Technological advancement has come along with a variety of issues in different facets of human life. This paper will review some of the issues arising from modern technological advancements. The most significant and direct issue technological advancement has come about with is the transformation of the labor market. Advancements the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics are revolutionizing the world’s labor market. Robots are now taking the work that was traditionally performed by people. Even though the application of robotics and artificial intelligence has have rendered some people jobless, they have decreased the cost of production, helping industries to expand and ultimately increasing the demand for labor. The issue of unemployment caused by robots is more noticeable within the blue-collar job sector where routine manual tasks are performed. However, the issue is slowly declining as workers become more educated and skilled. Advancement of technology has not really led to the diminishing of jobs, but rather the evolution of employment opportunities. By embracing technology the modern workforce is more educated, skilled and productive than any other point in the history of the world. Technology has made work less tedious and safer than it was before.
The education sector has not been left behind with regards to technological advancement. Computers are slowly infiltrating in the classes. Wireless networks are used all over the world by students to share and submit papers, exams, class notes and other academic materials. Students are now taking online courses and graduating without setting foot in a traditional classroom setting (Younee " Samer, 2015). The internet can provide students with access to huge volumes of information. Personal communication has changed immensely because of technological shifts. People are able to communicate instantly through emails and instant messaging applications like messenger and WhatsApp. Technology has also enhanced social interactions through the rise of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (Younee " Samer, 2015).
But even with the positive transformation brought about by technology, it is worth mentioning the adverse implication technological advancements have had on human life. The rise in online social interactions has reduced the rate of real-world human to human interaction and created a society that is highly dependent and addicted to technology (Castells " Cardoso, 2006). Business meetings are now held on Skype while people communicate with each other over WhatsApp without having to meet in person. This has led to social isolation and diminished people’s social skills (Wellman " Haythornthwaite, 2008).
Issues of cyberbullying have now become so common thanks to the advent of the internet age. Children are now exposed to pornographic materials at the click of a button without the knowledge of the parents. Technology is threatening privacy by exposing huge quantities of personal and confidential information to the outside world (Winston, 2002).
In education, people can now Google information instead of taking time in the library doing research. This has increased cases of cheating and plagiarism, thus reducing the quality of education.
The concerns on physical health are also there. Most individuals tend to spend most of their time on computer screens or smartphones rarely engaging in any physical activity. This sedentary lifestyle has led to a rising rate of obesity and other physical health concerns.
The decline in mental health is a major issue associated with advancing technology. Social media is known to interfere with the quantity and quality of sleep people get. Sleep is affected by the continuous glow of light from computer screens. Lack of sufficient sleep interferes with people mental states. Technology also destroys social bonds, robbing people of the social support they need when they are stressed.
As technology continues to advance more issue are expected to rise. These issues will touch every aspect of people life from education, health, work, social interactions and others, changing the way people live. While some of the impacts will be positive, negative impacts will also rise from such developments.
References
Younee, M. " Samer, A. (2015). The Impact of Technologies on Society: A Review. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Scinece. Accessed October 10, 2018, from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue2/Version-5/N020258286.pdf
Castells, M., " Cardoso, G. (Eds.). (2006). The network society: From knowledge to policy (pp. 3-23). Washington, DC: Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations.
Wellman, B., " Haythornthwaite, C. (Eds.). (2008). The Internet in everyday life. John Wiley " Sons
Winston, B. (2002). Media, technology and society: A history: From the telegraph to the Internet. Routledge.ons.
