We live in an age of technology, it touches our lives everyday in just about one way or another. We have become accustomed to many amazing devices that bring tons of different kinds of information to our fingertips in an instant. They display or alert us to just about everything from our general health, to email, to our daily schedules, or even the music that may be playing in our headphones on our daily run. The technological advances of many different types of technology over the last several decades.
Have revolutionized the way that we live our daily lives. Its changed the way that we work, the way that we play, and even the way that we behave or communicate with others. Its not hard to realize that technology has vastly improved our daily lives!
I think we all can agree that when we think of technology. The first thing that always comes to mind is convience. Its what has driven the majority of advances in technology that we are accustomed to today.
Everything from walking in your home and telling your favorite smart speaker to turn on the lights or play your favorite song, to being able to video chat with a family member across the continent. Its almost comparable to living in an episode of the Jetsons. All with the exception of zooming around in flying cars, of course.
Let’s start off by examining how technology has revolutionized the way that we communicate on a daily basis. We have a ton of different forms of communication to choose from. Everything from social media, to emails, video calls, or if you cant reach the person. You can always just leave them a simple voicemail. In todays world just about everything that we experience is instant. Communication is no different in this respect. I can remember back to history class and reading about having to wait weeks or even months for a reply from someone across the country. When in todays world people start to get impatient if they dont get a reply within a few minutes! Advances in communication technology have helped close the gap in distance and time, when it comes to communicating. I would have to say the the biggest advancement in this field though would have to be none other then the mobile phone. Its estimated that roughly ninety one percent of americans have their phone within arms reach every hour of every day. In todays world most of us dont even have a home phone.
This leads to my next example of technology that has drastically changed the way that we live. Is in our homes and our general lifestyle. Almost all items that we use at home are automated in one way or another. This not only makes our lives simpler as we dont have to remember to lock the door as we go out, because it automatically locks. To security cameras that we can view from anywhere in the world. We have little vacuums that make their way around our homes. Cleaning up our messes on a schedule then putting themselves back on their dock to charge. Lights that turn off and on as we enter a room. Thermostats that can sense how far we are from home through our location that is tied to our smartphone. Then automatically adjust the temperature in the house to compensate. This not only saves energy but money too. Another big example of technology in the home is none other than the internet. It allows us to look up information on just about anything in a moments notice, pay all our bills from our desk chair, and even shop for common items that you would have to make a special trip to pick up from the local store.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of education. I know for me its sitting in a classroom for several hours a day. Listening to a teacher lecture over the things on the current chapter or reviewing a formula for a math problem. This is no longer the case in society today. The majority of all people going to school above and beyond that of their diploma. Take classes online to some degree. Not only does this make the learning experience more effective, but it allows many people that work a full time job or that have little children at home, to continue their education. Having the ability to take classes online from anywhere provides a level of flexibility to education. It also in many cases is much faster as you can take accelerated courses online.
The next area of major impact when it comes to the discussion of technology is the healthcare industry. There have been huge advances in medical equipment and its ability to help diagnose problems before they happen. I know that I just seen in an article that they have just came out with the first color Xray. To me at first this didnt seem like that big of a deal. Then after doing a little research on the differences between color and a type contrast black and white Xray. It allows doctors to diagnose many cancers and blood diseases without the need for invasive surgery. Many people also use the internet to diagnose what is happening to them and prevent it, prior to going to the hospital. There is tons of information on just about all the common things that people deal with in regards to health on the interweb. If you cant find the information that you are looking for then you can always just post a question on a message board and people will provide feedback and experiences they’ve had on the subject.
A big area that has changed due to many things like smartphones and social media. Is the way that we date or have relationships. It may not seem like a big difference to people in today’s world, but in the past youd have to write letters or wait long periods of time before seeing someone you may like. That is not the case with the advent of smartphones and social networking. We are now open to people across the country that we can network with through social media. Apps for your smartphone like Tinder or Bumble that show all the prospective singles in the area that are interested in the same things that you are. This style of dating does have a few downsides as everyone expects for everything to be instant, but having the ability to connect with people in a greater span. Increases your chances of finding someone that you can relate to and build a thriving relationship with.
Next let’s examine the ways that technology has changed the way that we do business. I can remember back to a boss that I had at one time in my career. He would always say that if you cant measure it then you cant change it. Everything is data driven in today’s business world. The ways of the past that would be driven by mostly experience are almost no more. You have to collect and analyze data on the problem to prove or disprove the issue. Everything in industry today is all about making a product faster, cheaper, and with better quality. It is what people expect and are willing to pay for. This makes technology in the workplace a must. We have everything from robot welders, to 3D printers that can create just about anything from plastic, to wood, and even metal. Just by designing whatever it is that we can dream up and then clicking print! Technology like this has really changed how business create products. Having the ability to quickly print up a prototype or mass product simple designs. Has changed the consumer products industry forever. We no longer need to create molds and cast products or machine down something from a block of wood or metal. It makes the end products more precise with greater repeatability.
An area that I find we are only scratching the surface on. When it comes to technology is the wearable industry. We can currently go out and purchase many different types of wearables. Everything from watches that counter our steps and tell us our heart beat, to watches that offer LTE connectivity and dont have the need for a phone to operate, to smart headphones that can translate any language into an audible version you can understand. In my eyes this is one of the most fascinating areas of technology. I can remember a couple of years back. Google had a program called the explorer program. It was for their smart glasses technology. It would record everything that you seen and have a small display that only you could see. It was so unique and interested that I can remember always wanting a pair, but they never really took off as a product. Instead we now have a similar technology that displays a augmented reality view to you that only the person wearing the classes can see called Hololens. Its a newer technology that is being designed by Microsoft. It brings up a heads up type display or image that you can interact with in your field of view. This is what I think will be the next big leap in technology. Having the ability see and interact with things or object interactively. In my mind is the next step of personal computing that you can always have with you.
Lastly, let’s take a look at the technology behind traveling. We used to travel the world on foot or horseback. Then came the invention of boats that allowed us to traverse the oceans. Next, steam engines revolutionized the speed that we could travel across oceans or continents and finally the invention of the modern car and flight. This isnt an area that you would commonly think of as technology in my mind. Although it has influenced just about everything we do on a daily basis throughout history. Just consider the thought of walking several hours to school or place of employment. Technology in the transportation sector continues to change and shape the way we do things. For instance, the push to go to full electric vehicles will push towards plugging in your vehicle in a night vs filling up at the pump. Next thing we know, we will be flying around in our own little personal vehicles. The future is just a few advancements in technology away.
In conclusion, technology does have some cons that go along with it. Although, the positives outweigh the negatives in my mind. People will always be hesitant to adopt something that they dont understand. Once it is widely accepted though. Society will see the advantages in much of the technology that is being developed. We have gained far more then we will lose due to the advances in all areas of technology. It has made life simpler, education more efficient and flexible, communicating instant, daily tasks more convenient and so much more.