TECHNOLOGY: IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Technology and human life cannot be separated; society has a cyclical co-
dependence on technology. We use technology; depend on technology in our daily
life and our needs and demands for technology keep on rising. Humans use
technology to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live in comfort.
However, technology has also caused us concerns. Its poor application has resulted
in the pollution of the environment and it has also caused a serious threat to our lives
and society. This calls for the proper use of technology. The biggest challenge facing
people is to determine the type of future we need to have and then create relevant
technologies which will simplify the way we do things.

It is impossible to explore how each new advanced technology has impacted our
lives and how it will impact the future. Technology impacts the environment, people
and the society as a whole. The way we use technology determines if its impacts are
positive to the society or negative.

For example, (POSITIVE IMPACT) we can use corn to make ethanol and this
ethanol can be used as fuel. Fuel can be used to run machines and cars which will
increase the output of manufacturing industries at a lower cost. (NEGATIVE
IMPACT) However, if we decide to shift large quantities of corn to fuel production
from food production, humans will be left with no food and this will cause world
hunger which even is a worse situation.
Basing on the example above, technology by its self is not harmful to the society, but
the way society uses technology to achieve specific goals is what results into
negative impacts of technology on the society. Humans need to use energy to
process products in factories, to run cars, to light homes and also run technological
machines like computers, but the only way we can do this without affecting the
environment and society is by shifting from exhaustible energy sources to renewable
and inexhaustible sources like Solar / Wind energy.

There is no denying that the impact of technology in the world today is huge and can
be categorized Into how it effects our society today and how it influences the
business activities and operations. Technology has without doubt an impact on
society. As a matter of fact, we experience this effect in our daily lives. It has an
effect on the growth of the economy, our culture and our living standards. It is
however important to note that the benefits are a double-edged sword with some
being detrimental and other being beneficial. Below are listed both positive and
negative impacts of technology on our society.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Technology impacts on our daily lives. Our environments are all so full of technology
to the point that most of the time we take it for granted and never actually notice the
level of impact that it has on us until when we have no telephone, transport, water or
electricity. Advancements in technology have greatly increased our living standards.
Despite the fact that we are currently experiencing very high inflation rates and the
rates of unemployment are very high, generally, people are feeding better, are
dressing better and are as a matter of fact living more comfortable lives.
Technology also has a great impact on all the fundamental aspects of all our cultures
including laws and how they are enforced, language, art, health care, mobility,
education and religion. For instance the great technological improvements in health
care have given a chance to doctors to treat their patients in an environment that is
virtual through the use of mediums such as video conferencing which has also
greatly benefited the legal environment as it allows the judges to still listen to the
cases of hard core criminals who cannot be allowed to get into the court rooms due
to security reasons. Some of the positive impact on society are:

1. Automation in Industry and Household

Technology has automated many of the critical processes in the industry as well as
the household. Imagine the amount of labor that must have been involved in
industrial processes when the concept of automation did not exist. Automation of
industries results in increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better
product quality, improved safety, shorter workweeks for labour, and reduced factory
lead times.
Electronic gadgets have entered homes of the common man to rescue him from the
boredom of daily chores. Imagine the amount of time people must be spending doing
household chores during the time there were no machines and household
appliances. Today's is the age of robotics. Machines can learn, adopt new things and
perform tasks with near-human efficiency.

2. Improved Transportation
The automobile industry and technology are interwoven. Transportation is one of the
basic areas of technological activity. Time has witnessed this industry evolve from
mechanical scooters to automated aircraft. Animals were the only modes of transport
in the olden days. Technology was the driving force behind the creation and design
of the modern-day automobiles. Bicycles evolved into scooters and sports bikes. The
idea of having four-wheeled modes of transport gave rise to the creation of cars.
Modes of air and water transport came up, thanks to technology.Both society and
businesses have benefited from the new transpiration methods. Transportation
provides mobility for people and goods. Transportation, like all other technologies,
can be viewed as a system. It is a series of parts that are interrelated. These parts all
work together to meet a certain goal. Transportation uses vehicles, trains, airplanes,
motorbikes, people, roads, energy, information, materials, finance and time. All these
parts work together to move and relocate people and goods. Technology has helped
in advancing all the four types of transportation and these include ; (1) road transport
used by automobiles ,(2) air transport which is used by airplanes , (3)water
transportation which is used by ships and speed boats and (4) space transportation
used to go to the moon. The most used of all these is Road transportation, this one
facilitates the movement of goods and people. Technologies like automobiles, buses,
and trucks have improved the way humans move and how they transport their goods
from place to another. Also, developing countries are getting funds from wealthy
countries to improve their road transport which has resulted in the development of
rural remote areas.

