How Far Has Modern Technology Improved People's Lives?

Technology has always flourished for the gain of mankind. The major achievements of technology have left man spell-bound and every part of the world today is enjoying the comforts provided by technology. Thanks to technology, all the countries are interlinked and we are now living in a global village. Modern technology has greatly improved people's lives through different fields such as medicine, work, education, industry as well as warfare. However, we cannot say that technology is all good in itself. It is a two-edged sword and we have to see to what extent it has really helped improved people's standard of living.

Technology based on life science has been of a great help in the field of medicine. This technology has led to many useful applications such as X-rays and shots among others. X-rays help in showing cavities and shots may prevent mumps and measles. With modern technology, it is possible to keep looking for new drugs and even organ transplant has been facilitated through technology. Pasteurization, vaccination and many more life-saving discoveries are all thanks to modern technology.

With modern technology, we are living in an era of industrialization and modernization. This has shown man the labor-saving machines which can work better and more efficiently than man. Machines are now doing the job of man and the labor force has been considerably reduced since a machine can do the job of several people at a time. This has given man more leisure time and has freed him of working continuously for several hours. Man now has more time for his family and for relaxing himself. Mechanization, which has been due to technology, has improved man's life by giving him more time to recognize himself in this modern world.

Technology has always influenced people's lives. Mass media, which are the offspring of technology, have greatly affected people's lives and will always have an influence on man. Mass media comprise the television (TV), radio, cinema, satellite transmission among others. The TV, as we all know, is a major source of information as well as entertainment. It plays a very important role in our lives by bringing the world news into our homes and by making us participate in almost every world event. We cannot deny the fact that the radio is an important tool for man and cinema is the most common means of a family outing or a date.

Another technology which is under constant debate is that of genetic engineering and its application to food. This technology is known to have existed for thousands of years and has improved food yield, production of milk, quantity of meat and others over the years. Without this technology, modern life as we know it now would have been very different. Thanks to the increased food production, we can sustain the ever-growing population of the world and can fight famine in certain parts of the world.

Nuclear technology and sophisticated gadgets are also parts of the modern technology that have improved man's life to a certain extent. With nuclear weapons and sophisticated guns, criminals and terrorists are easily punished and crime can be reduced. Other sophisticated gadgets such as mobile phones facilitate communication and computers allow distances between countries to be overcome. Sophisticated gadgets have seen the lives of people improve and we are now living in a better world.

Although technology has improved people's lives, we cannot say that it is only good. There is a limit to everything and even man has to respect this fact. But man is always bent on doing something new and ends up spoiling all. Mechanization has robbed man of his daily bread and has left him jobless. He now has no way of supporting his family.

Mass media have their bad effects too. TV causes addiction and everybody seems to be much interested in watching the big 'box' rather than having a stroll around. Sitting in front of the TV for long hours can cause obesity and the violent scenes shown on the TV greatly influence a person.

Nuclear technology has also seen major death rates whereas sophisticated gadgets have their own disadvantages such as exposure to pornography and the misuse of mobile phones among others.

After considering the various aspects of modern technology, we cannot say that it is all good or bad. Man has to know how to use it for his benefit and should not abuse its use. On the overall, technology HAS improved man's lives but man should not be a slave of it!