The Impact of Technology on Society Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Technology on Society Essay The contemporary society is characterized by its intensive use of technology in all walks of life. Technology is indeed a broad concept dealing with species usage, knowledge of tools and crafts, as well as the manner in which it influences a species capacity to control its environment and adapt to it. It has aptly been termed globalization’s handmaid (World Economic Forum, 2007). Advances in communication, entertainment, medical treatments and warfare reach the airwaves as technocrats develop faster, more effective technology. Communication is faster, tasks require far fewer steps to complete thus saving time, and it is possible to relive certain experiences just by pushing a button. History has demonstrated that whenever inventions are introduced to a particular society, the society necessarily changes (Arbab, 2008). These changes may be positive or negative, depending on preexisting societal norms, beliefs and cultural practices. This is the crux of the ensuing discussion, with a bias on the world of entertainment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a study conducted by Forrester Research in the year 2000, the average American dedicates seven hours of their day watching television (Shoff, n.d.). Television is essentially a form of passive entertainment, taking out viewers’ cognitive capacity; everything is processed right in front of their eyes and there is no brain power involved (Borruso, 2005). Herein lies the big debate on the impact of television on children’s development. Their social skills are sacrificed in favor of passive entertainment. They lose out on other useful skills learned only through play and the urge to quench the innate curiosity of a child. Studies on the link between television and obesity indicate the debilitating impact of this form of entertainment on health. The stage from childhood to adolescence and early adulthood demands a high degree of self discovery. It allows individuals the opportunity to determine their talents, strengths and weaknesses. If seven hours are spent in front of the television and anther seven to eight asleep, there is hardly any time left for development. Despite the technological adroitness today’s generation possesses, they do not read, write, dive or add well. Cyber-world appears as a cocoon with these individuals focusing on entertainment.   They ignore key issues affecting mankind, their mental agility, street smarts and intelligence notwithstanding (Bauerlein, 2008). The influence of technology on entertainment has greatly fuelled the fire on instant gratification. It is possible to skip through commercials using applications like TiVo as well as select specific videos via Video on-Demand (VOD). In addition to this, cases of piracy are commonplace. With the technology available today, it is easy to compress large volumes of data and transfer it online. The one-to-many and many-to-many mode of transfer significantly exacerbates the problem of piracy. Should legal redress be sought, which elements of the distribution chain will be found culpable? In addition to this, entertainment material is fresh and plentiful, covering all imaginable genres. People are well aware of copyright laws, but conscientiously ignore them. The impulse-search-satisfaction route is the unstoppable driving force. This goes hand in hand with the ease of access attached to the Internet. Entertainment material is accessible at home, at work and on the road; practically everywhere. Many employees misuse their employers’ resources not only via quenching their thirst for entertainment, but also by misusing bandwidth in downloading extraneous material. This has been the subject of various IT-related policies with section of the public questioning an employer’s right to track employee computer usage. It boils down to the elements of ethics and codes of conduct. The discussion of technology and entertainment cannot be complete without a mention of the iPod. With respect to music, iPods makes shellac discs, vinyl records, video cassettes and compact discs appear as elements reminiscent of the Stone Age. However, these personalized digital players have created the effect of isolating individuals from the rest of the world behind white ear buds. The need to purchase entire albums died with the advent of the iTunes store as peoples could download only the desired tracks (A Technology Society, 2009). As with the every aspect of accessibility comes the question of blue movies. It seems that the billion dollar pornography industry found an efficient channel through the iPod. The Western society’s increasing tolerance of sexuality lays a foundation for pornography to find its way to mainstream media. This issue must necessarily be addressed, considering that in the United States alone, the adult entertainment industry was responsible for the generation of $2.5 billion dollars in 2004. In the month of August that year, 40% of all Internet users visit at least one adult site and 3% of all Internet traffic involved adult sites. Taking the hit rate statistics presented in the preceding paragraph, more so in relation to the speed of technological development, it will become much harder to censor pornographic content. Alex McKay, a Sex Information and Education Council of Canada research coordinator, all attempts at censorship have proved futile (Denomme, 2005). People may argue that adults have the prerogative to get involved whatever type of entertainment they please, but what about young innocent minds in their formative years? It is the society’s moral duty to guarantee proper formation of the youth. A concerned parent vocalized his opinion saying that the mass media of the day is making deliberate attempts to collapse the traditional, liberty, decency, social values that shaped America’s course (McLuhan, n.d.). He takes the argument back to the media bent on selling sensationalism. People cannot afford to ignore that when ethics and professional responsibility are categorically replaced with the yen to secure the greatest amount of advertising dollars, it is members of the public that suffer (McLuhan, n.d.). There is no question about the power the media wields over people via movies and programs. This power must necessarily be harnessed for the right purpose. The impact of technology on entertainment and society is powerful to say the least. The discussion presented indicates the need to establish strict codes of conduct, operating policies, as well as the legal implications of flouting stated procedures. Technology, in response to entertainment or otherwise, is a double edged-sword; it can either contribute to the greater good of society or lead to substantive destruction. This is where the importance of the development of well-laid out ethical standards comes in.   They serve as universal checks and balances with respect to technological operating procedures. Regardless of how powerful technology becomes, it must remain under the class of ‘aids’; human relationships must always rank higher in priority. References: A Technology Society. (2009). Has the iPod changed music? Retrieved April 3rd, 2009, from http://www.atechnologysociety.co.uk/has-ipod-changed-music.html Arbab, A. (2008, January 19). Impact of technology on society. Retrieved April 2nd,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2009, from http://www.ideasdesk.com/2008/01/19/impact-of-technology-on  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   society/ Bauerlein, M. (2008). The dumbest generation: how the digital age stupefies young  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Americans and jeopardizes our future (or, dont trust anyone under 30). Tarcher. Borruso, S. (2005). The art of thinking – chats on logic. Paulines. Denomme, I. (2005). Video iPod a boon for porn lovers: ‘Negligible’ impact on  Ã‚  Ã‚   society, researcher predicts. Retrieved April 3rd, 2009, from  Ã‚   http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPagearticleID=462 McLuhan, M. (n.d.), Impact of computing technology on education and entertainment.  Ã‚   Retrieved April 4th, 2009, from http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~hgildig/660695/mcluhan.pdf World Economic Forum. (2007). Technology and society: identity, community and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   networks. Retrieved on April 3rd, 2009, from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.weforum.org/pdf/summitreports/am2007/technology.htm