Evolution Of Technology, It’s Important To Life

The Beginning of the Industrial Age

The industrial age’s greatest aspect was technology. Innovations and devices made life easier. Machines that seem mundane today, like the levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, screws, and wedges, helped usher in an age of productivity. The industrial revolution was, to an extent, a worldwide phenomenon, and this saw technology bringing in progress to the world as a whole. Steam engines, electricity, petroleum, and other technological advancements had repercussions throughout society. The coal industry, textile industry, locomotive industry, chemical industry, etc, brought the world closer. Another important technological advancement was in the field of medicine. Advances in areas of anatomy and physiology enhanced life expectancy and reduced illnesses. By the end of the 19th century, the importance of technology had been firmly established, and it was clear that dependence on it would only grow.

The 20th century saw a range of technologies that evoked both awe and fear in humankind. The airplane, rockets, electronics, antibiotics, and nuclear power managed to create a social situation that offered security but always had danger looming on the fringes. The use and abuse of natural resources brought about rapid growth and prosperity to countries but with terrible side effects like pollution and depletion of resources.

Beginning of the 21st Century

And as we go into the 21st century, technology has reached a whole different level. Communication, as we know it, has changed and has turned passive and more indirect. Pagers, desktop computers, and telephones have now been replaced with laptops, tablets, and smartphones. People would rather message each other on various platforms rather than talk face-to-face. In fact, there are almost as many cell phone subscriptions (6.8 billion) as there are people living on this planet (7 billion). By 2014 there were more than 3.8 billion email accounts, which only keeps growing. Technology today has increased our independence.

Need to know where you get the best cakes in town? Just search on the internet. Don’t know how to get to the new mall? Let your GPS take you. Even when it comes to medical care, we have become more self-reliant. The need for doctors to assess our primary health conditions has reduced dramatically with the availability of blood pressure and diabetes monitors. The greatest advantage is the creation of a boundary-less communication channel. Irrespective of your nationality, sex, race, or religion, you can communicate with like-minded people from across the world.

But as the old adage goes, too much of anything is not good. And this holds true for technology too. Increased use of cell phones and microwave ovens has been linked to diseases caused due to radiation. An overexposure to the virtual world has created a warped sense of reality for many.

We have become so attuned to social media that face-to-face communication seems awkward. Technology today does not require us to leave our houses. One can work from home, shop from home, and receive medical care at home. This has led to isolation, a lack of social skills, and an inability to conduct ourselves in public. Technology can also be credited to the creation of a great number of couch potatoes. Video games, YouTube, and social media are robbing us of our exercise time. Depression, stress, and poor sleep habits are increasingly becoming common medical occurrences.

And, of course, there is the question of privacy and security. With our entire life being online, our lives are constantly snooped on. Any stranger can access your entire life history with a few entries on a website. Phishing, viruses, and hacking are the new forms of a robbery that result in huge losses and keep the perpetrator anonymous. Addiction, lack of empathy, more violence, development issues in children, lack of attention, and many more issues have been associated with technology.

The Current Scenario

We are witnessing the next wave of digital change, and forward-looking companies should act now to ensure a successful future. In addition, the purely digital world is expanding as well. It won't be long before we see these morph into smart neighborhoods, cities, and countries, where digital twins mirror the physical world. The Metaverse Continuum is the next decade's next wave of digitally enhanced realities, worlds, and business models. In the metaverse, capabilities, use cases, technologies, and experiences will rapidly emerge as the next evolution of the internet. The role of business in these worlds will be to establish safety and define the human experience. A responsible metaverse will be built by leading enterprises who are setting the standards now.

Conclusion

But can we ignore the advantages that technology has offered and go back to the basics? Can we once again live as people did in the stone Age? That thought seems more far-fetched than anything else. The bottom line is—you cannot escape technology. So how you use it and how much you allow it to pervade your life is entirely in your hands. Whether you love it or hate it, technology is here to stay!

KnowledgeHut .

Author

KnowledgeHut is an outcome-focused global ed-tech company. We help organizations and professionals unlock excellence through skills development. We offer training solutions under the people and process, data science, full-stack development, cybersecurity, future technologies and digital transformation verticals.

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