The Effects and Influences of Technology on Society and Human Kind
Could progressing technology itself be negatively affecting and disadvantageous to human kind? What effects have technology had on our society?
Take some time and contemplate this notion; that technology itself could be negatively affecting and disadvantageous to human kind. Could such a conception possibly be correct?
Technology, a word with Greek origins, is defined as, “the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area” by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Despite this definition, it is an abstract term lacking a concrete meaning. Technology is a word used to collectively describe or portray the advancements, abilities, creations, undertakings, views, and knowledge of a singular group of persons: we as human-kind.
The history of technology is undoubtedly as old as humanity itself. Primitive forms of technology have been found with almost every archaeological find of ancient human remains. Technology has such far progressed from the mastery of fire by man in times before 1,000,000 BC, to the supercomputers, space stations, rockets, electronics, weapons, and huge metropolises that are the defining aspect of the 21st century AD.
The question that persists however, is, “Is technology in fact harming our society as a whole?” Albeit the fact that this is a remarkably intricate question of sorts, it can be answered with a simple answer. The actuality of this situation remains that technology is by no means detrimental to our society here in the United States, civilization throughout the world, or to the greater humanity of the human race; instead, it is vital to its survival.
Nuclear Technology
To illustrate this point, let us first examine an exceedingly significant technological advance of our time, nuclear technology. Nuclear technology is research that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. It has many vital applications in modern society, the most prominent of which are nuclear weapons, nuclear medicine, and nuclear power. The most controversial of these is, without a doubt, nuclear weapons.
First created by the United States in 1945 during World War II, they were developed out of the fear that Nazi Germany would first develop them. A weapon of incredible power, a single nuclear weapon has to potential to decimate, level, and destroy an entire city. The first and only times a nuclear weapon has been used are in World War II, when the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” bombs, respectively.
The usage of these bombs allowed for the near instantaneous end to the destructive World War II. Although two cities were leveled and many lives were lost, the situation involving the usage of these nuclear weapons is not nearly as negative as one may perceive. Had the bombs not been dropped, Japan would not have surrendered, and it would have without a doubt prolonged the war for months or even years. This would have forced an Allied Forces ground invasion of Japan in an effort to end the war, which would have resulted in the loss of many more people than caused by the deployment of the two nuclear weapons.
When you look at the usage of nuclear technology, you must look at the situation from the viewpoint of human society as a whole, and not from a standpoint of an individual. While the nuclear bombs destroyed two cities and killed many, they ended a horrific World War II and prevented the loss of many other lives. Today, in more modern terms, nuclear weapons play a huge role in our lives. As citizens of the United States, it is common knowledge that we are guaranteed many degrees of freedoms and rights, but have you ever considered who enforces our right to these freedoms in the world?
The military might of the United States is the key to us retaining our democratic freedoms. Being in possession of nuclear weapons is not only a positive thing, it allows for us to be free. By holding an arsenal of nuclear weapons, we have a nuclear deterrent. In this sense, we prevent wars and conflicts from escalating into another World War by instituting world order. By having nuclear technology, we are ensuring the well-being, longevity, and freedoms of the human race.
Internet Technology
Another prominent technological innovation that well represents our society today is the Internet. The Internet is the worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data between themselves. It is an extremely large network that consists of countless smaller networks. The World Wide Web is accessible only through this Internet infrastructure which allows us our access to websites, email, file sharing, downloads, and media.
As well as being an important provider for us common citizens who wish to access the World Wide Web, the internet serves a much greater purpose. It allows for the sharing of information almost instantaneously between scholars, researchers, and others. It allows for information to be shared from the United States to China in less than a second. Before the times of the internet, the other alternatives to transmit information were not nearly as efficient or effective. The Internet allows for us to, in some ways make the world smaller.
In the days of today’s stock markets, financial infrastructure, global news organizations, powerful militarizes, strong governments and big corporations, instantaneous communication is an asset we can not afford to lose. The Internet allows for our society in modern day times to interconnect and promote globalization and information sharing.
