Is Technological Progress A Good Thing or Should People Avoid It?

We are living in the age of information, the digital era. Our economy has transitioned to become an economy that is fueled by the internet. Almost everything is now available online, and that includes business. The transition has progressed rapidly. Slowly at first, but since the invention of social media, the pace at which technology is taking over has been like lightning, and with no signs of slowing down. Information scientists are now looking at artificial intelligence as the next big thing. Already robots are being used in factories and big tech companies to facilitate work life and self-driving cars have been put on the roads. Luxury cars are now being sold with self-driving as a main or secondary feature to appeal to high net worth individuals. The future is here, but not everyone is excited about it.

With tech innovators like Richard Branson and Elon Musk working on galactic flights to space and automated cars, some people seem to miss the good old days. When you could pick up a telephone to call your sister or collect the mail from the post office and read the newspaper over a cup of tea on Sunday morning. Only two of these things are still done occasionally and often begrudgingly. Why go to the post office when they can deliver parcels, and why read the newspaper when you have Twitter?

Telephones now belong in the analog world, and smartphones today provide the latest technology in your palm! They come with cameras and video features. Big touch screens with access to the internet. All you need is a wireless internet connection or cellular data, and instead of a phone call, a video call via Skype will more than suffice to keep in touch with a relative. However, the argument that being connected online harms our social skills and emotional makeup when it comes to making real connections still proves true to some. The internet also has a myriad of harmful information online which makes parents weary of buying gadgets for their kids.

 We also seem to be living lives for the sake of popularity and artificial appeal. The internet has become a source of depression and stress due to constant comparison and cyberbullying has become a worldwide concern. Such negative effects have caused others to shun the digital age altogether and become reluctant to embrace the changes that come with it. There is also the difficulty of using ever-changing new gadgets. They look fascinating but are not always user-friendly. Keeping the older generation in mind, some just find it difficult to go beyond YouTube and Facebook. Both social media being very straightforward. Dictating that you watch videos and make friends. Technology, however, has encouraged more forward thinking and created some much-needed solutions to simple and complex problems that could not have been solved otherwise. This is the direction the world is taking, and those who refuse to change with it, risk becoming obsolete and redundant. With good also comes the bad, and embracing technology will also prove to have obstacles but with common sense and a moral compass, there is no stopping mankind to use technology for the good of others.