Summary: Technology Enhances Human Experience

Technology Enhances the Human Experience
“There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase, to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy.” – Stephen Covey

Technology has never been as pervasive in society as it is today. Perceived as a double-edged sword, it has not always been well received. However, when used with care, technology has had a positive effect on the way people live as it permeates our personal lives and changes the landscape of the world around us. Humans are better able to meet the needs that Covey describes: “to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy”. These needs are met through safety and security, belongingness, self-fulfillment, and posterity.
First, technology can help people fulfill basic needs that Covey describes. Our need to live is gained through financial and personal security. Innovations in technology have improved economic prosperity as they spark creativity that generates job opportunities especially in the science and technology fields. In the essay “Authenticating” Brian Christian introduces Joseph Weintraub, computer programmer and winner of Loebner Prize in 1991 with his PC Therapist IA software, at the time Weintraub was earning his living by day as a computer programmer in Manhattan. Five of the twenty wealthiest people in the world in 2014 are in the technology field (Forbes 1), solidifying that technology provides people with economic security. In addition to financial security, technology provides people with increased personal safety and security. Christian discusses the progress that is
Our need to love is fulfilled through intimate social experiences; a feeling of belonging. Assisted by social media such as Facebook and Twitter, people are able to make more connections than ever before, in addition to maintaining existing relationships, new one are formed as it is easier to join groups of like minded people to share ideas and experiences fulfilling our need to belong. In addition to social media, smart phone technology has also been a godsend for me, with a hectic work schedule I rarely find time to pen a letter or talk on a landline, my friends would all agree that I did a terrible job of maintaining friendships. Now that my friends are just an app away, I find that I reach out much more frequently than I did previously, resulting in a deeper level of intimacy than I provided them previously. With the assistance of Facebook, I have also made connections with family members I might never have know existed, since at 3 years old my father was separated from his large sibling group, never reconnecting in person. I’ve been delighted to be united with many cousins as well as my nephew. It would appear that I’m not alone. “Half a billion people are now on Facebook suggests that peoples perception of the benefits of connecting with others, sharing information, networking, self-promoting, flirting, and bragging” (Singer 464). Restak echoed this when he said “laptop computers, cell