3. Communication Redefined
Cellular communication has revolutionized the communication industry. The
conventional telephone, also a piece of technology, was one of the earliest
technological developments in communication. Mobile phones have broadened the
horizons of communication by enabling convenient long-distance calling and mobile
use. Letters have taken a backseat and emails and cell phone messages have
become the easiest means to connect. Owing to developments in technology,
communication is wireless. Social networking is another defining factor here. It has
given an all-new dimension to communication, entertainment and recreation.
Technology has improved communication. Communication is used for a number of
purposes. Both society and organizations depend on communication to transfer
information. People use technology to communicate with each other. Electronic
media like radios, televisions, internet, social media have improved the way we
exchange ideas which can develop our societies. In many countries, radios and
televisions are used to voice the concerns of the society, they organize live forums
where the community can contribute through mobile phones or text service systems
like tweeter. During political elections, leaders use radio, television and internet
media to reach the people they want to serve. A good example is the recent
presidential election in the USA, ”President Barak Obama ” has embraced the
communication technology to reach and voice out his concerns towards the
development of America. Communication technologies like Televisions, radios, and
internet can be used to persuade, entertain and inform the society. Small businesses
have also used the internet and mobile communication technology to grow and
improve their customer service.

4. Technology has mechanized agriculture

Modern agricultural technology allows a small number of people to grow vast
quantities of food in a short period of time with less input which results into high
yields and RIO ”return on investment”. Through government subsidies, small and
medium-sized farmers have managed to acquire plowing, sowing, watering and
harvesting machines. The use of technology in agriculture has also resulted in the
manufacturing of genetic crops which can grow fast and they can be resistant to
many pests and diseases. Also, farmers have access to artificial fertilizers which add
value to the soil and boost the growth of their crops and enable them to produce
high-quality yields. Farmers in dry areas have been in a position to grow healthy
crops, they use advanced water pumps and sprinklers which derive water from rivers
to the farms, the all process can be automated to save time. A good example is
Egypt, this is a desert country which receives little rain, but small and big farmers
have used automated sprinklers to irrigate their farms. In Egypt, they grow a lot of
rice, yet this crop needs sufficient water to grow well. The water is pumped
from River Nile to the rice fields on a daily basis.

5. Effective Healthcare
Continuous technological developments in healthcare have saved countless lives
and improved the quality of life for even more. Not only has technology changed
experiences for patients and their families, but it’s also had a huge impact on
medical processes and the practices of healthcare professionals. Technological
innovations in the healthcare industry continue to provide physicians with new ways
to improve the quality of care delivered to their patients and improve the state of
global healthcare. Through technology’s integration with areas like disease
prevention, surgical procedures, better access to information, and medical
telecommunications, the medical industry and patients around the world continue to
benefit.
• Enhanced Patient Care, Reducing healthcare costs
• Predicting epidemics
• Avoiding preventable deaths
• Improving quality of life
• Reducing healthcare wastage
• Improving efficiency and quality of care
• Developing new drugs and treatments
• The introduction of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in replacing paper
records has been a game changer for many allied healthcare professionals.
Medical assistants, medical records and health information technicians
(MRHITs), medical billing and coding professionals, and registered nurses are
just some of the allied healthcare roles impacted by this implementation.
• Assistive technology: Advent of Assistive technology is a boon for people with
disabilities, older people, people with noncommunicable diseases such as
diabetes and stroke, people with mental health conditions including dementia
and autism, people with gradual functional decline. It can have a positive
impact on the health and well-being of a person and their family, as well as
broader socioeconomic benefits.

