This is something that people discuss
frequently. Back in the day where you couldn’t solve all your problems via Google,
did people really venture into an encyclopedia? It seems we have all became
greatly dependent upon technology in our daily lives, not even just for social
reasons but also for business. With video conferencing, emailing, and everyone
constantly attached to their mobile phone, it seems even human contact for the
business world is not necessary these days. This increase in the different
modes of communication available enables international businesses to liaise,
without expensive flight costs and the equally important loss of productive
work time. This instantaneous communication therefore greatly supports the
world of business.
Even on our journey towards the working
world, technology plays a substantial role in our university life. Like most
UoB students if ‘WebCT’ goes down I’m lost! It is something of a norm now for
universities to make use of these online blackboard systems. Students have
access to their lecture and seminar preparation, exam questions, feedback and
so on, without endless pieces of paper and at the click of a button.
But I’ll bring us back to my initial
question now, what did we do before technology? As I have noted technology is
not just an additional extra to provide entertainment but it is a vital part of
our daily lives. Therefore it seems impossible for us to comprehend how people
coped. I think its pretty safe to say however, that most things that feel vital
to us are not essential and instead as merely speed up the process increasing
efficiency. Nevertheless we wouldn’t
want to be without them!
Therefore to what extent should we rely on
technology? If a companies system goes
down it often brings business to a halt. As I mentioned, if WebCT goes down, it
can bring students work to a halt. Consequently, I believe we have to appreciate
the benefits of all that technology brings whilst stopping ourselves from
becoming so dependent upon it that in the odd (luckily infrequent) times where
technology fails us, life goes on!
I think you've definitely touched on a difficult question. I genuinely cannot remember life without the intense level of technology that we all use daily. I don't think I could cope without internet, mobile phone, even television. So much of life relies of the successful working of technology! In particular,I would argue that the internet is vital to my everyday life. A great deal of research for my degree uses the internet; I even pay my bills on line. I would therefore question your final statement. I obviously can't deny that life does go on without technology. However society today is so severely dependent on technology that I wonder whether we would come to a complete stop without it.
ReplyDeleteFrom this perspective, I believe that schools should therefore start education children on computer technology from a far younger age. From my own personal experience, I was never taught even the basics until around the age of 10 and even then not a sufficient amount in my opinion. As a result I have never been that confident with technology which I feel impacts more and more with my life. If we are to lead such a technology-impacted society we need to create an educational system that matches.
I totally agree, technology has played such an instrumental role in my life for as long as I can remember that now I have genuinely no idea how I would manage to complete even the simplest of tasks without some form of technology, be it organising meeting friends, ordering food or even just checking where I should be and when. Society nowadays is so technologically motivated that I feel we should embrace everything it can do for us as opposed to pine for the forgotten days of when we weren't so dependent, however it is important to maintain the basics and not become over dependent.
ReplyDeleteTherefore I do not explicitly agree with computer technology becoming compulsory from a younger age. It is fundamental that children learn to write and do simple calculations so they are prepared for certain situations in life, and encouraging computer use from a younger age will diminish the importance of these life skills. Also, we must remember the implications of children who can use computers at a younger age, the safety risks associated with the internet are always present even if the child is meant to only be using the computer for school work. Whilst we must embrace the advancements of technology, without basic writing and mathematical skills it is impossible to get by in life.