Topic: Technology
1. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology.
Answer: Modern technology today is an integral part of our lives, and therefore, we will have to live with it whether we like it or not.
Among the advantages of modern technology, I can say that it has made our lives much easier than it used to be ever before a few decades ago. It has revolutionized our production systems in all kinds of businesses and industries by increasing the output, quality and efficiency at all levels. The advancement in the communication technology, with the advent of the internet, has made communication among us so easy and fast that we can actually talk to each other on video even if we are a world apart from each other. Besides, modern technologies also made it pretty easy for us to get access to virtually any kind of information at any time and anywhere through smart gadgets like the iPad, iPhone, Galaxy tablets and etc. Finally, the use of modern technology has also made it very easy for us to travel long distances really fast. In fact, nowadays, we can travel a 10 miles distance within just a few minutes, if not any lesser, by using electric trains, aeroplanes and fast cars which were almost impossible even a few decades ago.
On the other hand, one of the greatest disadvantages of using modern technology is it makes us “idle” to a point that we don’t even make an effort to do a calculation as simple as adding or subtracting and use a calculator to do it. But the problem with such “inaction” is that we are actually killing some of our memory cells in our brain. Modern technology is also being used to bring deaths and destruction upon this earth as it helps in building such advanced new war weapons that it was even impossible to imagine them even a few decades back. Finally, as most technological discoveries aim to reduce human efforts, it would only mean that more work is done by machines instead of humans. And as a result, more and more people are losing their jobs to machines as processes are becoming automated, and humans just can’t compete with such processes.
2. In what ways has technology changed your society?
Answer: For better or worse, technology has changed our society in the way we are earning our livings and the way we interact with each other. It also has changed our “mobility”. Nowadays, because of technology, we don’t rely on just one source of income, and as a result, society has become more “affluent” than in the past. Another remarkable change, that has taken place in our society for good, is that we can travel to any place at any time without wasting our time. Besides, with the advancement of information technology such as the internet and smartphones, my small society feels like it has suddenly become a part of a “much bigger global community”.
3. How has technology changed the way we communicate?
Answer: Technology pretty much has changed each and every aspect of our lives, but perhaps it is safe to say that it has changed the way we communicate with each other the most with the advent of the internet, mobile phones and smart gadgets.
Technology has indeed proved the age-old saying “talk is cheap”- so cheap that we talk to each other by using our phones pretty much always, whether we are staying close to each other or far apart, even when we don’t need it. We have also become lazy to walk even 100 feet or a few minutes these days if we are in need to communicate something to our friends or families since we can do the same in seconds just by pushing a button on our phones. But, if we are not in a mood or feel really lazy to “talk” sometimes, we simply leave or send a message on social media networks and “messenger” to inform others about our “status”. Finally, technology has made communication really “personal” as we can see each other on live video while communicating, no matter where we live with the use of the internet.
4. How has technology changed the nature of long-distance relationships?
Answer: Technology has changed the nature of long-distance relationships mostly for the better. In the past, we would have to rely on “postal mails”, or expensive “long-distance” calls from our land phones, to communicate with each other. But even that was not always possible due to the limited “infrastructure” necessary to ensure these services efficiently. But, with the improvement in the communication infrastructure and communication technologies, such as internet and smartphones, we can not only communicate with each other in seconds, but we can actually see each other live on video, even if we live in another corner of the world. So, by the way, we wouldn’t be really very surprised if we see one day that the ‘postal mails” are being preserved in a museum as a “thing of the past”.
5. What are the limitations of technology when it comes to interpersonal relationships?
Answer: Continuing a healthy “interpersonal relationship” is very important for our overall wellbeing. But, unfortunately, modern technology has affected our lives rather negatively by taking the all-important “emotion” away from us to a large extent. In fact, with the advancement of technology, we have become so busy and “robotic” that we don’t even care to say “hello” to the closest members of our families, let alone spending some quality “family time” with them. As a result, the “personal ties and bonds” are becoming very loose with our family members, especially when it comes to the elderly ones, and friends which certainly doesn’t augur well for the wellbeing of our society.
6. How could technology be considered a hindrance for us? Can we overcome it?
Answer: Modern technology can be considered as an impediment for us when we are relying too much on it. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that technology is limiting our potentials and growth, as humans, both physically and mentally. For example, before the advancement of modern technology, we used to walk to a local grocery shop, in order to buy our groceries, which was certainly good for our health and minds (since we could feel more closed to our natural surroundings). But, now, we simply ride in our vehicles to do the same task because we just feel too lazy to get out of our comfort zone. The end result of such “laziness”? The answer is “Obesity” with a big “O”!
However, the greatest, and also the most dangerous at the same time, in my opinion, hindrance is that we have actually started to believe that without technology, we just won’t be able to survive. In other words, we are leaving ourselves to the “mercy” of technology, and if, God forbids, it ever stops working, our very existence, as a human race, will be at stake. So, can we overcome this hindrance? Yes, we sure can if we just reduce our reliance on technology a little and make ourselves a bit more “active” both physically and mentally.