6. Reduced Risk to Human Life

Machines have automated many crucial industrial processes. Machines are now
taking up mundane jobs that were once done by human workers. Technology has
evolved to an extent where machines can perform tasks that are not feasible for
man, either because they are risky or life-threatening or because they are beyond
human capacity. The use of advanced technologies like robotics and artificial
intelligence has proven to be helpful in life-risking endeavors like mining and space
exploration.

7. Improved Education And Learning Process

Education is the backbone of every society and economy. People need well and
organized educational infrastructures so that they can learn how to interpret
information. Many schools have started integrating educational technologies in their
schools with a great aim of improving the way students learn. Technologies like
smart whiteboards, computers, mobile phones, iPads, projectors, and internet are
being used in classrooms to boost students moral to learn. Visual education is
becoming more popular and it has proved to be the best method of learning in many
subjects like mathematics, physics, biology, geography, economics and much more.
Also, programs like Long distance learning have opened boundaries too so many
scholars around the world.
Research
As long as the school has a computer lab, students are able to use the Internet and
digital encyclopedias to obtain the research they need. While students should be
wary of the legitimacy of some of the content they read online, many schools use
software like the Encyclopedia Britannica to help students do research.
Distance Education
In the past, students could take distance or continuing education classes, also called
"correspondence courses," at community colleges and universities. After enrolling in
a course of this style, a student would receive course documents in the mail and
would be required to mail assignments to his teacher at the educational institution.
The process could be long and complicated. Thanks to technology, continuing
education students can take courses over the Internet at their convenience.
Web Seminars
Not every school has the resources and budget to send its students on field trips
related to the course of study. When this is the case, the students' education can
suffer. But thanks to technology, students can use the Internet to virtually attend
Web seminars put on by museums and other educational institutions.

8. Data Management and Information Retrieval

Computer technology, needless to say, has changed the face of the world.
Computers can store, organize and manage huge amounts of data. They can
process large amounts of information. Computers have given rise to the software
industry, one of the most progressive industries of the world. The Internet that
seeded from computer networking concepts is the most effective communication
platform and the largest information base existing today.

9. Impact on Entertainment and Advertising

The Internet has brought a positive change to the entertainment and advertising
industries. Over the Internet, advertisements can reach the masses within seconds.
Internet advertisements have changed equations of the advertising industry.
Branding on the Internet is much more effective that other forms of product
promotion. The entertainment media has progressed because of advancements in
technology. Movies, songs, games are a few clicks away. People have begun using
the Internet to watch and download movies, listen to music, play games and
entertain themselves. Thanks to handy, mobile and user-friendly devices, all this has
become really easy.

10. Satellite Technology

Satellite communication is an important facet of technology. Satellite TV and satellite
radio have eased the broadcasting of events across the globe. How else do you
think could matches and concerts be broadcasted live? Not just TV and radio, even
communication to ships and airplanes wouldn't have been possible if not for satellite
communication. Even your hand-held devices wouldn't be of use, if not for radio
communication.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON SOCIETY

With every advancement that is made in the technological world, creative destruction
result. The coming in of new types of technology also results in a negative impact on
the growth of the economy at times; television at times consumes all the productive
hours that a man has in a day. Every new form of technology gets into the market
together with long term consequences that are most of the time not foreseeable. For
instance is there really a justification for nations coming up with bombs, nuclear
weapons and missiles to maintain security? Some of the Negative effects of
technology are:

1. Resource Depletion
The more demand for new technologies and advancement of current technologies,
the more pressure we put on earth’s natural resources. Look at the total number of
mobile phones and computers being manufactured today, our population is
increasing every day and all these billion consumers demand either a mobile phone
or a computer in their homes or offices. This is good news for the manufactures, like
Apple or Samsung, the demand for their gadgets is high, but to sustain this demand,
they have to exploit Mother Nature for resources like aluminum, once these
resources are extracted from the earth plates, they will never return back because it
took them a billion years to mature. That means that at one time, we shall be left
with no natural resource which can be a problem to the future generation and
economy. Likewise, the intensive farming practices will deplete the soil. This makes
heavy applications of commercial fertilizers necessary to yield healthy harvests, but
also these fertilizers have chemicals which are dangerous to the soil and human
lives.

