world. People are connected to one another through text messages, calls and online discussions (Saba 3). The world has turned to be a global community where people can connect to each other from far. Before technology dominated the world, communication was a big problem that hindered people from achieving their goals. With technology, people can easily access information and stay updated throughout. As a result, people can move freely without inconveniences. Reason being, everyone is just a call away from the other in case of emergencies. Additionally, socialization has improved to form make the world a community. There is no need to meet one another in order to enhance friendship. Instead, there are social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where people meet and make new friends across the world. Online business is also a product of advancement in technology which many people enjoy its benefits. Innovation has made it possible to have people make money online through business transactions.
People can easily buy and sell commodities that at the comfort of their homes. Deliveries are made after the transaction has been made without necessarily appearing to at the shop. Such privileges could not be present in a world where technology is not present. Large organizations fully benefit from the online platforms since they use them as a marketing strategy (Saba 8). They do so by creating videos and blogs which customers receive on their social pages frequently. They create awareness and promote the brand of products and services offered in the company. To add on that, customer services has improved globally. Many organizations have formulated websites that help them attend to customer inquiries. Client feedbacks and comments are also considered made online are also considered to facilitate good decision making in the firms. Quality Education Education is a primary element of development in the life of a human being. As a result, technology gradually reduced the number of illiterate people in the society.
In the 21st century, education is easily accessible and cheaper compared to the old days. Two centuries ago, education was only for the rich who would afford to pay the high charges as fees. Contrary to that, technology has improved accessibility of academic resources such books and infrastructure in remote areas where residents are considered as less fortunate (Tondeur et al 134). People can also gather knowledge from internet sources that are technologically programmed to store information. Students conduct discussions online through the social media platforms and class-boards. Additionally, learning has been made effective since teachers and students can communicate out of class. Assignments are forwards through the drop boxes and emails which is a more convenient way of compared to physical submission.
The cost of buying educational materials like books and writing materials is eliminated by the presence of the internet and computer programs used to write research papers. The credibility of education has also gone up as a result of many integration of ideas from different parts of the world. Students have the opportunity to study in any school despite its location in the world. E-learning helps scholars to undertake their course form home or workplace and graduate at the end of the academic journey (Tondeur et al 140). People with disabilities can also receive special needs education from their place of residence provided they have the right technology. All these benefits aims at improving the quality of education that students require to build a better world in future.
Increased Employment Establishment of factories and companies has led to a high rate of employment in the world. Human beings are no longer depending on government job to earn a living. The industry sector has become one of the most significant organ of the world’s economy. Hence, young people who have freshly graduated from school are in a position to secure jobs in industries that offer different services. Invention of new machines is directly related to creation of new jobs since they need to be operated and supervised by human beings as they perform their roles (Spence 28). However, technology is enhancing opportunities for skilled people in the society. One has to go to class in order to get the right skills required to operate machines. The greatest challenge is that technology is dynamic and keeps changing from time to time. Therefore, employees must keep updating themselves with the new mechanisms to avoid incompetence in the job market. Technology has also established opportunities for people work online.
These jobs include blog writing, online marketing and research assistance among other things. Those activities does not only benefit employees but also the economy due to exchange of foreign money from one country to the other. Most of the job opportunities are posted in the company websites for people to access and apply. That is contrary to the early strategy of dropping applications at the company reception for review. With the help of technology, applicants can comfortably send their papers through the email and wait for the management team to give a response on the way forward. To some extent, interviews are conducted online through the help of Skype technology. Recruited persons will only appear at the workplace when reporting for work. Therefore, advancement in technology can be seen as a solution to the unemployment crisis that have bothered many nations for a significant period of time.
Recommendation and Conclusion
Form the above discussion, it is clear that technology advancement is more beneficial than destructive. The positive changes enacted in the world by as a result of technology are the reason as to why people have a good lifestyle today (Johnson 2012. However, it is recommendable to have control measure put across by the ruling authorities that aim at conserving the environment. Without a conducive surrounding, it is impossible to establish innovations. Therefore, it is each ones responsibility to ensure that natural resources are well-maintained to have a better tomorrow. In conclusion, it is arguable to say that technology is more advantageous in the life of human beings. The ease of doing things, receiving quality education, employment and effective communication are just a few of the things technology has brought to the world. The list is wide and it shall continue to enlarge as technology advances. The few disadvantages encountered in the course of using technology can be controlled to avoid spoiling the upward trend. People ought to use the same technological knowledge to develop solutions on how to solve problems like global warming and high rate of criminality in the society.
Works Cited
Scholarly Sources Gibbs, Carole, Edmund F. McGarrell, and Mark Axelrod. “Transnational white collar crime and risk.” Criminology & Public Policy 9.3 (2010): 543-560.
Mowery, David C., Richard R. Nelson, and Ben R. Martin. “Technology policy and global warming: Why new policy models are needed (or why putting new wine in old bottles won’t work).”Research Policy 39.8 (2010): 1011-1023.
Rubin, Beth, Ron Fernandes, and Maria D. Avgerinou. “The effects of technology on the Community of Inquiry and satisfaction with online courses.” The Internet and Higher Education 17 (2013): 48-57.
Spence, Michael. “The impact of globalization on income and employment: The downside of integrating markets.”Foreign Affairs (2011): 28-41.
Tondeur, Jo, et al. “Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence.”Computers & Education 59.1 (2012): 134-144.
Wajcman, Judy. “Feminist theories of technology.”Cambridge Journal of Economics 34.1 (2010): 143-152.
Video Source Johnson, Brian. The Effects of Technology. Gemalto Videos, 2012. Video. Accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y_e0ZZ2BKo Websites and News
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