New Technology: Beneficial or Dangerous?
Technology is one thing that has grown tremendously. Just a few years back, technology was not as good as today. For instance, the communication industry has swiftly evolved overtime. In the 1990s, the internet was not as accessible as it is right now. Businesses and enterprises depend on the internet to store data and for advertisements. Many companies use the internet to run there day to day transaction and have become unimaginable to live without internet. Technology has adjusted to all industries. In the transport industry, an application has been made that are slowly replacing the traditional taxi systems. Uber, a taxi application was found in March 2009 which its headquarter in San Francisco, California. With the invention of Uber, customers can view real-time details on their ride, can track the vehicle they have booked and can later review the drivers (Uber Blog). Uber has enhanced security as drivers details are displayed in the system, and there is a tracking feature. Since it was launched, Uber has expanded its territories across many countries across the world. This is just an example of how technology has been used to replace old methodologies.
While I agree with technology, many things have been automated that have made life seem more comfortable, a challenge also has surfaced with this invention. Cybercrimes and security breaches are among the challenges that have come with technology. As more people are becoming innovative, there are people entirely focused on breaking down the systems employed, which is unfortunate. This paper attempts to research on whether new technologies are beneficial or dangerous through real examples and evaluating the impacts that have been discussed by other scholars.
In the wake of the Corona Virus, it is evident that technology has been used to sensitive people on measures to be taken. Televisions, radios have used their voices in educating people on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have also been used to continually remind people to wash their hands, sanitize and keep a social distance. People have been instructed to work from home, and this would not have been possible without technology. People can now carry their meetings on online platforms such as zoom and skype. Online classes have been adapted as most schools around the globe have been closed to help flatten the curve. All these are what make us appreciate technology each day.
Technology has been beneficial, especially in agriculture, where the Internet of Things (IoT) has made the transfer of data possible with human interaction. A senior analyst, Ashford Warwick, in his article, discusses how the world population is estimated to rise to about 9.6billion by 2050 (2). This analysis will be a threat to the food industry; thus, technological advances have to be made to increase the production of farm produce. Smart farming seems to be the only solution that will help in reducing waste products and increase productivity. IoT invention will assist in the monitoring of temperatures and pH levels in the soil with the use of sensors. This invention has been employed with the intention of helping the food industry as it struggles with climate change that is also affecting food production. Smart farming is not limited to large scale farming; only it has also been employed in organic farming to improve quality. The benefits associated with IoT based agriculture is the efficient use of resources such as water and fertilizers.
Innovative minds have gotten employment through technology. Example of great people who have benefitted from technology is Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook. The two great founders have given jobs to millions of people around the globe, which in the end has impacted significantly on the economy. As of 2018, google had employed over 90,000 young talents. This number shows how much technology has affected in promoting talent throughout the world. YouTube pays content creator for the content they upload on their channels which is also paying people who are passionate about content creation. Learning has been significantly influenced by technology. On the internet today, there are thousands of learning sites that provide free information for people to consume. These sites include Pluralsight, udemy, udacity, docsity, among others. Web applications that offer full courses have aided students who are unable to pay school to use the internet to self-educate themselves and in which they later get examined and certified. Thus, the impact technology has had on education cannot go unnoticed.
The facts are clear that technology has transitioned the transport system. People can travel long distances within a short time thanks to technological improvements. Vehicles have been built to customers’ expectations through effectively and efficiently improving their softwares. Thus, the performance and design of cars have changed over time to extensive upgrades. The transportation system has been predicted to be sleek soon that no one would notice they are on a train or a car as people will take a shorter time to reach their destinations (Waldek). Technology has made data collection possible that has helped in the continuous improvement in this sector. Economically, it is estimated that there will be an annual growth of about 10%. The transport sector has also impacted economic growth with an estimated $100 billion expected to be met by 2023 (Kairi).
Technology has made huge impacts on giving health practitioners a better working environment. Medical technology is a field that has improved the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Technology has equally contributed to in the health sector significantly by saving the lives of countless people around the world. Medical technology comprises of other areas like developing medical equipment, pharmaceutical and biotechnology. The efforts that have been done in developing and improving medical facilities cannot go unnoticed as it has given surgical procedures a better environment among other sections of healthcare. Patients having been connected to doctors who are a mile away merely through telecommunication. This communication has been enabled through smartphones and tablets. Data collection has also been improved from writing in papers to a paperless recording which can track a patients performance. Medical practitioners have been a witness to what technology has done especially in this critical field. New innovations that are continually being introduced have improved the quality of life as it has brought better monitoring structures, better scanning equipment and has minimized dangerous surgical procedures.
Scientists have better research tools with all the information found online. Testing of a new treatment and diagnostic procedures have been improved a big thank you to technology. Researchers can now examine diseases using technological equipment and find antibodies much better. However, a challenge has erupted on the use of technology to conduct research; thus, laws and regulations ought to be put in place to ensure things done in the laboratory are safe for humans.
