           Technology is something that is useful in all aspects of our life. Technology is something that has become an essential part in human development, because it helps create bonds and provides abilities that humans may not be able to develop. Over the years, technology has come a long way, and this has helped the world become an easier place to live. At first,  technology was specifically used for more secretive purposes like the military or government. Eventually, most of the world was exposed to technology and as a result, we figured out that technology could do a variety of things faster than humans.  Although there were great benefits, there are also some drawbacks of technology that include loss of important skills, dependence and a variety of other things. Even though all technology has some problems, I think that we should keep integrating technology into our society.

             Technology has been around for a long time, but before the 20th and 21st century, it wasn’t that prominent. Starting with the 1700s, technology to gain ground in the world with the combustion engine. Before this technology was invented, but these inventions were very rare. In the 1800s, engineers and scientists started to pick up the pace creating many different objects. Some of these objects included an automated cloth-weaving loom, the first photograph, electric arc lamp, the first electric motor, and a variety of other things. It’s clear that the rise in technology started around this time. When the 1900s came, technology was becoming more prominent. It wasn’t as prominent as now but we were starting to see more items created for middle and low- class people. A few inventions the 1900’s brought were the airplane, the electric washing machine, television, electric refrigerator, a nuclear chain reactor, and a bevy of other things. As the 21st century rolled around, technology was beginning to become an integral part to human society. There were many new inventions and innovations to current devices and objects that defined this time period. This is the current period we are in and this is where technological advances really started to soar. During this time period objects like electronic voting, mp3 player, touchscreen cell phones, and supercomputers highlighted this era. Innovations mainly took over. People came up with many different ways to take pre-existing objects, and make them even better. Over time, technology became more and more complex, but easier to control so people’s lives would become better.

           When humans got exposed to technology, ideas and innovations were popping up fast. Nothing in human history before was as powerful as technology. The possibilities that were being presented were endless, and the excitement that came along with this was enormous, but all the tools and products weren’t ready yet. ” Such Mirror Worlds don’t exist, yet. But most of the necessary components have been designed, built and separately test, and we are now entering the assembly stages that will produce complete prototypes (David Gelernter, 5). Over the years,  there were steady advances made in the field of technology. Now, technology has become an integral part in society. As a narrator in a video stated “Various types of technology allow us to store, find, send, and receive information. They also make communication quick and easier”(Mindset Learn). This would be a big step forward for the world because new technology would make lives easier and more enjoyable.  These big developments in technology would go on to shape the world we live in today.

              As time passed, technology became easier to access but more complicated. It didn’t become more complicated in a bad way, but there were way more features involved with technology. Eventually technology could be used for a variety of things in the world like healthcare, food, crime, and other essential areas of importance to humans. Healthcare was a big area of improvement that technology helped extensively. With new technology, hospitals and other healthcare centers have been able to find out problems within the human body.  Tony Myles states that “Medical Websites, such as WebMD, provide comprehensive overviews of what a person may be experiencing physically through their symptoms” (TechWalla.com). Now, when you go in a hospital, normally you see a heart monitor, beds that can be adjusted, an many other things that will help doctors figure out where their patient currently stands. As a result of finding out about specific injuries and diseases, they have been able to find cures and alternative ways to help treat the human body in a way that is not as harmful.  This improvement in healthcare has helped save the lives of millions of people around the world. Without improvements to technology, who knows where sick and injured patients would be. Healthcare is another big reason why technology should continue to be integrated into society, because technology has really helped treat and improve people’s conditions. 

       Another reason technology should continue being implemented is because of the food we eat. Today the world is filled with many nutritious foods and hazardous foods. Also some foods are neither nutritious or harmful. We have found ways to determine the health benefits and hazardous chemicals in food. Also. Not only can we find out nutrition facts, but we can also put out food faster and more organized now. With technology now playing a big part in our food we can produce more and provide different types of food. As stated by John Floros, “The impact of modern food manufacturing methods is evident in today's food supply. Food quality can be maintained or even improved, and food safety can be enhanced” (Comprehensive Reviews).  Now you see health facts printed on food when you buy it out of a store or they will provide the facts on the menu at restaurants. In addition to providing health facts, technological advances have given us a way to produce more food and make food ourselves. Now people do not have to always spend their money on fast food and depend on people to make food for them. People can make food at home and most times, it is cheaper to make it at home. There is no excuse for most people around the world to not have food.  We have too many ways to produce food for this to happen. The resources that have become available as a result of these technological advances should add more credibility to the fact that technology should continue to be integrated into our society regardless of the negative effects it brings.

          In addition to these first two assets, production as a whole goes up the more we integrate technology. With the invention of new tools and modifications to existing devices, producing objects has never been easier. For example, in society now, we are able to mass produce things like cars, parts for houses, and a variety of other things in quick fashion with the help of 3-D printers and other manufacturing tools. In the past it would take months, and sometimes years to produce cars, houses, boats, and other things that are easily accessible now. Something like a Ford was a rare thing to get your hand on, now, seeing a Ford is a regular occurrence. Clothes are another thing that has become more available as a result of technology. Today, you see thousands of clothes brands being produced. As a result of technology, production in the world has increased, which provides another rational point for why we should continue integrating technology into our society.

          Business is a big part of the economy today. In businesses there are a lot of things that go on that make a business run. People, by themselves, would not be able to handle these burdens, so they get help with these burdens by using technology. Most businesses today have some form of technology integrated into them. Now a day’s computers are part of every industry and without it the whole world will freeze (Daily Alert). Some businesses like Apple, Microsoft, Dell, and Intel are used to produce and circulate technology.  It would be very hard for people employed by businesses, to do things or remember to do certain tasks, so they turn to technology to help them set certain times to do things, sort files, and help calculate income. Also it makes life easier for businesses by helping them see what is going on in the economy and allowing them to make connections with other businesses  In today’s society the integration of technology into a business is essential, or that business will falter. The importance of technology in business is a very important aspect and it should not be overlooked when debating about integrating technology into society even more.

