BLESSING OR CURSE

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY – BLESSING or curse

Technology can affect life both positively and negatively. New technology always changes our life very much and takes it to a new level. It is like the new way of thinking or doing the normal things differently, better and much faster with less hassle and at a much affordable rate. The growth of technology is one of the most debatable topics. Some scientists refer to it as a disaster while some refer to it as a blessing. To my understanding it’s just a matter of how, when and with what intensity you are using technology in your life. Are you becoming totally dependent on it or you are just using it to make your life comfortable and easy. Answer to this simple question will sort out the question of technology being a blessing or a curse.

Now a day, from the word technology we actually refer to Digital Technology. We all know that digital technology has revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives in recent decades. Office work, shopping, music, movies, television, photography, travel, transport, and long distance communications are just some areas that have been transformed. It's become increasingly rare to find an electronic device or large machine that doesn't incorporate digital technology in some way. The word digital technology simply means that devices can be smaller, lighter, faster, and more versatile. It means that huge amounts of information can be stored locally or remotely and moved from place to place almost instantaneously without any delay.

With all this influx of digital technology and bombardment of latest innovations we can’t ignore the impact of technology on our lives. The 21st century has already been tagged as the era of science and technology. From the wrist watch one wears to the cars we drive, every single thing is digitalized. This technology plays a great role in our lives. Many would disagree with the fact that technology has several benefits and to a certain extent that’s true as every technology has it’s advantages and disadvantages, some of the potential benefits and drawbacks that humanity faces in this brave new world aided by all that technology has to offer are:

ADVANTAGES OF TECHNOLOGY:

At the medical level, technology can help treat more sick people and consequently save many lives and combat very harmful viruses and bacteria. The invention of the computer was a very important point. Communication is thus enhanced, and companies can communicate more easily with foreign countries.

1.       Improves efficiency for Business

2.       Predictability becomes easier with technology.

3.       It saves time and helps us in doing things quickly.

4.       Technology will facilitates better learning and teaching techniques.

5.       It streamlined tasks through adaptive learning

6.       Helps in enhancing productivity and creativity in every walk of life.

7.       With technological advancement we will have an easy access to information.

8.       Artificial intelligence will give a break to human from work.

9.       It lands us in a world with better communication

10.   Technology helps us with convenience of traveling/ ease of mobility.

11.   It increased Participation of learners by making it fun to learn

12.   It reduces cybercrime risks to a greater extent.

13.   With technological development disables, are now able.

14.   It enhances creativity with innovation in many fields.

15.   Improves lifestyle and our living standards.

16.   Provide us with better and better entertainment probabilities

In nutshell I can say that technology is a force multiplier. It allows people to be more effective within whatever problem domain the technology is designed to address. Mainly because of technological advancement we can prevent aging and can have longer lifespan. We might also spend a shorter period of our lifespan being sick due to these technological improvements. Thus from the At the medical point of view, technology can help treat more sick people and consequently save many lives and combat very harmful viruses and bacteria like minimally-invasive surgeries, better monitoring systems, and more comfortable scanning equipment are allowing patients to spend less time in recovery and more time enjoying a healthy life. Thus it can be simply understood that technology has surely affected the different industries worldwide, greatly, and education comes out to be on the top list. Preschools, schools, colleges, and universities, all understand the value and impact of Technology.

DISADVANTAGES OF TECHNOLOGY:

But everything in not that rosy and glittering as with all these advantages many disadvantages also accompanies this technological onslaught and development. Technology has become some sort of nuisance and hazard if it is not being used in a proper manner and if we become too much reliant on it. Being overly connected can cause psychological issues such as distraction, narcissism, expectation of instant gratification, and even depression. Beside affecting users' mental health, use of technology can also have negative repercussions on physical health causing vision problems, hearing loss, and neck strain. However, there are downsides to digital technology too. Some of these disadvantages.

1.            It makes us extreme dependability

2.            Leads to lack of data security.

3.            Increases the number of crime and terrorism.

4.            Enhancing the complexity in usage and maintenance of essential gadgets even.

5.            The word Privacy is no more there raising a big concern.

6.            Resulting in a big social disconnect.

7.            It may have malfunctioning thus leading to a standstill situation.

8.            A definite increase in work load as we make ourselves over burden.

9.            High chances of scam, manipulation and cheating.

10.          Rapid advancement in technology leads to higher job insecurity.

11.          Loss of originality because of plagiarism and lack of copyright.

12.          Disguise, anonymity, pretention and fake personas will be encouraged.

13.          Hand craftsmanship and art will ultimately loose itself to over-reliance on gadgets.

14.          It has become a time trap as we get addicted to gadgets.

15.          It ends up in too much screen time.

16.          Greater chance of losing your precious stored moments.

17.          Lack of any human touch and feeling in future warfare.

18.          With technological advancement lives of gadgets we use become shorter and expensive.

19.          Social connectivity is becoming more and more impersonal.

In the end I would like to say that technology does play a part in developing great countries, cultures and civilizations. It can make our day to day tasks easier; keep us informed on what’s happening in the world around us and help to bring us entertainment on the go. It has opened up a whole host of great opportunities and has helped to advance humanity towards a new age of connectivity. On the other hand, while some may sing the praises of technology, others may contend that it can bring about more harm than good and consider it a curse to mankind. Concluding all this I would say that we need to maintain a balance in adopting the new technology and should not just blindly let go our old traditions, values and ways of handling things and situations.

 BY: OVAIS ASAD KHAN