Effects of Technology
So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects' and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any value to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature & it's creatures, a viewpoint which seems to assume nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be exploited to take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes & to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered.
Well, most of this destruction of nature is mainly because of the fast-running human mind and the more rapidly increasing advancements in the modern day technology. Science and its inventions over the centuries have made life easier & enjoyable. Its application has proved to be a blessing in more ways than one. The first significant advancement in technology was the invention of fire around 1 million years ago, this enabled humans to cook food, and create other items such as spears and utensils. Technology now has improved sharply, and with TVs, MP3s, Computers etc., our way of life has changed. We have become the people of modern ideas and innovations & this shows our stinking richness.
With the introduction of Mp3s, TVs and computers, life for humans have become easier but also lazier. Obesity in children is at peak levels in India, United States, etc. Kids are preferring to stay at home and play computer games rather than going out and socializing like they used to. Quite simply kids are losing their social life, getting fatter and are having low academic achievements all because of their addictive games on Xboxes, Play Stations etc.
But not only the children, it has also affected lives of adults.Cell phones can cause brain tumors and computers cause problems with your hands and fingers, and posture. So is technology really helping us? Are the pros outweighing the cons. Should we take the risks? We have probably heard that listening to music at high volume levels from iPod can damage our hearing capability but have we cared how other gadgets are also causing damage to our overall health? Cell phones, microwave ovens and even the little Bluetooth device that we have attached to our ear causes radiation that might cause harm to our natural health.
Technology has helped the nature as well, as it helps us to determine when disaster is going to struck, also when earth will vanish and many other theories, but Technology is necessary but not always a positive influence in modern life. This issue has especially come into vogue in the last decade due to the mind-boggling pace of technology. Technology has really been very hazardous to the environment as well.
The modern world gadgets use technology of radiations and other harmful rays that have immense affect on the environment. They imbalance all the processes in turn causing a great affect on the entire living world and also the eco-cycle. Now, coming to geosciences. It has largely affected the earth and the environment as it involves digging up of the earth to extract various resources of one's daily need. This in turn has led to over-exploitation of the resources all around the world. These resources take millions of years to be converted from the fossil fuels, organic matter. But due to extreme usage of them they are getting depleted.
"Technology, when misused, poisons air, soil, water and lives. But a world without technology would be prey to something worse: the impersonal ruthlessness of the natural order, in which the health of a species depends on relentless sacrifice of the weak. "
The fastest growing network of Google is not too far away from this destructive activity. The search engine which has won the hearts of many with its speed has created various problems as well. The problem lies in the way Google works. Using a search engine generates CO2 emissions because the search request goes to more than one server that can be thousands of miles apart. Google have servers in the US, Europe, Japan and China. According to a recent study reveals that doing a Google search can emit anywhere between 1 and 10g of CO2 depending on whether or not the computer had to be switched on.
Thus the need of the hour is to adhere to more environmentally friendly practices such as switching to fluorescent bulbs and driving electric cars which is referred to as Going Green. Recycling material goods, using alternative energies and buying local goods are all components of the Green lifestyle. Nowadays, jute & paper bags are encouraged rather than plastic bags to carry various materials. Green Games (Commonwealth Games) will also be held in India & their motto would be to reduce environmental degradation. The purpose of this overhaul of lifestyle is to heal the environment of the damage that has been done to it by human existence. A noble cause indeed, but one that could possibly have negative side effects. So are we going to stop using Google for our searches? Technology will inevitably continue to grow, but we have to ask Is technology doing more harm than good?
Mayank Gupta
