Modern Technologies And Natural Disasters

The following sample essay on “Modern Technologies And Natural Disasters”: how the development of technology can lead to natural disasters.

Throughout this second half of the semester in Technology in Society, we discussed many exciting issues dealing with technology. Some of them are how technology affects social institutions, social response, and how it can even cause environmental issues.

Social institutions go hand in hand with technology. Without technology, there wouldn’t be as much communication or information access in these social institutions as there is today.

For example, technology is very present in personal relationships. This technology use can either enhance a personal relationship or hurt it, depending on how you use it. Furthermore, cell phones, computers, etc. can be good for a long-distance relationship with your significant other, but they can also be used for cheating and eventually divorce, just depending on how loyal you are and how you choose to use them (Impact on Technology). Technology is also present in recreation institutions because it makes recreation more obtainable for those who are disabled.

For example, advances in the disabled technology industry make it easier for those individuals to enjoy activities just like the people who don’t have disabilities. These people are provided with motorized wheelchairs, ramps, prosthetic technology, and more to physically compete like never before (Six Technological Advances). Another way technology is present in social institutions is in schools. Schools provide smartboards, computers, I-Pads, etc. to help the students learn and engage, in hopes to keep them entertained while learning the material needed.

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As much as technology helps these social institutions, it can also be a burden. Take my generation, for example, a lot of us are “addicted” to our phones because that’s all we know/have grown up with. This isolates us from face-to-face contact, which can lead to a lack of communication skills (that we need for the future). Overall, technology in social institutions has its positives and negatives, depending on how you choose to use this technology.

The social response to technology has changed throughout the years and will continue to change. Technology is changing because people are changing. This means, that people need technology to stay alive (the sick) and continue to thrive in our world today, compared to the olden days. Technology in all its forms is a key demand of people at least until the next ten years. For example, Apple sells the largest number of smartphones, and people are interested to get a new one every time they display a new device. This is exactly why I feel that our/the younger generation is geared for instant gratification. They feel obligated to have the newest technology and whenever they want something, most of the time, they get it. The increase of technology in society affects the social relations between the parties in a community and will reduce the social skills of people. For example, they will rely on texting and emailing instead of meeting and talking face to face, this can hinder their social skills. Humans depend on the new technology, they no longer need to think. Even if the calculator is a good invention, people no longer makes mental calculation and they don’t work their memory and brain. The decline of human capabilities can cause these individuals to fall behind others in the workforce/life. Overall, the social response to this technology is that it is continuously changing, and it will continue to change throughout the years to come, for better or worse, depending on how you use it.

Along with the social aspects, there is also a continuous change in the environment due to this technology use. There are many effects of technology use on the environment, a lot of the negative. For example, pollution such as air pollution and water pollution is a big threat to the public’s health (Mulder, K.). Air pollution is one of the biggest killers on the planet because all those toxins can get into your body, causing lung cancer. Another form of pollution is water pollution. In today’s world, we tend to dump our waste or oil into bodies of water, which then results in contamination of the water we drink, which can kill off thousands of people or make them sick. Climate Change is also happening in our environment. This climate change is caused by greenhouse gases, man-made and natural. Because of this, natural disasters like droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes are occurring. Endangered species are another big environmental issue in my opinion. I don’t think people realize how much they are hurting these ecosystems when they cut down trees (deforestation). Also, wildfires are another big issue that causes these ecosystems to die out. Along with this pollution, I believe that global warming is another issue caused by technology. For example, extreme heat waves have been present in recent years, causing many deaths. There have also been more powerful hurricanes, natural disasters, droughts, etc. occurring in the current centuries. There is also an alarming sign of events to come. The rate of ice melting could speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, causing sea levels to rise several meters in the future. Along with these problems, there are also solutions to save the environment that involve technology. For example, some businesses and communities are advocating/installing the use of “planet-friendly” resources instead of the resources that pollutes the earth. They are using technology to help out the earth instead of destroying it. Some examples include technology that purifies the air, consumes energy, lessens water usage, etc. (How technology can help). Overall, technology, like the social aspect, can be positive or negative, depending on how you use it. The earth is a very precious thing and we need to strive to make it a better habitable place for us humans.