Free Dependence on Technology Essay Sample

Introduction

Dependence on technology has made us forget about some of the traditional skills. Technology is wonderful but its dependency has become so alarming and most of the traditional skills have been forgotten. For example the skills of reading maps have been forgotten as now people are using GPS or MapQuest for directions. People are so dependent on the GPS that when it loses the reception people get lost. Also nowadays driving is automatic, it practically drives itself in that people can't operate on manual cars. Calculators have also become so popular in school that people can't operate without one even for doing simple calculations with their brains. People are also so used to compact digital cameras that they have troubles operating digital SLR cameras.

The dependence on the technology is too much that people are losing their ability to think and even read as people have all the information they need on the internet. Their ability to think has been lost due to the use of computers as they always give us all the information we need and also our spelling mistakes can be corrected by the computers. We also don't produce our own foods as productions of packaged foods have been mechanized.

For a long time computers have been all over the place and most households have them. Internet is the common activity on the computers and the internet is used to expand our information, listen to music, play games, chat and watch videos. And people are addicted to internet and this is a problem as they spend much of their time on the internet other than spending their time on productive activities.

Internet also affects peoples' social lives as they use internet as the principal source of information and communication. Also it may lead to impairment on their careers, studies, community and society.

Technology makes our life simpler and easier but people's dependence on the technology is too much in that they are making people damn lazy as we have become sluggish, obese since our transportation has been mechanized.  The technology has made so lethargic in that we cannot even go to the shops to buy fast foods and all we need is just a phone call and the foods are delivered to us. So in my opinion too much dependence and addiction to the technology is not good for humans.

Literature review

Technology is the knowledge and usage of tools, crafts, systems, methods and techniques of organization so as to resolve problems or even serve some purposes. It is from Greek word technologia meaning studying of skill, craft or art. There many types of technologies for example information technology, construction technology and medical technology. Technology became to eminence in the 20^th century. Since then the increase in technology has made the world dependent on technology. This dependence is has both its pros and cons and they include:

Technology and communication

Communication is the most important aspect of life and technology has developed various advancements so as to improve communication. For example cellphones, computers and television are all essential devices for communication and one is lost and confused without one of them. Technologies' help make communication completely dependable and consistent as one can watch the television and know what is happening all over the world by watching the news. Also one can use a computer to check emails that can help you get in touch with the world of business, some teachers even use the emails to send and receive assignments and also give the lecture notes.

Cellphones are also used to communicate with people all over the world. Communications across the continents have been made easier by use of technology. With technology developing every day various careers in technology have become popular and in- demand. Even older people are learning how to use the technology by using computers and even learning how to text using their cellphones. They do not want to be technological avert.

As much as technology is making life better, communication better, faster, easier and more reliable it is said to hinder the interpersonal communication as there is less human interaction for example texting requires less time than actual conversation and they can be miscomprehended because the basic body language lacks in texting and also tone of voices lacks which is a key pointer in human language.

Anna P. Hawthorne, 2011 says that she feels like technology have made humans incapable of communicating effectively and also she feels like the interaction between humans is going down because of the technology. This is because many people when walking or even with their friends they are busy with their cellphone, texting or listening to music.

Some philosophers such as Hastedt (19940 and Ellul (1964, 1989) have criticized the dependence of communication technologies by the society. Ellul (1964, 1989), says that dependence on technology by humanity has developed a technicist society which has an ever- increasing intensification of power, modern melancholy that has led to abandoning, questioning and declination of values and ethics of superficial and non-power freedom that generates conflicts and tension.

Hansedt (1994) argues that technology require reflection of ethics and he said that until better ways of technological use are developed in relation to ethical principles, humanity will live in mental immaturity state. A social critic, Postman (1992) viewed technology as a pal whose rewards are not lacking a substantial cost. In the united states the rise of technopoly was described by Postman as one that reduces the meaning of religion, history and human life  to technique and machinery, cultural life forms being submitted to technology and therefore, depriving the society of its culture, past, social purpose, tranquility and their beliefs.

Unemployment

According to Fred Twine (1994), Employment is usually seen as the foundation of independence in the industrial society but many are lowly paid, for some reasons unable to work or even unemployed. Capitalist market systems has been evidenced as a very efficient and effective mode of  production organization of goods causing  increased labor division, but reduced distribution of wealth and social production costs. But the production processes have become more dependent on technology and less dependent on people, human labor. And many people have been displaced from the production system due to technologically centered division of labor productivity. Therefore many people have forced to unemployment for extended periods of time. Market production of goods and the division of labor enables improvement and rise in the standard of living in general but has social costs for other sections in the population.

