A key focus of my blog is Technology. All around us things are changing and new technologies and innovations are emerging. While there is concern that our new technologies have had some unforeseen consequences, there’s not doubt that they improved our qualities of life. The following contributed post is entitled, Technology Has Made Our Lives So Much Better!
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There’s a great deal of doom and gloom spouted about the modern world these days. People love to talk about how terrible things are and how much better they were in the “good old days.” It doesn’t even usually matter whether or not things are actually worse now than they used to be. What matters is that now things are different, and for a lot of people different is scary, which means that it seems inherently bad. Of course, there’s one thing that gets more of the blame for the decline of modern society than anything else, and that’s technology. Every day there are pieces coming out about how technology is rotting our brains and turning us into selfish, depressed zombies. It’s ruining communication, literature, families; you name it! If there’s a part of life that technology has entered, then someone out there is going to complain that it’s ruined it. Well, that’s all complete nonsense! Society hasn’t fallen apart and, if it has, it’s certainly not because of technology. In fact, for the most part, technology has been an extremely good thing for a lot of people! Here a just a few ways in which technology has made people’s lives better.
Business
For a lot of people, the idea of being able to break out of their everyday work life and pursue something that they’re truly passionate about has always been nothing but a distant fantasy. The sheer amount of money and time required to strike out on your own meant that a lot of people simply never bothered to think about it seriously. But with the rise of the internet, it’s never been easier to set up your own business and get out of the standard office grind. These days, even the smallest business has the chance to reach out to a customer base of millions. With the help of technology, you can set up an entire business, including website, social media, point-of-sale, accounts and everything else that comes with it from the comfort of your own home. Even manufacturing has become more accessible since 3D printing can create almost any product. It’s put the power back into the hands of small business owners that, for the longest time, have been shoved out by big corporations with more money to spend on fancy marketing gimmicks.
Communication
When was the last time you sent a letter? A lot of people talk about how sad it is that we don’t write letters to each other anymore, but they seem to be forgetting just how much of a hassle that can be. You write something, and then you wait for days (even weeks!) for it to get to where you sent it. Then you’ve got to wait even longer for a reply. These days, with the help of technology, we are still writing to each other. The only difference is that whatever we write is sent or received almost instantly. This means that it really has never been easy to communicate with other people. Not only that but it doesn’t matter how near or far they are. Someone could be on the other side of the world and you can still talk to them in exactly the same way that you talk to your friend who lives down the road. Whether it’s messaging, Skype or anything else, far from keeping people apart, technology has allowed people to come together in ways that they’ve never been able to before.
At the end of the day, technology isn’t good or bad. It’s just another tool for human beings to use however they choose. If people decide to let technology take over their lives or to use it to hurt each other, then that’s not because of the technology, it’s because of people. As long as we treat technology with respect and a sense of responsibility, there’s really no telling how far it can take us. It has the power to bring people together, improve our lives and make the world a better place for everyone.
