Introduction
Today, technological advancements are shaping the way people operate and conduct businesses. Most of the technological advances have been witnessed in different areas including cars, microwaves, cell phones, computers, and televisions. For instance, many companies around the globe are investing more in advanced technologies because it allows them to reach more customers. However, this paper strives to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of advanced technology. Similarly, the discussion will provide a reflection on advanced technology followed by a clear conclusion about the topic. Overall, this paper holds that just because something is considered “advanced” does not mean that it will be beneficial. In fact, advanced technology may end up causing more problems than solutions.
Advanced Technology
For the purpose of clarity, advanced technology (AT) refers to a type of technology that is still immature but with the potential to deliver significant value. According to Matthews and Greenspan (2020, p. 134), AT tend to have very few users as it is still undergoing technical maturity. Some common examples of AT include artificial intelligence (AI), speech and handwriting recognition, virtual reality and 3D visualization. Firstly, AI can simply be defined as machines that undertake “human-like cognitive functions” such as learning and reasoning (Haenlein et al., 2019, p. 343). AI is developing rapidly with SIRI and self-driving cars being the latest examples. Secondly, handwriting recognition is where the computer receives and interprets information from different sources among them paper documents and photographs. Thirdly, virtual reality (VR) is a type of technology with the ability to obscure the natural world. As Wohlgenannt et al. (2020, p. 455) noted, VR is “a computer-generated environment with objects appearing to be real, making the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings”. Lastly 3D visualization is used specifically in creating robust characters in games, and unique designs for scenes.
Pros of Advanced Technology in Today’s World
Today, many people prefer to live in a world with advanced technologies due to the many advantages accrued to it. The main advantages of upgraded technology include saving time and money, and making life easier. Firstly, advanced technology makes life much easier because of the many robots and machines that complete daily life chores. For example, Samsung, for several years now, has been involved in designing household robots to help pick up laundry and wash dishes. One of the robots, the Bot Handy, has one arm and three pivot points that allow it grasp and handle delicate items such as dishes. According to Chung et al. (2022, p. 756), Bot Handy has a camera which allows it to identify objects with a lot of ease. In fact, its ability to recognize items ensures the right amount of force is used to place them accordingly. JetBot 90 AI+ is yet another robot developed to clean up with minimal effort and within the shortest time possible (Kawakura and Shibasaki, 2020, p. 234). It relies on cutting-edge-object technology to clean the house and perform other chores.
Secondly, technology saves time and money, especially for those running or managing different businesses. With advanced technology, one is able to streamline processes and, at the same time, cut down on costs. More specifically, AT makes processes easier, thus allowing one to reduce the number of employee-hours needed to pay for every week. Similarly, advanced technologies allow employees to work from home which improves efficiency and flexibility (Vrontis et al., 2022, p. 1237). In fact, it is now easy for managers to save money on overhead costs by simply setting up employees to work from home with some upgrade on technology.
Cons of Advanced Technology in Today’s World
While advanced technology is increasingly being utilized in different sectors of the economy, it is not without its disadvantages. As indicated earlier, not everything that has been upgraded offers the desired outcome. The first disadvantage of advanced technology is that it reduces jobs. According to Milovanović et al. (2022, p. 200), technology ensures the efficiency of tasks improves significantly, which explains why it is replacing humans in almost all sectors of the economy. The high reliance on AT means that many tasks performed by humans will soon be completed by machines, thus creating a shortage of jobs. In fact, many organizations today prefer AT that is capable of undertaking tasks more efficiently compared to humans. Secondly, advanced technology has created a high dependence on processes, tools and devices. People are no longer bothered with the need to recall information. For instance, the overreliance on mathematical calculators has reduced the need for people to perform mental calculations. In a study carried out by Sowder (2020, p.123), mental calculations help stimulate the brain: it keeps the brains sharp as well as boosting learning capabilities.
Thirdly, the use of advanced technology in everyday activities ends up creating privacy problems. It is imperative for people to ensure private information and data is secured. Although many applications and tools have put in place measures to safeguard privacy, most of them have failed to guarantee the same. Based on the study carried out by Eswaran, and Magann, (2021, p. 392), the latest advancement in technology has outpaced privacy protection efforts. In the end, the digital footprint can easily be traced by government and corporations. As digital footprint continues to grow and expand, more data about intimate aspects of people’s lives get stored. These aspects include purchases, online searches, communications and personal contacts. The problem here is that the government and other corporations can easily get access to this information; in the end, people lose their privacy and control over their information. Today, people are forced to choose between advanced technologies and the need to protect their civil liberties.
Another disadvantage associated with advanced technology is that it creates health problems. Many different technologies raging from computers, television to automobiles compel people to seat for many hours. This, according to Euchi (2021, p. 182), is dangerous to people’s health as far as musculoskeletal issues are concerned. People who spend most of their time looking at their devices for a long period have been reported to suffer from neck and back pain. Similarly, the use of smartphones involves people sitting in positions that result in poor ergonomic function. Back pain can result from poor gaming or computer posture: technology overuse has been linked to selfie elbow.
Reflection
While technology has been cited as the key driver of economic development, it has equally changed how people communicate and interact. For instance, in America today, many people spend most of their time calling and messaging on different social media networks. The change in communication has been informed by the advancements in technology. As explicated in the study by Achterhof et al. (2022, p. 107), technology has been entangled with the everyday life of Americans. Many people today, including children spend most of their free time on phones instead of using it to process their own feelings and reflect on how well to handle challenges. Personally, I have young siblings and surprisingly all of them have smartphones, tablets and gaming systems that consume most of their time. Looking back 10 years ago when I was the same age as them, there was a huge difference in the way we spent our time. Even though technological advancements had started shaping how people interacted, I did not spend most of my time on my devices like my siblings.
It, therefore, follows that as technology gets more advanced, many people will be drawn further into isolation which affects their social skills. According to a recent study, people engaged in face to face conversations were found to have high levels of empathy while those who spend time on their gadgets reported difficulties interacting with others (Timpe-Laughlin et al., 2022, p. 5). Many families no longer spend their time together: they just go in their rooms and get entangled in their gadgets.
Conclusion
This paper argued that just because something is considered advanced does not mean it will be beneficial. In other words, advanced technologies can easily cause many problems such as those related to privacy and health. On the issue of privacy, the focus has now shifted on upgrading technologies without paying close attention to privacy issues that may arise. For instance, as digital footprint continues to grow and expand more data about intimate aspects of people lives get stored. With regard to health, many people tend to spend most of their free time on their gadgets which, in the end, leads to musculoskeletal issues. Overall, advanced technologies compel people to isolate themselves that ends up affecting how they interact and communicate.
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