When people become unemployed  or they are lowly paid in comparison with their responsibilities for their families serious problems arises for them and their families i.e. reproduction of humanity in the society  and they are forced to depended on the public or charity to give them assistance. Therefore, unemployment leads to dependency although many people do not decide on being unemployed but the interests of the society requires them to be unemployed. For instance, control inflation policies that lead to continued technological modernization or the subside and market flows. And costs of other people's advancement have been beared as the economy changes (1968). Unemployment social costs not only fall on the society but also upon other vulnerable groups such as disabled, older workers, unskilled and even ethnic minorities (Fryer and Ulah, 1987, Sinfield, 1981, Warr, 1985, White, 1991). Although person's life course when it comes to unemployment is unpredictable as some may not or less suffers unemployment others may be unemployed for a prolonged and repeated spells. But according to Sinfield (1985) major unemployment costs fall on the society as lost tax revenues and production and also benefit payments costs.

Privacy

Technology is good and it can protect our privacy but the way depends on the technology is worrying as sometimes this technology invades our privacy. By watching some movies like Eagle Eye may get you thinking to what extent should we rely on computers and technology? From the movie, eagle eye was the name of the computer that controlled almost everything, it even controlled practically all networked and computer systems and it went scoundrel and it wanted to take over by planning to assassinate all heads of states, although this is a fictitious situation. But thinking about computers controls most of important systems such as trains, traffic lights and mobile phone and this means our daily doings and whereabouts can easily be tracked hence invading our privacy.

According to John Bennett, Jr (2004) he argues that privacy faces spells on five issues, internet, digital piracy enforcement, employers, the government and our lifestyle. Attempts to combat piracy by large corporations have hit a setback for our right to privacy online. The employers use many monitoring methods to destroy workplace privacy. The internet through different means opens home to attacks. The technology that we are using in our everyday life e.g. phones, computers and ATM machines have led to diminishing of our privacy by far. The US government has upgraded security powers to invade on the people's right to privacy. Technology assists in our lives and convenience of the internet, increased productivity and communication ease have many advantages but the same technology degrade the privacy of the people.

Technology has designed an umbrella on us that it protects and help in times of risks and competition but at the same invading our right to privacy. The price of technology is as disadvantageous to privacy and it is growing at a frantic speed that many people are unable to cope with it. This frantic pace gives technology power to raid on privacy without any threat from victims or laws to stop it.

Damn factor

Although the younger generation have been said to be re-builders of the economy, peacekeepers and saviors of ecological destruction there are some doubts on whether or not  there will fulfill their potentials since they have been overloaded with many problems to come up with their solutions. Although  Technology  provides us with uncountable number of tools, it in fact presents a never-ending line of consumer products that encumber our judgment and the ability to think properly  resulting to what older folks refer to as inarticulate or dumb factor.

Due to the increased technological dependency valuable time needed by our brains to capably function fully has been wasted. People cannot even correct spelling mistakes as there are computers to do that, we can also do simple calculations like multiplication and division without use of a calculator. Although these technology helps us to work faster I cannot help to think that technology is making us lazy and damn. 

Peer pressure

This dependence on the technology has led to peer pressure in that if a boss uses emails to communicate on the employees about the conference calls and most of your colleagues have ipads and smart phones one may be influenced to buy a smart phone so that they will not be left out and also so that they can keep up with everyone in the office. Also children may force their parents to buy them computers and video games so that the can be like the other children they play with. Hence this dependence on technology leads to peer pressure.

Conclusion

It is very logical to say  that technology has made our life much better and easier because even in our studies these technology especially the computers and the internet makes education tolerable because the information we need to even do our assignment is on internet. Even lecturers use the technology to conduct their lecturers by using diagrams, presentations, charts web sites and spreadsheets to enhance and support their lecture and it is hard to imagine a world without technology. However people have become so dependent and others even addicted to technology but these has made our very lazy for our thinking abilities have been hindered because we have things like Google that always gives us information, when asked a question we do not even try to think but we opt to get answers from Google.

Also technology hinders us from interpersonal communication where people instead of having face- to- face communication they prefer emailing and texting and  body language and tone of voices that are the key pointers in human language lacks in texting. Also people instead of visiting their friends or families they just text and email them. People are so used to technology that even when walking them listen to music and even when they go for diner or lunch with their friends they never leave their phones behind and there are always texting or emailing.

Dependence on technology also leads to unemployment as most of production activities have been mechanized and most manufacturers have adopted the technological based division of labor phasing out the human labor thus leading to unemployment.

People's privacy has also been invaded by the technology as most of our lives have been electronically represented on databases making people to access our information easily hence invading our privacy.

Therefore various recommendations to avoid this dependence have been made:

• People should try to install security firewalls to protect people from accessing our information a
• Also try not to depend on technology so much, therefore encouraging positive thinking.
• Encourage factories not to depend on technology so much so that people will not be unemployed.

 

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