Introduction
Technology is a body of knowledge that leads to the invention and innovation of new tools and techniques applicable to society. Over the past few decades, technology has grown and is still growing. Its use within society is increasing, affecting people who now utilize and rely on it to perform certain activities. Technology has affected people’s lives by changing how they think, communicate, and learn (Bayrak 93). In this current world, it plays a massive role in the survival of humans. Imagining life without technology is so tough, making it an essential factor in the survival of society. Technology and society are co-influence, co-related and co-dependent; one needs the other to prosper. Society is shaped by technology, which impacts whether the society declines or grows, portraying either bad or good results (Manickavasagam 34). Technology’s integration into society has positive and negative impacts, including improved communication, easy access to information, health industry improvement, cyber crimes, unemployment, and pollution (Bayrak 94). Technology is an essential factor in the growth of a society, it provides numerous inventions, but if not controlled, it leads to multiple disadvantages which have serious consequences.
Positive Impact
The growth of technical demands and requirements is continuously seen as society continues to utilize and make use of technology each day. Technology in society has caused more positive impacts than negative ones. Through technology, people’s lives have been made accessible over the years. It affects almost every aspect of this 21st century, including safety, transport, food, and socialization (Manickavasagam 34). The internet has made it easy to interact and learn about all societies through devices such as laptops and smartphones. Technology’s other positive impacts on society include improved communication, access to information, education and learning made easy, health industry, and improved housing and lifestyle.
Improved Communication
Communication is deemed to be an essential aspect of any society. Through communication, thoughts are built and transferred from one person to another. People used birds and messengers to move messages from place to place in the past. Technology has delivered new changes over time with email and mobile phones, facilitating accessible and fast communication (Singh 634). Due to technological advancements, notifications are now sent through social media platforms and emails. Communication has been made fast and efficient through email and media platforms. Thanks to technology, people can share information and communicate with those so far away with no limitation. In the business industries within societies, technology has improved communication by making it possible to share information reaching a larger audience at once (Van Rensburg et al. 1). Communication is now done through video advertisements on televisions and online through social media platforms (Singh 636). Contact is made to a larger audience at once, even if they are in different locations with these two mediums. Global communication is now easily accessible, thus improving international relations. Through technological tools, what is happening worldwide is known as international news is broadcasted, thus creating awareness.
Easy Access to Information
Technology has made it easy to access materials helpful in enhancing learning both at home and at school. In the past, information was shared widely through libraries, making it unreliable since not everyone could gain access to a library (Manickavasagam 34). Society relied on getting information from the media and other people, especially leaders. Information access has revolutionized, and now it can be accessed quickly via the internet through other technological tools like smartphones and computers. Search engines such as google and yahoo have been formed, facilitating the search for new information (Mirzaei Abbasabadi, and Soleimani 10). Society can now get all necessary information on what needs to be done when certain occurrences such as floods occur from the internet. Information being easily accessible at no cost promotes the acquisition of new skills and knowledge beneficial to society’s growth. The World Wide Web is one of the most successful innovations (Van Rensburg et al. 1). It has made it possible to access information so long as there is internet connectivity and a supportive medium like a computer. As a result, details relating to health, education, governments, and businesses are made easily accessible.
Improved Education and Learning Process
Students and older people pursue education from different organizations like schools, universities, and technical colleges. Traditional education was administered under trees and with limited materials, making the learning process tedious to both the learner and the educator (Sousa 1). The introduction of technology in education has made learning much more accessible and enjoyable. Virtual classrooms have made it possible to conduct learning without physically attending a school (Singh 637). Individuals within the Society who opt to pursue education but cannot enroll in physical classes can now learn due to technology. The education and learning process is nowadays enhanced by technology. Society benefits positively as its population acquires more knowledge which, if put in use adequately, gives rise to further innovations. Information can now be easily obtained online at no cost to anybody anywhere. Technology also promotes establishing an effective educational system (Sousa 1). Its essential role here is to make learning more exciting, enjoyable, and accessible, thus leading to the improvement of the skills and knowledge of students.
Changed the Health Industry
The health industry is considered one of the most critical sectors in any given society. Without it, the number of mortalities can increase significantly, even in mild cases that require simple treatment. Technology getting adapted in this field has promoted better diagnosis and treatment of all individuals. Since the 20th century, the medical field has received numerous advancements brought by technology. Technology in medicine has improved life over time, thus reducing the mortality rate. Practitioners can now store the patients’ healthcare data, thereby reducing the chances of conducting medical errors (Aldis 167). The data can be shared with other doctors making treatment easy, thus preventing the need to perform similar check-ups. Through this, the patient’s safety and health improvement is guaranteed. Health information technology has proved to be another vital factor in advocating for patient safety (Aldis 168). Through it, improvements related to transforming the industry are presented. They include tracking data over time, improving clinical outcomes, facilitating care coordination, and reducing human errors.
Improved Housing and Lifestyle
Technology has led to the construction of better housing facilities that are considered safer and more secure. In the past, people lived in grass-thatched houses, others in caves and forests. The facilities were all considered unsafe as people could constantly come in contact with wild animals while others suffered from natural phenomena like rain and heavy wind. With technology, houses are constructed to withstand any environmental change or natural occurrences, thus ensuring the safety of the members of the society. Technology provides CCTVs which give apartment dwellers and homeowners total control of their homes by improving security (Bayrak 99). Additional comforts and luxuries such as televisions and video games are included in modern housing to promote entertainment. Apart from entertainment, it is now easier to perform household chores due to various equipment and gadgets, enabling people to live more conveniently (Bayrak 102). Another effect caused by technology and affects the lifestyle is transport efficiency and safety. The innovation of cars, ships, and trains made it easy to travel from one location to another, unlike in the past when people had to use animals or walk long distances.
