The Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology

The advantages and disadvantages of technology
The world moves and develops all the time. Technology has also advanced over time. In recent years, advanced technology has caused many significant changes in some specific areas. Because of this, human society is improving possibly faster than at any point in history. Whilst in the past technology was described as a method of creating some new inventions, today it drives the development of human civilization and puts emphasis on using scarce resources to make life and work increasingly efficient. Technology is defined as
"...the know-how and creative processes that may assist people to utilise tools, resources and systems to solve problems and to enhance control over the natural and made environment in an endeavour to improve the human condition." (UNESCO, 1985)
However, technology has not only brought positive changes to the world. This essay will therefore analyze the advantages and disadvantages of technology in modern life. It will begin first by discussing the benefits in areas such as factory farming, education and mobile phones, then look at the drawbacks in these same areas, and finally a brief conclusion will be made.

Technology has brought many benefits to the modern world. One of the main advantages is in factory farming. Factory farming can be defined as using factory techniques on a farm. First of all, factory farming techniques have allowed farmers to produce more food to feed more people (Jackson, 2009, P14). The large output helps to solve the food crisis. Therefore, starvation is one of the thorniest problems can be get over by the increasing output of food. Another advantage in factory farming is keeping production costs down for farmers (Jackson, 2009, P14). The lower cost promotes farmers to produce more and the supply also increases. A final advantage is that low food prices can be supplied for consumers and the rising consumption pushes the increase of GDP (Jackson, 2009, P14).
Another benefit of technology is in education. For example, students with more technological skills will have better career opportunities. Those students who gain technological literacy will have an advantage over others when they graduate and enter the workforce, as more than half the jobs in the world now require knowledge of technology (Brown, 2010, P30). Also, as Brown (2010, P30) pointed out, technology can allow greater access to education. Some methods such as distance education, educational software and other technology-based learning aids will be used to expand student 's areas of study for students whose schools offer limited curriculums. The capacity of learning is therefore improved through high technology. Furthermore, it is believed that technology helps student learn faster and better because technology makes learning more enjoyable. Some measures should be taken to create a new different style of teaching condition, for instance, The New Line Learning Academy is currently being rebuilt into the classroom of the future. The new facilities, which opened in 2010, boast touch screens, facial recognition technology and even mood lighting (BBC, 2010, P32). Students ' curiosities for study are satisfied by these creative and interesting equipments.
One other advantage is in mobile phones, which are connected with advancing healthcare in developing countries. Mobile telephones allow patients who are unable to travel to clinics or hospitals to consult with medical professionals. This is particularly important for patients who live in rural areas, because most doctors in developing countries are concentrated in urban areas (Coach, 2010, P26). There is a big economic difference between poor areas and rich areas; the quality of medical healthcare, therefore, depends on the development of the economy to a great extent. On the other hand, mobile telephones are being used to improve public health in the developing world. In particular, Short Message Service (SMS) is an effective way to send messages to thousands mobile phone subscribers at a time. For example, such messages have been applied to disseminate information about some serious diseases like HIV/AIDS (Coach, 2010, P26). Meanwhile, SMS can be also used to send medical questions to a medical hotline and responses to these questions are also sent by text message (Coach, 2010, P26). There is no doubt that SMS has brought a lot of convenience to patients due to the saving of time.
However, technology also creates some drawbacks. First of all, factory farming has negative effects on animal health. Due to the fact that these animals live together and are unable to move freely, it causes them to suffer stress and fear. Moreover, some dangerous diseases can also be spread quickly among animals (Jackson, 2009, P14). Human health can also be affected by factory farming. Some harmful chemicals, such as those in pesticides, can pollute animal products and the environment to cause cancer and other serious diseases (Jackson, 2009, P14). In addition, one of the most dangerous types of pollution is greenhouse gases which are also manufactured by factory farming. Furthermore, waste from factory farms can also cause soil pollution and air pollution (Jackson, 2009, P14).
A second disadvantage is that technology has enabled students to cheat in new and easier ways. For example, they can use mobile phones to find answers on the internet and even cheat through calculators during exams (Brown, 2010, P30). Another problem is an increasing dependence on technology to do everything. For instance, solving math problems with calculator has become a common phenomenon. Students almost lose ability to solve problems with basic math skills. Furthermore, some students are even forgetting how to write their language down by hand (Brown, 2010, P30). One very important disadvantages lies in unequal access to technology in education. The large gap between richer and poorer areas makes it difficult to widen technology in education. Therefore, those who do not have equal access will experience higher unemployment and earn lower incomes when they enter the labor force (Brown, 2010, P30).
Technology also has negative impacts in terms of mobile phones. Coach (2010, P26) argued that the need of medical services are older and limited, and therefore the use of mobile telephones decreases. The medical services of mobile telephones are not attractive to others, so they are not willing to purchase mobile telephones. As another example, the less access to mobile telephones is likely not available to some poor areas. People who live in poor areas are unable to afford mobile telephones because of the high price. Therefore, other means will have to be developed to reach these populations (Coach, 2010, P26).

To sum up, it has been shown that technology has both significant advantages and disadvantages in modern society. The benefits include areas such as effective factory farming, better education and the new function of mobile telephones. However, there are also drawbacks in these areas, such as the pollution of environment, unequal access for less well-off students and older medical services. Overall, as a matter of fact, it seems clear that the advantages far exceed disadvantages in terms of the benefits they have brought to society. On the other hand, it is also important that disadvantages are not neglected. In this way, people can continue to enjoy many opportunities which have been created by this important invention and use them in better ways for future.

References:
BBC, 2010. Technology impacts on education. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8508040.stm> [Accessed 4 October 2010]

Brown, D., 2010. Technology and education. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College.

Coach, K., 2010. Mobile phones: advancing healthcare in developing countries. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College.

Jackson, J., 2009. Drawbacks of factory farming. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College.

Technology Education Federation of Australia (TEFA), 1999. What is technology? [online] Available at: <http://www.pa.ash.org.au/tefa/wite.html> [Accessed 7 October 2010]

References: BBC, 2010. Technology impacts on education. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8508040.stm> [Accessed 4 October 2010] Brown, D., 2010. Technology and education. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College. Coach, K., 2010. Mobile phones: advancing healthcare in developing countries. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College. Jackson, J., 2009. Drawbacks of factory farming. [Handout] Shanghai: Sino-British College. Technology Education Federation of Australia (TEFA), 1999. What is technology? [online] Available at: <http://www.pa.ash.org.au/tefa/wite.html> [Accessed 7 October 2010]