The Recent Negative Effect of Technology on Society
Roy Kantrowitz
Mr. Ingram
English 101/105
Report
Ever since the Industrial revolution, technology has been changing at a
fast pace. People are always wanting a better lifestyle therefore there is
always something new arising so humans can cope with their physical environment.
One of the most important breakthroughs for technology was the agricultural
system. The agricultural system was the basis for the technology of the future.
The agricultural system brought on the need for transportation, workers and even,
battles over land. The need for transportation brought vehicles into the market.
The need for employees brought mechanical robots into society. Battles over
land brought on the need for sophisticated weapons. The agricultural system
brought on a revolution. The invention of the television can bring media and
other forms of entertainment into your house with video and audio combined.
Before 1950, newspapers and radio were the only ways to bring media or
entertainment into the house. Mass production and other job opportunities
brought many people from the suburbs and farms into the city. We can now have
forms of electricity directed into our houses for heating and light. Humans are
more reliant on technology then ever before. All of these technological
advances sound great, however, there is a negative effect to all this technology.
Technology can serve to actually harm humans rather then help them. Competition
between companies or even cities can sometimes make lives for humans even worse.
Take for example when a city builds better and more roads to attract tourists.
This actually creates more traffic, not less. Technology also changes our sense
of common purpose. New inventions such as the personal computer and machines
can change our lifestyles. Even things we take for granted such as the
automobile have negative effects on technology. The oil needed for a car to run
needs to be imported and sometimes accidents such as the Exxon Valdez incident
spills many gallons of oil into the ocean. All of these examples show how
technology has negative effects on society.
First, competition can lead to a negative effect of technology. When a
company in the U.S. produces shoes and a company in Great Britain produces shoes
as well, they must fight for their market share. Lets say the company in Great
Britain purchases more machines that will reduce the amount of workers needed
and improve output, then they can reduce the price of their product. If the
company in New York doesnt follow in their footsteps then they could be forced
out of business. In this case the company is forced into buying the machines
just so they can stay in business. This has a negative effect on the employees