2. Environmental Pollution
Pollution affects the land we grow crops on, the water we drink and the air we
breathe. The increased demand for new technologies and advancement of
technologies has resulted in many manufacturing and processing factories. As they
work so hard to create the best technologies for both society and business, they
release harmful chemicals and gasses which have polluted our environment and this
has resulted in climate changes (global warming). So the more technology we enjoy,
the more we harm our environment. Experts have tried to implement ways of
reducing this impact by encouraging factories to go green, to a small extent, this has
been achieved through the development of green technologies like; green cars,
green computers, but a great effort is still needed to reduce the pollution of the air
and the earth.

3. Increased Population
The population doubled from 2.5 billion to 5 billion in only 40 years after 1950. The
world population passed 6 billion just before the end of the 20th century. It is
estimated that the population will reach 8-12 billion before the end of the 21st
century. More people means more technology.
Technology has helped us live longer by improving health facilities and aiding in the
research for solutions for most health problems which affect humans. This is good
news for developed countries but is bad news for developing countries which have
not been in a position to access these health care benefits brought by technology. In
developed countries population growth is controlled by advanced birth control
methods, this has helped them balance their population in relation to natural
resources and other opportunities which come with a planned population. This is
different in developing countries, the rate at which people produce is very high, the
mortality rate is high, food is scarce and health care is poor.

4. Bad effect on Health

One of the negative sides of the rapid use of technology on societies is the health
issue. There is no doubt that the technology is getting better and spreading around
the world. That led societies to deal with it almost every day to get their work done
resulting in many issues. These issues can mainly be divided into two main
categories which are physical health problems and mental health problems. First of
which is the physical health problem, there are many physical health issues that
caused by dealing with digital technology like obesity, poor sleep habits, loss of
hearing , weaken the eyesight and other health issues due to environmental
pollution. In addition, technology can cause mental problems for some. Some people
who usually spend hours dealing with TVs and Computers without interacting with
people get discouraged and get an independent behavior which results in fear of
talking to people resulting them to suffer from mental disease called anxiety.
Unfortunately nowadays, parents are exposing their children to technology without
taking in consideration the cruel effects of such an action. Causing their children to
suffer from many mental diseases. Due to spending huge amounts of time; huge
number of children were diagnosed by di polar disorder, anxiety and depression
resulting in using enormous amounts of psychotropic medications.

There is a growing breadth of research that explores how technology is affecting our
brains. Studies show that exposure to technology is changing our cognitive
processes and our ability to take in information. One of the major findings is that we
are becoming a society of ‘cognitive offloaders’, meaning that we no longer
memorise important information. Instead, we tend to remember the location where
we can retrieve the information when it is next required. A closely related concern is
that our brains are becoming accustomed to a constant overload of visual
information, including text, graphics, videos and other digital stimuli. Our brains are
learning to scan information and pick out what appears important whilst disregarding
the rest. Rather than reading articles deeply, we narrow in on snippets of detail and
form key takeaways. Because of this, many researchers fear that our brains are
losing their facility for prolonged concentration, such as is required to read novels
and other long-form writing. Some studies indicate that the key skills needed for
critical thinking and long-term learning are being replaced by a shallow engagement
due to our split attention spans.

5. Effect on Children
While technology has aided the human race with many advancements and
conveniences, it also presents with some unfortunate consequences for our children.
Children as young as two can be seen watching a cartoon on a tablet or playing with
a cellphone. Technology has made it convenient to keep our children occupied while
we tend to our everyday tasks. While children seem entertained using devices such
as tablets, television, cellphones, and computers, many studies show that these
devices may have negative effects. Overuse of electronic devices may cause
impairment in the development of a child’s social skills. This includes the ability to
make friends in person, take responsibility for actions, display good manners, use
polite language, control emotions and temper, follow verbal directions, and develop
empathy for others.

