Introduction
The knowledge and use of tools, techniques, systems, or methods, of organization in conversion of raw materials and natural resources into tools is what we refer to as technology. Discovery of fire is the most ancient form of technology followed by others like the discovery of the wheel that enabled traveling. Recent developments in technology include the printing press, telephone, and the Internet, this have reduced communication barriers and encouraged global interaction. High technology and its future have been questioned on its impact on the human and environmental condition: will it improve or worsen it? However, industrialization, medical advancement, and communication are the three spheres in which technological advancement can be observed most of all, which makes these spheres into a single backbone of the modern industrialized society.
Industrialization
Construction and expansion of industries, i. e. the process of industrialization as such, has contributed greatly to the process of job creation and unemployment reduction as far as it facilitated the development of new working places. With the growing number of industries, more foreigners, especially in the U.S get access to jobs in engineering and other similar branches of industry. High technology has boosted the economic growth of America for 25% – 33% (Anonymous, A Healthy High-Tech Industry Benefits American Workers, 1998). This has also facilitated the development of home security as more people can afford home security gadgets that are manufactured in great variety and sold at accessible prices nowadays (Anonymous, benefits of high-tech home security devices, 2006). Besides effective management of the chain of supply, adopting high technology in the industrial sector can help in cutting costs and shorten marketing time. Using an integrated IT, one can lower product costs by identifying available materials in the company that can be used to produce other products, which will also allow coming up with new product designs improving their overall quality (Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, 2008). However, scholars argue about disadvantages of industrialization as well. For example, industrialization has contributed greatly to the environmental pollution. In particular, the car-making industry complicates the air pollution issue by heavy emissions of gases in the atmosphere, which has severe effects on people and allegedly leads to global warming, ozone layer depletion, and the drastic climate change (Anonymous (a), Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology, 2010). Industrialization came along with the adoption of machines which in the long run are likely to take over the jobs that were initially done by people in companies. For instance, the development of robots observed today might influence the use of machinery in doing the kind of labor that was initially done by people; this will eventually lead to widespread unemployment after machines take up human jobs (Tuvie, 2010). Nevertheless, the positive effects of industrialization allows arguing in its favor because it is industrialization that makes the development of the modern human society possible. Industrialization is also viewed as a means of providing more comfortable conditions of living for human beings. The examples of car production, manufacturing of air conditioners, and cell phones are only small portions of all the advantages that industrialization has brought to the human society (Anonymous (b), Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology, 2010).
Medical advancement
Disease and illness are a major concern to human health since time immemorial; Modern high technology has allowed adverse developments in the health sector where today many diseases are treatable; hence, innocent people’s lives are saved (Hobson, 2009). It has also provided safer options to industrial development that have reduced pollution of the environment, thus protecting the people on earth from the severe effects that would have been observed if this technology was not adopted (Anonymous (b), Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology, 2010). Medical advancement has increased the life span for people and also improved the quality of life. Human beings live today under the conditions when monitoring of a life from the time of conception to the time of death is possible, which guaranties one a life free from diseases and illnesses. Although technological advancement in the health sector has improved human life quality, scholars note its disadvantages in the areas of development of nursing homes, which are reported to make the elderly people feel lonely and isolated. Technology used widely in the sphere of food processing has led to development of illnesses like diverticulitis that never existed long before. Advances in genetics, agriculture, and medicine involve the use of chemicals in almost every aspect of our lives, which may eventually cause the earth to turn against us like it can tamper our children’s brains and looks (All free essays, 2010). However, despite the fact that scholars see some negative impacts of medical advancement, it has made life easier and more worth living. In particular, this illustrated by the facts that the relatively new diseases like HIV and AIDS can be well managed today as well as various types of cancer.
Communication
Today, global communication has become possible due to the development of Space technology, which helps in monitoring our environment and forecasting the impacts of the changing climate. Hence, the development of communications allows human beings to deal with disasters more effectively by preparing for them (Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, 2008). It also allows protecting the environment by revealing its condition, which further enables people to come up with measures on how to control the environment and keep it human-friendly, mainly by adopting sustainable measures in our development (Anonymous, Space technologies – Benefits for acquiring information, 2010). It could be true that technology has made a considerable impact in communication, but scholarly opinions exist according to which negative effects of communication development are also observed. The latter include loss of cultural variation as people from different cultures interact more freely; hence, diffusion leads to loss of most cultures (Tuvie, 2010). Michigan University researchers conducted a survey and established a link between adults who spent most of their childhood watching TV and their further real life violent behaviors. Due to reliance on high technology in communication, today people travel to far places and stay for long periods of time just because they are able to keep in touch with their families and friends; however, this has increased isolation and loneliness amongst individuals (Horne, 2010). As much as introduction of the Internet makes worldwide communication easier, there are problems associated with, for instance, online fraud that has been on a constant rise making innocent people lose their money to strangers who make big promises to them over the Internet (Bellis, 2010). However, the positive effects of the communication technologies development outweigh the negative effects that some opinions associate with it. The modern communication technology has made life better by providing means of entertainment like TV, Radio, computer, Internet, cell phones among others. All these have made globalization a reality and have helped people to keep in touch with their surrounding. Technology has made traveling, especially long-distance one, possible and more fun (Anonymous (b), Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology, 2010).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is obvious that the development of technology can be associated with both positive and negative effects on the development of human society. However, the arguments presented in favor of technology development prove that industrialization, medical advancement, and communication technology improvement are the spheres of human activity that facilitated the development of the modern society to the greatest extent. Drawing from this, technology development can be viewed as a necessary and recommended condition for the further existence of mankind. At the same time, people should take more care of the issues of environmental protection so that not to turn technological development into the global catastrophe.
Reference List
All free essays, (2010) Disadvantages of technology [Online]. Web.
Anonymous, (1998) A Healthy High-Tech Industry Benefits American Workers [Online]. FreedomWorks. Web.
Anonymous, (2006) benefits of high-tech home security devices [Online]. Bispak. Web.
Anonymous, (2010) Space technologies – Benefits for acquiring information [Online]. High-tech Strategy. Web.
Anonymous (a), (2010) Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology [Online]. Web.
Anonymous (b) (2010) Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology [Online]. Web.