                 I think technology plays an even bigger role in the classroom. Today, school has become more rigorous than it used to be. Since the world is advancing fast, and curriculum for schools are becoming more difficult, schools are implementing technology into education systems.  “The computer's capability to manage information makes it an ideal tool to potentiate different implementations in teaching and learning contexts.” (Sein-Echaluce,) Also, technology has made it easier for students and teachers to cooperate in and outside of the classroom. Now instead of assigning paper homework all the time, teachers can assign online homework and let the computer grade it so that takes one burden from their workload. In addition to that, students now have extensive resources so they can look for help online, and instead of always having to physically meet with a teacher they can send them an email to address their concerns. 

                 With all the ways that technology positively affects society, there are some ways that it negatively affects society. We have to understand that nothing in the world is perfect. With as many benefits as technology provides, there are bound to be negative consequences.  Ned Smith says that “The benefit of all this technology is a two-edged sword”(Gale Group). The acknowledgement of technology having two sides is a harsh truth as people want to look at the positives, but cannot ignore the negatives as well.  As technology continues to flourish in the world today, there are a few problems that need to be addressed. One of the first discrepancies is privacy. The world today is filled with social media and other outlets, provided by technology , that allow people to air grievances and share what is going on with their lives. Some of the ways technology invades privacy are by cameras, automatic updates to social media, and having to enter some type of information in just about anything you use. All cameras are not bad, but with laptops and smartphones, cameras are constantly running and connected to internet clouds. Many people are not even aware of this but, certain situations over the past couple of years where calls, text messages, and other information that is supposed to be confidential has been taken from people by hackers, companies, and other shady suspects. There are times that we are sharing information and we may not even know it. “Children who use technology may unwittingly share information that can put them in danger” (DeLoatch). Pamela Deloatch provides a great insight here because kids are unknowingly sharing information, whether it be by text, social media, or any other usage of technology. This doesn’t just apply to kids. People of all age groups are at risk when they put personal information out. Another discrepancy is that if technology is used too much, humans could develop loss of important skills that humans have developed. Some of these skills include writing, hand-crafting, and social skills. When people sit on the computer or other devices all the time, they are just tapping a screen or tapping buttons. “Social networking has caused us to meet less frequently face-to-face resulting in an absence of much needed social skills” (Steve). Usually when kids are young, they learn to read and write. Children are still reading but writing is becoming less and less important. I know that some schools around the country have left out cursive writing from their curriculum. I feel that this is a terrible decision because cursive writing is an important attribute to have in society. Many times jobs, federal programs, and other things require people to sign contracts and if people don’t know how to write in cursive then what will they do. Some companies and programs may brush this to the side, but others might see this as an alarm because cursive writing is an important asset in business. In addition to the problems above, dependence is a big drawback of continuing to integrate technology. This bundles the last two problems together. If we continue to integrate technology we will become vulnerable because we will get used to technology doing things for us and keeping us safe. While technology is safe and efficient, what happens when technology stops working, or when it is hacked. The chances are high for something like this to happen as celebrities have been hacked revealing their biggest secrets that can ruin their reputation. Alarm systems can be cut off leaving families in danger of getting robbed or killed. If a big company gets hacked, then they could potentially lose huge sums of money, and important information regarding their company. As stated earlier technology is a huge part of business today and the more you integrate technology, the better businesses become.

           I understand that these are huge disadvantages that have the chance to be catastrophic but that shouldn’t stop technology form advancing. Technology is supposed to be used for the enhancement of society. I feel like it is used for that, but I don’t think it is the technology that hurts us. I think that the people that get their hands on this technology are the ones that are responsible for these drawbacks. Technology isn’t human and it doesn’t have a brain or feelings. The people who have bad intentions cause these bad events. Some people don’t have morals so they blackmail people, steal form people and they could care less. There are so many scams in the world of technology because people just want to make money any way they can.. Sometimes people should be more careful when they are surfing the web, but I also feel that consumers should not have to worry about scams and other unnecessary ads. Companies that own internet servers and websites and other technological devices should create better software to prevent these things from happening. But, I think that consumers should help as well. Consumers should not wait for things to happen, they should take action and report these unnecessary scams. Most inventors don’t make objects that are meant to ruin a consumer’s life, but they often do promote unfinished technology, and sometimes they don’t even help consumers if something happens. I feel that if all companies cared about quality, security, and consumer feedback then it would result in better technology.  Also, there are still many uncured diseases in the world today. What would happen if we stop integrating technology into our society. It would probably take a long time to find the cure costing people their lives, and causing more people to get sick. Adding to that, Most technology is invented for the sole purpose of making our lives easier. I get that hard-work is essential in life, but sometimes people can’t do everything by themselves. 

         In society today we are surrounded by technology. Yes, there are some problems that computer technology brings, but everything in the world has problems. Nothing is perfect. Bad things happen, but we just have to handle these situations correctly. We should not quit on something because there are some discrepancies that are caused not by the product itself, but by people with bad intentions. As Lowery states “The technological breakthroughs that began in the early 20th Century have provided humanity with numerous benefits and opportunities” (The History of Technology). The world has made several advances thanks to technology and that should not be forgotten. Technology provides us with great ways to capture memories, connect with others, work efficiently, and do many other things. In my opinion, the human race would be worse without technology. Look at all the positives technology brings to the table. With all the great things that technology provides, I think it is safe to say that we can look over all the negative effects and continue to improve our society by creating and innovating more technology.

      