Is Technology always a blessing?
With the rise of Technology changing the way we live, work and communicate with one another, however we must consider the important reality of technology.
Can we really take technology is just a blessing?
Used in homes, hospitals, schools and offices, computers are an indispensable tool of modern life and it’s hard to imagine how people lived and worked without them.” – CNBC
Let’s take a look at some of the key developments that have paved the way to world we live in today:
The first personal computers have been available since the 1970s, but it was only when the likes of IBM, Apple and Microsoft released their models in the 1980s where popularity began to soar, in fact, 1985 saw the birth of Microsoft’s Windows series, and 1989 saw the very important launch of the World Wide Web. Gaming technology began to spread it’s way across the globe with the introduction of Saga and Sony consoles using compact disk (CD) technologies.
The term ‘broadband’ internet is what many people would simply refer to as standardised internet now with the death of the dialup modem, launching in the early 2000s, the 21st century took a giant leap into having a online connected lifestyle. Nowadays, today’s homes are rapidly transforming into spaces run by technology, smart phones, smart TV’s have enabled endless capabilities.
In the past people have had limited resources in which many of us can easily access now simply in the palm of our hands. Messages used to take several days to reach parts of the world and the transfer of information on a basic level was seen as a very time-consuming task. Nowadays this simple notion of information transfer takes seconds.
It seems the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but do we fully understand what the disadvantages are?
Some people seem to think with the introduction of SMART technologies, we as a human race are becoming “dumber” or simply more dependant on our technological counter-parts that we no longer possess the ability to retain information in the same way our ancestors had. The ease of access to information has potentially wired our brains to have shorter attention spans according to a study by Microsoft which has found this digital lifestyle has made it difficult for us to stay focused, with the human attention span shortening from twelve seconds to just eight seconds in more than a decade.
“In the 54-page study, Microsoft sought to understand what impact technology and today’s digital lives are having on attention spans. The researchers collected data from surveys of more than 2,000 Canadians over the age of 18, who played games online to determine the impact of pocket-sized devices and the increased availability of digital media and information are having on everyday life. The researchers also monitored over 100 people’s brain activity with in-lab monitoring, using electroencephalograms (EEGs).”
“The findings revealed human attention span has fallen from an average of 12 seconds in the year 2000 to just eight seconds today.“
More recently there has also been a public outrage on the introduction of 5G technologies, although it has promised to enable huge benefits, there have been a series of articles circulating highlighting the potential danger surrounding this escalation of traditional cellular technology. Claims suggest the introduction of said technology could potentially damage DNA, lead to cancer, cause oxidative damage and premature ageing – although there are limited studies to prove this.
Are we moving to fast? Surely there should be regulatory systems put in place – but with tech companies fighting for profits, it is unlikely that there will be any opportunity missed to capitalize on consumers. It is up to us to be vigilant and adaptive in all the right ways.