Negative Impact
In every society, people are now connected more than ever due to advancements in technology. Despite technology having made so many positive changes in each community, it has caused disadvantages that affect people’s mental and physical well-being. Mobile devices, social media, and video games lead to physical and psychological issues among members of society, such as depression, lack of focus, and eyestrain (Manickavasagam 34). Technology overuse among children and youth is a challenge that has severe consequences in their lives. Therefore, parents in every society are advised to get the best digital devices. They are to consider the adverse effects and offer solutions to prevent them from causing harm.
Increase in Cybercrimes
Cybercrimes have increased just as advancements continue to be made in technology. In the online world, the use of the internet regularly has made it easy for cyber attackers to threaten and hurt innocent people for fun and money. Technology has induced some societal issues related to cybercrime, including identity theft, cyberbullying, defamation of character, and cyber-terrorism (Van Rensburg et al. 2). Through identity theft, cybercriminals access innocent people’s personal and financial information and use it to commit fraud, thus framing them. Other cybercrimes include hacking, malware installation, phishing, and spam. Technology is used to criticize, bully, and abuse, especially among the youth and young adults in society. Defamation of character is witnessed and can be considered cyber abuse (Van Rensburg et al. 3). Through it, technology makes it possible for false pieces of information to be transmitted to cause severe harm to a person’s act of generosity.
Increase in Unemployment
Machinery and other technical equipment are now used in large and small businesses because of their high efficiency and low cost. As a result, the unemployment rate increases rapidly as machines and robots take over. Some jobs that require low-skilled workers are becoming redundant due to technology as machines and automation take over (Mirzaei Abbasabadi and Soleimani 10). Everyone is now required to update their knowledge to remain relevant and employed constantly. The rapid advances in computing technology have caused permanent job losses. Computer programs and robots repeatedly work as programs in the automation industry without getting tired. The speed of computing in this field has made the advancement more effective; now, more work gets handled efficiently and accurately (Nazareno and Schiff 3). In the agricultural area, farming is now conducted using machines like tractors. In the past, farming on large farms was communal, where many people engaged (Mirzaei Abbasabadi and Soleimani 15). Today, only one person who can operate the device is required to farm and harvest, thus reducing the employment number in this field.
Increase in Mental and Health Problems
In each society, there are cases reported daily related to the mental and physical well-being of the people. Technology affects the mental as well as physical health of its beneficiaries. The main drawbacks of this innovation include lack of sleep, less time being spent with families, laziness, and reduction in physical activity, making the body weak. One study conducted in America by Harris International found that over 60 percent experienced health problems (Nazareno and Schiff 12). Technology brought about the issues, indicating that technology can cause severe complications if not properly used. Constantly viewing these technological devices causes eye strain and headaches among the users. If not adequately addressed, physical health issues can lead to mental health disparities such as stress. Other psychological health problems brought about by the use of technology include isolation, depression, and anxiety (Manickavasagam 34). Children may isolate themselves as they engage in video games or watching in their homes.
Increase in Pollution
The introduction of waste materials into the environment is not only conducted by humans but also by technological advancements. The atmosphere is polluted by the smoke emitted from machinery in industries and vehicles on roads (Manickavasagam 34). Global warming is occasionally caused by the resultant increase in the rate of pollution due to technological advancement. Electronics have heavy metals and toxic materials like lead and mercury. The toxic materials are released to the ground after some time, polluting plants we eat, animals within that polluted environment, and the water we drink (Van Rensburg et al. 3). Immense industries have extensive machinery, which causes a lot of noise pollution. The pieces of machinery result from technological advancements made in the field to facilitate working and increase productivity. Air and water pollution are the main resultant consequences of technologies. When excessive or harmful quantities of sulfur dioxide, methane, nitric oxide, and carbon dioxide are introduced to the atmosphere, they cause pollution, negatively impacting Society (Van Rensburg et al. 3). The destructive issues caused by these pollutions include the shattering of ecosystems, the emergence of diseases such as cholera and typhoid, and global warming.
Conclusion
Technology is an essential factor in the growth and development of society. It is impossible to imagine surviving without technology, making it part and parcel of living. In the community, technology has caused more positive impacts than negative ones. With technology, the living standards of people have increased rapidly. There is good communication, improved education and learning process, development in the health industry, and the housing and lifestyle of people have changed. Through technology, people can communicate effectively even if far apart. Communication has enhanced good relations among diverse societies internationally, making technology an important invention. The health industry has developed, with new machines introduced to facilitate treatment. Information is now easily accessed, thus increasing knowledge. Technology has negative impacts which are severe on the mental and physical health of members of society. They include increased cybercrimes, unemployment, pollution, and health-related enigma. Technology has made companies opt to use machines and robots to improve productivity as they are efficient and reliable, unlike humans, thus creating job losses.
Description of My Chosen Rhetorical Mode and Purpose
Educating on the positive and negative impacts of technology was my solemn purpose. Using the exposition rhetorical mode made it possible for me to state the facts and educate on the effects of technology on society. I could offer thorough criticism of how technology affects society’s general well-being positively and negatively through the exposition mode. Expository writing is relevant in conducting research, just as I have shown in the paper, making the method suitable in cases where awareness is being made regarding any topic. The exposition mode is best suited for my solemn purpose since my writing aims to inform people about the impact of technology on society. My goal was to educate and create awareness by being objective and factual in my research. For that to be possible, my writing had to be expository.
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