The Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology

How do we balance technology in our lives? Let's look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of technology.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology

When I was young, I always heard my great grandparents referred to the “good old” days, which I had no idea what it meant by that time. They usually began either with “When I was as young as you…” or “When I was your age, we didn’t have…” But, they’re not the only ones sharing memoirs that start with those lines. People in their mid-30s and late-20s, reminisce on their youth continuously because members of the age groups younger than them by 10 years, can already communicate, transact, play, buy and sell, keep up with latest trends and share life moments in certain ways that is truly surprising. As you grow older, you might feel a little left behind on the current trends in technology as it rapidly changes and innovates every day and you can’t stop it. You might fear technology at some point but all you have to do is to go with the flow of the Progressing Technology. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of technology that we can crack.

Now, if you’re one of those “young people” in today’s century, life without a cellular phone or a computer or a laptop with an Internet access seems unbelievable, impossible even, if you think about it. Try going through a day without using any of your electronic devices. No more television sets, no more calculators, no more cellular phones or tablets or laptops.

Before and After - How Your Audience is Watching

Can you do it? Could we stop using it? Could we stop the progress of technology? Technology has infested the everyday lives of so many people in so many ways, that it’s very hard to imagine living in the days where our grandparents were just curious teenagers. The age of technology is just warming up, innovations that may seem a standard and usual thing now directly affected quality of life, improved the way we do things, broke scientific explanations, fixed a lot of problems we never knew existed, and so much more.

Cyberspace is the new, real world. You have to keep up or you will be left in the dark on current trends on technology. You will be consumed with the disadvantages of technology rather than be helped by its advantages.

As technological advancement grows, the pros and cons of technology grows with it. Companies might already be having their brainstorming sessions on the fact that if they don’t change the old and labour-intensive ways, they would suffer to the outcome of being left out by their competitors. For example, camera and film companies understood that when digital photography became the new trend on affordability and quality, the demand for their products and services would rapidly go down the drain, then one day disappear and might be even forgotten.

I showed a kid, about 12 years old, my old Mamiya C33 TLR Film Camera and asked if she knew what it is and how it worked. She said it was a musical instrument.

Telephone booths and yellow-pages are already in the list of endangered… innovations. Kids these days haven’t even seen a telephone or a film camera up-close and personal. Shopping malls and theme parks are less popular now when it comes to a day off because people just sit at home with their computer or laptop in front, where they can shop at their own terms, talk to friends in their own ways, and read and watch whatever they want.

Now, could we ever really stop technological advancement? Have we considered the advantages and disadvantages of technology? Jobs at industrial plants and manufacturing plants have already replaced manpower with robots and fancy machines on many assembly lines. Artificial Intelligence, Drones and self-thinking machines are only the beginning.

Before and After - Telephone Technology

Although these innovations, inventions and developments have changed the world we live in and has improved the quality of life itself, there are a few setbacks. Actually, there are a LOT of setbacks. People are afraid. The future workforce is afraid… very afraid. Will there be a time in the future when we should stop developing new technology? The pros and cons of technology are certainly an important thing to discuss.

Some say that the amazing world of technology, the internet and social media and the digital society we live in is slowly destroying the way we live our lives. The cons are not worth the pros, some would say. The escalation of new technology has, and will continue to be a factor in the decrease of traditional employment. Offices might be a thing of the past. The internet, is slowly destroying the young and raw minds of children instead of applying its educational aspect.

Technology is also destroying the society’s environment, from electricity to fuel consumption. And finally, social media, instead of bringing us closer together, has torn us further apart than ever before and contributed to people being dragged away from each other personally. People forget how to even interact with people face to face.

Before and After - Youth

There are a few disadvantages, but advantages outweigh them. Some agree to the fact that the human race should never ever stop advancing. Technology provides immeasurable possibilities to mankind. If we stop advancing, that will cause us our own sorrow and suffering. Medical technology is constantly fighting against a whole lot of diseases and illnesses.

We are in the verge of making things easier, convenient and more productive. We can connect to each other wherever we are in the world, whatever time it is, and someday maybe even wherever we are in the universe. We are fixing disabilities and weaknesses, developing new techniques in science, and creating new jobs that did not even exist 5 years ago. On a bigger scale, people argue that the sun will not always be there and one day it will consume our planet. Technology allows space travel that might save us from the extinction of the human race. Technology is advancing rapidly each year, each month, each day, and people like you and me depend on some of them in this day and age.

So, considering the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages, the big question is… Could we ever stop advancing technology?

As with all of the things in this world, balance is required.

If you want the best for those you care about deeply and to yourself, limiting “screen time” is a habit well-worth doing. Learn to appreciate the time it creates and the activities that replace the use of technology. It is our responsibility to use technology in a way that will improve our lives and use it to our advantage. But, we also need to control its disadvantages, because if we don’t, we shall end up harming both the community and the environment and even ourselves.

And for those who innovate and formulate, who take part in the advancement of technology, be sure to consider the pros and cons, to help create a better, yet brighter, future.