Medical Technology
Perhaps one of the most vital technological advances in our society today is in the field of human medicine and health sciences. This field deals with the maintenance, prolongment, and restoration of human health through the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and injury. Medicine is an area where knowledge is obtained, then applied to treatment. It has been around at least as far as the beginning of recorded history, perhaps even farther.
Today, modern medicine is practiced within a well-developed framework of health-care infrastructure. Research in the field of medicine has allowed for the development of many new treatments, drugs, medicines, and solutions that have allowed for the dramatic prolongment of the human lifespan. Today, with the influence of medicine, the lifespan of the average human is only increasing. Medicine in today’s world provides the most vital of all services; it ensures the survival of the human race as a whole.
Review
Now, let us review the implications of technology on our civilization here on Earth as a whole. Could the notion of technology possibly have any basis? Simply put, it does not have any credibility of any sort. Technology itself does not signify any concrete object or thing; instead it collectively portrays human kind’s achievements as a whole. Any advancements, abilities, creations, undertakings, views, or knowledge of us as humans are in essence technology.
This definition alone refutes the argument that technology is detrimental. Take for instance the three significant technological advances of the human race covered in this article: nuclear technology, the internet, and medicine. Nuclear technology, an important advancement for our society, creates a world order, protects the inhabitants of the world, and ensures the longevity, freedoms, and well-being of the entire human race.
Also, the internet allows for our society to inter-connect and progress further into enlightenment. Perhaps most important of all, medicine, allows for us to ensure our own survival on this planet. These three technologies well represent technology as a whole, and clearly show that technology is extremely beneficial to our society. Only by advocating and advancing technology, can we as humans, and as humanity, succeed.
Liked it
26 Responses to “The Effects and Influences of Technology on Society and Human Kind”
On June 17, 2008 at 12:06 pm
though i could chuckle with its great achievement, yet life remains constant. How many have medical technology pushed to live many years of 150s? in those days, when there was little technology, i was told of geat men who lived 180, 150, 140. this is to mention but few. irrespective of our great potentials in this field, yet our days are not prolonged as days we have no or little technology. the threat of nuclear weapon can never salvage mankind. its abundance on the earth could post more fear for the coming generation. a global war, could at this point post little survival. pursing after peace with war, is against our belief of a perfcet utopia; where everybody is free of fear and uncertainty.
i say; technology has brought nothing to our world more than dissilusion. the salvation of mankind is a snare. pollusion, genetic mutation giving rise to new set of organism that causes disease, the fear of global warming, solar mares and changes are the backrupt of our so called technology. what we think is our achievent is our inadequacy and curiosity boomeranging to us.
the little we can succeed is the little we caued a change in the world via our exploration. nature is constant, no change with technology…
On August 25, 2008 at 11:15 pm
technology help us to make our work easy and fast.
On September 19, 2008 at 12:32 pm
you both are right
any thing we uses, it upon us how we use.
On September 23, 2008 at 3:05 pm
this article is very enteresting. and tells alot about the advancements of the human race. we the boss of this world. nothing can stop us.
On September 23, 2008 at 3:08 pm
yah i like this article thats why when i become president im going To lead this country to a nuclear war and kill all the jews and other race and coler then me… VOTE OBAMA “becouse im black”
On September 23, 2008 at 5:55 pm
#5 your a flat out retarded and a racist piece of s**t
On September 25, 2008 at 11:27 am
#2, the problem is that making our work “fast and easy” only leads more work expected. Not more time.
jnich
On October 8, 2008 at 2:54 am
i like it!!!!
On October 8, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Yeah it was great. Thank you so much. You helped make my project go faster since i waited till the last night
On November 15, 2008 at 2:35 pm
i think the article is great but he purposely leaves out the disadvantages of technology. we definetly have disadvantages like global warming and others.
to borack obama. ur just a really foolish person. im black but i dont think any other race should be killed neither do i think any color is better than my race, we are all the same. NONE IS BETTER
On December 10, 2008 at 12:22 pm
i dont agree with this. all your saying is that technology is good because america has huge weapons that scare off other countries from attacking them, this doesnt mean technology has a positive effect on mankind, it just means that other countries are going to continue to make even bigger weapons and possibly cause a war bigger than any war we’ve ever seen.
