Technology and society

Technology includes not only tools and inventions but also problem-solving techniques, such as the methods humans have developed to produce food or communicate with each other. It is not limited to modern devices either—wheels, spears, and shovels are examples of technology used by ancient cultures. Technology is closely related to human society. In fact, the continued use and improvement of technology sets humans apart from other species.

Overview

Computers, smartphones, and other highly developed devices have become synonymous with technology. But humans' fascination with technology began long ago, when people first began using primitive tools, such as sharpened rocks and sticks. Subsequent changes helped human civilization evolve from communities of hunter-gatherers to the modern global society it is today. Each technological advancement—from stone tools and agriculture to modern electronics and industry—had a profound effect on human society. Some of these effects, such as developments in agriculture and communication, were positive. Others—including rapid population growth, pollution, and depletion of resources—have damaged the habitat and affected society in negative ways.

Positive Impacts of Technology

Agricultural developments were some of the earliest technological advancements to affect society. Before humans began to raise their own crops, the largest part of their day was focused on searching for sufficient food. Yet, agriculture was also time-consuming. The labor of growing and preparing food could be divided among members of a group, but it left little time for other pursuits. However, as technology improved, so did people's lives. For example, in medieval Europe, farmers developed a plow that could be pulled by oxen, allowing them to cultivate the heavy, wet soil they could not work by hand. In addition, farmers began to rotate crops, which improved both productivity and nutrition and eventually led to population growth.

Although the invention of the wheel is something of a cliché regarding the beginnings of technology, the ability to transport crops, animals, and people was a huge step forward. Farmers could cart their crops to the local village, town, or city to sell or trade for staple items.

The use of iron was another important milestone in the history of technology. The ore had to be extracted using extremely high heat, which first became feasible around 1500 BCE. The discovery and use of this stronger, more durable metal allowed for the creation of better weapons and new farming technologies, which helped civilizations grow.

Much later, businesses and factories sprung up in cities, and people moved from the countryside to urban areas. As families and friends became separated by vast distances, the need for advanced communication technologies grew. In the early days, postal services made it possible to send letters across a city, a state, or even a country, but this process was often slow and inefficient. Eventually, several factors—including the inventions of the telegraph and the telephone and the use of quicker methods of transportation, such as trains, cars, and airplanes—made communication between individuals, businesses, and governments faster and more efficient. Better communication also allowed businesses to contact suppliers anywhere and arrange for delivery by rail, truck, or airplane.

Communication was transformed yet again in the 1990s, when commercial use of the internet became possible. Suddenly, people could exchange information, documents, and pictures in a matter of seconds or minutes rather than days or weeks. In the early twenty-first century, improved computers, websites, and smartphones allowed people to communicate faster and easier than ever before. Additionally, by the 2020s advancements were consistently being made to increase the speed and accessibility of the internet, and further devices such as tablets had been introduced that created even more methods for mobile internet usage, including in classrooms. Robotics was also an area of focus and expansion, as artificial intelligence and automated functions were increasingly used in various aspects of everyday life and work.

Negative Impacts of Technology

Although these technological advancements provided people with many benefits, they also created problems. Agriculture allowed modern civilizations to form, but it also made people vulnerable to uncontrollable factors, such as weather. A drought could leave families without food, while floods or hail could destroy an entire year's work in a single day. People are not the only ones who feel the negative effects of agriculture. In modern times, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers have damaged insect, bird, and animal populations and polluted the ground, air, and water. In addition, people have destroyed irreplaceable rainforests to make room for more farms and buildings, including those needed to house technology workers and technological instruments themselves, as the world's population continued to grow under the support of such improved technology.

Transportation technology has also led to negative consequences, such as traffic, accidents, and pollution. Automobiles in particular create excessive amounts of noxious gases that are released into the air. In large cities, air pollution has become a serious problem. People living in areas with high concentrations of air pollution may even be at greater risk of developing heart disease and cancer. The pollution created by the gases released by cars, factories, and other sources has damaged the ozone layer of the atmosphere, resulting in climate change, which negatively affects food supplies and has been linked to extreme weather conditions, such as wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes, that have led to greater devastation worldwide in the 2020s.

Criticisms of communications technologies have pointed out that extensive use of video games, social media, and texting can lead to isolation and aggressive behavior, especially in children. Studies have also linked increased media exposure to increased incidents of distraction, as well as depression and anxiety.

Despite the negative impact that some forms of technology have had on society, it is clear that it has become an integral part of people's lives, vastly changing the way they interact and develop relationships. Further evidence of this reality came with the public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic declared in 2020. When lockdowns and social distancing restrictions were put in place in many countries as part of the effort to slow and control the spread of the virus, making in-person connections and travel much more limited, the dependence of a wide range of societies on technology, particularly the internet, became more apparent. People relied upon technology to connect with others through platforms such as social media and videoconferencing; order groceries and other necessities to avoid going into stores; keep up with regular health care through virtual, telehealth appointments with physicians; and support the economy. Furthermore, software was adapted to aid in contact-tracing efforts, and technology that had been improved within the medical field was behind the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

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