With the invention of cloud computing, most companies have moved their data to the cloud. Cloud computing is a field that has improved data storage with tight security implemented. With the rapid development of the internet, it is hard to control how people will use the internet and information. As a result, there has been an increase in cybercrimes which has become very costly with an estimate of about $6 trillion to be the expense of these crimes (Paganini). Companies are being hacked, leaving their customers information at risk. Canva, a company in Australia, was hacked in 2019 impacts over 130 million users. The attack on the company exposed customer’s email addresses, names, and places of residence. Luckily, the hackers did not manage to take the data despite them having gained access to the OAuth login tokens. Though the company made immediate efforts in alerting users change passwords, over 4 million users passwords had already been stolen and posted online, which was unfortunate.
eBay is another company that has been hacked which has 145 million users. The attack on this company was in 2014 when account information of all users was attacked. The breach went unnoticed for over 200 days meaning the attackers had enough time to interfere with information in the database. Later on, the customers were asked to change their passwords, but that incident had already ruined the reputation of the company (Swinhoe). Terrorism acts are also being conducted using technology. Weapons have been built using technology which is unfortunate as it risks the lives of people.
Technology has dangerously become an addiction. A ted talk presented by Lisa Strohman carefully examines how children can remove themselves from technological dependence (Strohman ). Addiction implies that one has no control over that particular substance. Over-dependence can be a disease in the end that would require a therapist. People have forgotten the importance of family gathering as social media has enhanced communication. Cultural events are slowly being overlooked because of the influence technology has had, which is unfortunate for future generations.
Automation of manual jobs has led to the loss of employment. Things that were previously done manually have slowly been automated that is, leaving it for machines to handle. Most tasks in the manufacturing sector have been automated. Engineers are becoming more innovative, especially in the field of robotics. Several books have extensively discussed how technology would have brought change to the world. This article includes a book by Brad Smith, Tools and weapons that discusses the good and bad of technology (Smith and Browne). People had foreseen the dangers with technology, but in all honesty, the benefits in out way the risks.
Children have been immersed in adopting technology for education. This might be a danger zone as they may be exposed to information that could corrupt their minds. Such data include pornographic content that is posted in social media, and through other media, they interact with. To solve this issue, there need to be close monitoring of children and teaching children on morality.
As seen in the explanations above, technology has been a solution to problems. Still, it has also imposed great danger, especially to data that is very important in any institution. As technology advancements cannot be reversed, it is wise for people to consider learning safer internet practices. For instance, looking keenly into pop-ups before clicking on them as they would be out to source personal information. Applications that do not meet security standards should not be used and instead banned from stores. Visiting unsecured websites is also a practice that can risk information; thus, it is safe not to click on advertisements that look suspicious. Safe browsing is a topic most professionals do not talk about that would compromise with data.
The cost of cybercrimes is slowly increasing. For instance, in the United States, the cost of cybercrimes was estimated to be US $11.7 million in 2017 but has gradually heightened to the US $13.0 million. This is a concern that every company around the world should look into. Cyber Security professionals are also on-demand, but those with experience are not enough in number. To solve this issue, more cyber talks need to be held to recruit more people into this field. That is, the market for information security officers, pen testers and other cyber areas are now on-demand, and unless something is done in the field, then data is at risk and privacy is also at risk.
In conclusion, day to day activities have made humans appreciate technology, and in this quest, more people have joined the technological field. However, there are unforeseen dangers that need to be addressed immediately to make the internet a safer haven. In the next two decade, they will be adverse changes in the future of technology. People are becoming more and more innovative, but they equally need to be educated on the threats that technology has imposed.
Works Cited
Kairi, Sivan Marron. “Technology in Transportation: Economic and Social Impacts.” Here Mobility (2019). <https://blog.mobility.here.com/technology-in-transportation-economic-and-social-impacts>.
Paganini, Pierluigi. “Cybercrime Statistics in 2019.” Security Affairs, (2020). <https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/96531/cyber-crime/cybercrime-statistics-in-2019.html>.
Smith, Brad and Carol Ann Browne. Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age. Penguin Press, 2019.
Strohman, Lisa. “Empowering kids to rise above technology addiction | Lisa Strohman | TEDxPasadena.” TED (2019). <https://youtu.be/6qsQXRqREwM>.
Swinhoe, Dan. “The 15 biggest data breaches of the 21st century.” CSO (2020). <https://www.csoonline.com/article/2130877/the-biggest-data-breaches-of-the-21st-century.html>.
Uber Blog. “Cool Uber app features you never knew about.” Uber Blog (2020). <https://www.uber.com/en-EG/blog/cool-uber-egypt-app-features/>.
Waldek, Stefanie. “The Design of Transportation in the Year 2039.” Architectural Digest (2018). <https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/future-of-design-transportation>.
Warwick, Ashford. “IoT could be key to farming, says Beecham Research.” Computer Weekly (2015). <https://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240239484/IoT-could-be-key-to-farming-says-Beecham-Research>.