Does Technology Make Us Less Human?
Does Technology Make Us Less Human?
What constitutes technology?
Defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industries, all machinery and equipment that have been developed from the application of such knowledge is said to be a technological development. While it can be said to be a branch of knowledge that deals with development and application of knowledge specifically, present advancements are blurring the line between technology and various other fields every day. With faster and more efficient tools being introduced to various sectors, we are seeing savings and profits unseen in the history of businesses before.
Technology is not only about innovation, but also about implementation. With the availability of various advancement choices, one must always look at the big picture when it comes to choosing the right path – that way, while there might be a spike in short term investment of capital, the future of the company becomes now.
Simply put, technology is everywhere. In this day and age of information and scientific advancement, the spread of technology is getting quicker by the day. Every application that does not require manual labour is a technological implementation. Putting aside obvious examples such as electrical and electronic devices, did you know that manufacturing factories are a result of technological innovation? It is simply because of efficient production and effective manufacturing that prices of products decrease – and it is technology that promotes efficiency and speed.
Does Technology Make Us Less Human?
Benefit: enhances the world
From a tool that helps parents stay connected to the location of their children, to a mirror at a department store that can connect to friends, enhancing the shopping experience, one reason technology is a benefit said Intel’s Bridget Karlin: a connected world is a richer world.
“We’re at a time where technology is being valued not just for the device that it produces but for the experience it makes possible,” Karlin said.
Benefit: more diverse relationships
The experience of meeting people has changed with the Internet. Whether it’s on social media or a dating website, users are exposed to a much bigger group of people than was possible before.
That’s another benefit of technology said Sam Yagan, vice chairman of Match Group and co-founder of the dating site, OKCupid.
“One in three marriages starts on line and I can tell you those marriages and those relationships end up being far more diverse than those that don’t and I think that’s good for the world.”
Benefit: fosters creativity
A third reason technology is a benefit: an outlet for students that didn’t exist a few decades ago.
“The ways that kids are using technology to express their creativity is unbelievable that’s a place where I get very excited with young people,” Burch said.
The excitement over the benefits of technology is also tempered with fear among many parents, said Burch.
“In our guts we are saying “OK, what is this doing to our kid’s brains? What kind of child is going to develop out of this? Really and truly how are we going to navigate this world with the child who begins to use technology and respond at age two to four.”
Con: limits social and other key skills
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, Sherry Turkle, pointed to research that gave evidence of what technology is doing to people’s social skills.
“In the past 30 years, all the ways that we know how to measure empathy, among college students, have decreased by 40 percent.”
Turrkle said empathy is learned and developed when people talk to each other in-person.She said technology also takes away other key behavioral skills.
“We are so used to the constant stimulation of always having the phone to go to, of constantly having stimulation, that we are losing this capacity for solitude and with it self-reflection [and] self-containment,” said Turkle.
Even as the debate continues over the pros and cons of a connected world, technology continues to evolve, creating new discussions about how people, who are social by nature, should use the technology.
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