Reliance on technology did not occur overnight. It has increased since technology continues taking away little challenges in our lives.
On our way, navigation apps instruct where to head. Search engines answer questions and queries in a few seconds. Online banking eliminates the need to go to the branch and perform simple operations. Cloud storage allows having our files around nearly all the time. AI now assists us to write, translate, plan and solve problems on the go.
Memory can be a considerably example. Individuals used to memorise phone numbers, directions, appointments and other details as it was the only way. Today, a smartphone is keeping practically everything in mind. It is convenient, yet the convenience can be expensive. By discontinuing with practising a skill, we may eventually weaken that skill.
It is reasonable using a navigation app as it helps save time. Another thing is to be totally lost without it. Complex calculations can be done through a calculator. The fact that the estimate of an elementary answer cannot be made without one implies that a valuable instrument might have degenerated into a mental truism.
Digital tools are important in assisting students to conduct research and do their assignments. Software is essential as it helps workers to structure work and communicate. Online reviews and recommendation system has made consumers trust it to make their decisions on what to buy. Families communicate through messaging apps, and this is at times even when they are all seated in the same room.
The situation is that the more we rely on these systems the more we are exposed to vulnerability in case of them failing.
The failure to stay connected to the Internet, a power outage, battery drainage, a bug in a program or a cyberattack can turn an ordinary day into a challenging one. A company might have difficulties in its operation. A traveller can lose access to information that they are boarding. One might fail to pay or get in touch with a significant person.
In such scenarios, when we have no backup, then dependence is the worst thing.
Always being notified, scrolling, and having an immediate access to entertainment makes it hard to sit down, focus and endure boredom. We can get so used to constant stimulation, that we begin feeling slow in routine life.
Technology was to draw people closer and it has done so in most instances. Separated families converse regularly. Friends are able to be in touch with each other despite national boundaries. Office-workers are able to work together despite their location.
An individual can be seated at a dinner table, and reads messages after every minute. Friends are able to meet and take more time in taking pictures than enjoying together. A working environment can be kept alive by the messages even after the working hours.
Once technology is used in all silent places, individuals may be deprived of something good, which is disconnection.
Not necessarily. The idea should not be to go back to the times when there were no smartphones, computers or the internet. Beneficial changes have been immense with technology. It has enhanced access to education, business development has been facilitated, scientific research has been enhanced and communication is made easy.
Geography or finance as a barrier to opportunities is also minimised by technology providing people with access to opportunities, they would otherwise have been unable to access. A student can learn at home, a company can locate its customers globally and a researcher can distribute the results within minutes.
The more intelligent element is balance. Technology should not be given to us as an addiction. It is maintaining some of the simplest offline skills like recalling significant data, getting around without an app, face-to-face communication and solving simple problems without necessarily searching the Internet.
It also implies establishing boundaries. Switching off unwarranted alerts, having frequent screen timeouts and phone-free meals, and saving time to do something you enjoy and have actual dialogue can have a significant impact.
The largest issue is whether technology is good or bad. Whether we are in control of our usage of the same.
Proper relationship with technology enables having more convenient time with technology and retain our freedom. It is possible to use a smart assistant and still be able to think independently. We do not have to be carried away by social media and allow it to determine our mood. We can rely on digital means without losing the knowledge of how to operate even when they are removed.
Technology is among the biggest accomplishments of humankind, and every potential instrument is accompanied by a sense of responsibility.
The world does not become too dependent merely as the technology is omnipresent. Convenience as a substitute of judgment, skills, relationships and self-control becomes a problem when it begins taking a new life.
It is not about abandoning technology and the answer is no. The point is to make good use of it, retain human capacities intact and understand that technology is meant to enrich our life instead of relying on it to live.