On December 27, 2008 at 5:46 am
What do you think about entertainment technologies?
how they effect the human nature both in positive and negative way?
On January 8, 2009 at 9:18 am
oh how nice… it made a lot of sense… oh and like #12 asked how about entertainment technologies?
On February 23, 2009 at 1:54 am
technology has done and will certainly do more harm than good to humanity. the state of nature is and will ever be the best.
On March 2, 2009 at 3:00 pm
whither we like it or not technology is here to stay. it will continue to advance and so will we together as a society. but with our advantages comes our disadvantages like global warming and pollution. but we should look for sollutions to those problems and mke them become apart of our advantages.
On March 2, 2009 at 4:04 pm
this article is not very good for research… this just flat out sucks!
On March 2, 2009 at 4:06 pm
how do you like my name b**chz?
On March 2, 2009 at 4:07 pm
how do you like my name b**chz?
On March 2, 2009 at 4:08 pm
how do you like my name b**chz?
On April 7, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Although this article was informative, it did not and cannot help me, simply due to the fact that it is not credible, nor is it even remotely accurate in reference to its’ thesis. It did not do anything but merely mention technologies other than nuclear weapons, which are by far not the most important technologies to have come about since the mid 1940’s.
Perhaps if this article actually displayed BOTH sides evenly and mentioned more than a one-sided, biased opinion of technological importance, and also dropped the idea of “American” world order, then it would be accurate enough to be used as a research document. Overall, I was highly disappointed that this article only touched, and I mean lightly touched, the idea of technology playing a role in society with greater respects than towards nuclear weapons..
On April 14, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Why don’t we consider the goals of technology? From what I understand, they include comfort, ease, occasionally knowledge for knowledge’s sake, safety, health, and faster access to what we want and need. These things are fine to a point (and admittedly health is a good thing to pursue at all times), but aren’t we made stronger through problems and trials? Don’t we become lazy as everything is placed at our finger tips? I don’t mean to condemn technology, but if its alienating us from nature, fellow humans, and reality, maybe we should consider dropping it, or severely limiting its use. I definitely think the people of wealthy and technologically advanced countries (such as America) need to get away from technology once in awhile and do things for themselves.
I don’t know if technology is by its very nature evil, but it certainly is if it’s developed and adopted without question or thought. Honestly, technology has probably caused as many problems as it has solved, and we shouldn’t just assume, as most today do, that it’s continuing progress is good for humanity.
On May 4, 2009 at 2:52 pm
cool
On June 1, 2009 at 6:23 am
hi.tnx sa lahat ng naitulong ng web nin-u sa akin at sa iba pang mga tao gumagamit at tumatangkilik sa internet..
maraming salamat po sa in-u!
On August 12, 2009 at 1:27 pm
This article is a narrow minded and poorly thought out. So I’m not even touching the article. But, to tabitha: Are you so ignorrant to think that all races in the world HAVE to be equal. No one will argue that some breeds of dogs are better than other, or some breeds of horses are better than others for specific tasks. I say for specific tasks for a reason. While a Thoroughbred is more suited for racing longer distances and conserving energy a Quarter horse has a definite advantage at running a shorter distance at full pace. These two horses are not then equal by any means. How can you look at two completely different things and call them equal? I don’t have any problems with any race. I do not wish anyone dead just because they look act or think different than I do. However, everyone is NOT equal as you have been so dillegently brainwashed to think. No matter how hard you close your eyes and wish, people on earth are never going to be equal.
On September 10, 2009 at 2:16 am
I believe what Tabitha meant to say was that each race has its own unique feature. Each race and culture has a specific feature where it is superior to the other, and as such should be respected and valued and none can claim total superiority as all cultures have their specific flaws and weaknesses.
On November 18, 2009 at 8:35 pm
To the first guy- Praiz… Your an idiot if you really beleive that people lived to be hundreds and thousands of years old. With their diet and lack of technology, there’s no scientific evidence that supports that they could live past 70 years old. Technology only improved our lifespan.
Post Comment