The Relevance and Advantage of Technology in Our Daily Life

What is the definition of technology? The dictionary definition of technology is:
1. The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry (i.e. advances in computer technology)
2. Machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge.
3. The branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.

The mistaken belief of using technology is that it encourages laziness, but in fact, it is the way we use the technology which determines if we fail or succeed. Technology does not drive one to be innovative, opportunity does. Technology only enables the innovation that our opportunities have unveiled, becoming an enabler for improvement to our lives. Without drive or opportunity, technology becomes irrelevant. It is up to us to discover the relevance.

A bigger belief is that the use of technology for children is distracting and does more harm than good. In this day and age, the amount of children with access to internet is at an all time high. Using this to our advantage can be very beneficial to a child’s education. There are more options than you can count for e-learning websites for computers and apps for devices to help your child’s development. Children are more likely to keep their focus while playing a game than they are while listening to an adult explain a lesson. Children with a small attention span may become more comprehensive when involved in an interactive lesson with bright colors and consistent encouragement.

Technology can bring advantages to multiple obstacles. Marketing is one example. Online marketing has skyrocketed since the development of tablets and cell phones. Research has become simpler with handheld devices, and phone books or encyclopedias have become virtually non-existent in our everyday life. Creating articles and hyperlinks to help promote business has become the number one way to market due to the simplicity of typing your desired information into a search bar and pressing ‘search.’ Another advantage to using technology is in the workplace. Using computers instead of paper and pen can greatly reduce the amount of human errors and save a multitude of time and money on fixing mistakes. Human errors can be caused by stress, high workload, or an excess in responsibility. It also increases the means of communication, meaning higher volume can be output in a shorter span of time.

Technology in the medical field is another area which has further enhanced patient care. Time spent on medical records and charting is decreased and more time for patient care is the result. Doctors and nurses are able to easily access patient’s medical history or medication history which can lead to quicker diagnoses or treatments.

Did the world exist and stay functional before technology was invented? Absolutely. The issue is not that we cannot live without technology. The issue is that the enhancements and advancements technology has made to the world far exceeds the disadvantages and hardships it may have caused.

It is not being said that technology has become the most important tool in the course of a child’s educational well-being, marketing strategies, engineering tactics, etc; or even that technology is ‘needed’ to function in this century, but wouldn’t you say that being given the opportunity to achieve something greater, or more innovative, is worth the risk?