A child who excessively uses electronics may become isolated and fail to develop
normal communication skills such as conversational skills, listening, and making eye
contact. A child may also be less able to identify social cues and be less attentive. A
child may avoid social interaction to spend more time using electronic devices or
may use the device to avoid social situations due to social anxiety because of
underdeveloped social skills. Not only can the chronic use of technological devices
have a negative impact on the development of social skills, it can also affect a child’s
mental health. According to one study, it was found that teenagers who persistently
logged on to Facebook were more likely to present with psychological issues such as
mania, paranoia, aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, narcissism, and increased
substance use.

Studies have shown that children who regularly use the Internet and play video
games exhibit more anxiety and depression. They can also be more impulsive,
moody, and have difficulty maintaining focus. They may experience social anxiety
due to a lack of social skills and are more likely to express feeling bored or unhappy
at school. Studies have also found that technological devices can also have harmful
implications on the brain.In children, the brain is still in the process of development
which makes the brain more susceptible to environmental influences.

6. Privacy Issue

As the world experiencing many advancements in the technology it is also facing

problems of privacy and security that can strip the world from personal information.
Firstly, privacy issues. Privacy problems are considered as one of the critical issues.
Privacy issues are concerned with tracking locations and spying on information. It is
very easy for professionals to trace and spy on any electronic device that connects
to a network by simply tracking the IP location using programs then establishing
connections by dominating over foibles resulting in accessing data of the user. For
example, some advertising websites can track location, watch what users do and
see what the users like and dislike by s doing a survey of which products are more
preferred, while some countries usually spy on another countries to maintain its
internal security and spy on extremely important information. According to Thai
serves group (2012), minister of communication in Iran mentioned that the western
are spying on the internet resulting in spreading of corruption. That is clearly seen
since the west have more advanced instruments that can track and spy on anyone in
the world with high accuracy. In addition to privacy problems, security problems can
negatively affect anyone in the world, it is concerned with stealing of information. It is
known that information of users of any website are saved in cloud storage of the
website. Professionals aim for that cloud storage. If it is not well secured all of users
information including ID and passwords will be threatened. For example, if a
professional hacker login a bank database, he would cause a fatal damage to the
users and the bank, running away leaving almost no trace. “Computer predators”
(n.d.) mentioned that while computers are connected to the internet, hackers send
malwares to seek for financial information and transfer it to them. That can be clearly
seen since many hackers have used these malwares to penetrate banks systems in
the west. Wrapping up, technology affects dramatically on the privacy and security.

7. Social issue

➢ Isolation
Social isolation is characterized by a lack of contact with other people in normal daily
living, such as, the workplace, with friends and in social activities. We isolate
ourselves by walking around in our own little world, listening to our iPods or staring
at the screen of the latest mobile device even when we are around other
people. Studies have shown that people who are socially isolated will live shorter
lives.

➢ Lack of Social Skills

The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less
frequency resulting in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read
body language and social cues in other people.

➢ Lack of Social Bonds

Creating a lasting bond with other people requires face-to-face interaction. The more
we isolate ourselves with technology the fewer bonds we will form. People are
expected to do more work at home which takes away time they would be spending
with their families. Also, younger people prefer communicating online versus face-to-
face. When people are in the same room and communicating via text or instant
messaging instead of speaking to each other, there’s a problem.
However, there is also plenty of research that shows the benefits of technology on
our cognitive functions. For example, a Princeton University study found that expert
video gamers have a higher ability to process data and to make decisions in
comparison to non-gamers.

Finally, technology was made to serve the world but people used it in intensive levels
that it caused serious problems that are health problems, privacy problems and
social problems. Health problems are considered as critical issues which affects
mental and physical health of the user. Moreover, privacy is negatively affected due
to spying and stealing of information of users. Furthermore, socializing is affected by
rapid change of temper and lack of social skills. People should spend less time and
communicate with each other and use technology in rates that it doesn’t hurt people
to avoid getting any problems in the future.

Despite the fact that we cannot really ignore that there are a number of ways in
which technology negatively impacts our society, for the better part it has greatly
helped to make out lives better. Technology has greatly helped us to become more
efficient thus increasing our productivity. It has also helped us a great deal to be able
to save on many resources such as time and money and these are great benefits
that cannot be ignored. It has also worked well in bringing unity into the world by
turning it into a global village which has in turn helped people to more easily
overcome their cultural, racial and continental barriers.