Technology Impact On Society: If you misplaced your phone today, could you avoid spiralling into panic? Highly unlikely. This is the impact of technology on us in a nutshell. Technology has become so integral to our lives that imagining a world without it feels impossible – a stark reminder of its overwhelming influence.
The dizzying speed at which our infrastructure, ways of interaction with each other, our tendencies and even perspectives have been reshaped by technology makes it imperative for us to slip into a slightly retrospective and introspective mode to gauge how far we’ve evolved with technology. This article explores society’s complex love-hate relationship with technology, and reveals the most cutting-edge use of technology we’ve been ignorant of until now.
Impact of Technology Highlights
- Technology didn’t always mean Ipads, smartphones, social media, etc., technology was, in reality, used as a way to establish better supply chains for securing shelter and food, the basic necessities for humans.
- Technology historian W. Bernard Carlson stated, “people in different cultures use technology in response to three basic goals: material abundance, social order, and cultural meaning”, in his study ‘Diversity and Progress’.
- The suicide case of Sureda Narendra is a stark reminder of the insidious grip of technology if used with ill-intentions. Narendra was unable to bear the torture by loan recovery agents after they morphed and circulated the picture of his wife to his friends and relatives. The loan sum was a meagre INR 2,000.
- Online trolling, body shaming, cyberstalking, image abuse, fake campaigns are a few examples of the technological demons today.
- The true purpose of technology is yet unknown to humanity due to lack of the refuge of a True Saint.
What is technology?
Technology, in basic terminology, stands for applying scientific knowledge practically in our day-to-day lives. Though technology today symbolises hi-tech gadgets and the hyper-connected cosmos, even humans discovering how to create fire by rubbing two flintstones against each other is an example of technology. Notwithstanding that technology is considered synonymous to science, it is in fact very much a facet of the culture of all geographies.
How is society linked to technology?
A society is defined as a group of people or a community living together and being governed by an authority, for example a government. A society also has an economy and its inherent dynamics, along with a preset of rules expected to be implemented within the society.
Technology has been long-used as a means to drive development in various aspects of a society like its economy, education, connectivity, sustenance in terms of food supply and accommodation. As technology historian Carlson observed: Technology is used differently by different societies to fulfill their goals. The more concerning question today is who controls whom? Do we leverage technology or does technology control us?
Technology Impact on Society
It is truly an understatement to say that machines control humans, instead of humans controlling them, given our extreme dependency on technology. Like each aspect of this mortal world shows a positive and a negative aspect, so does technology.
Two-Way Impact of Technology on Society
There are many aspects of day-to-day living that technology impacts positively. Detailing a few below:
Economy
Benefits: The most significant effect of technology has been on economies across geographies. Technological advancements have led to the birth of newer industries and therefore more jobs for people. Constant innovation also leads to newer products and more business ideas, boosting economies worldwide.
■ Also Read: From Science to Spirituality: Understanding the Impact of Genetic Modification
Drawbacks: Ironically, over reliance on technology has triggered job losses too and continues to do so with better and more advanced softwares coming into existence. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and robots taking over human intelligence, unemployment is a real fear as one-time investment in such technologies saves employers from paying regular salaries to employees.
Education
Benefits: While technology continued to uplift the education sector, the most profound benefits became visible only during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Integration of technology into the education space facilitated the continuation of studies even in a movement-forbidden world. Furthermore, it also led to a wider consolidation of online learning platforms across the globe, enabling even better and wider choices for seekers to choose from.
Drawbacks: Increased screen time at a very young age is a harsh reality of hi-tech education. Furthermore, technology has made us so dependent on it, that cognitive skills in young adults and children are steadily waning. Accountability among students has also been a major concern for teachers as virtual classrooms fail to offer the seriousness of real classrooms.
Communication
Benefits: Communication channels form the framework of all industries today and improved communication technology have played a big role in the success of online learning platforms. The fact that even a simple smartphone allows us to attend meetings, conferences, take online classes, aside from the regular video calls, speaks volumes about the way in which technology has altered our interactions.
Drawbacks: Quick and easy communication has also led to unsuspecting individuals falling prey to various cyber scams. Experts also highlight that the hyper-connected world today is increasingly isolated too, emphasising the dual-nature of technology as both enabling and handicapping. Social isolation also leads to technology addiction.
Agriculture
Benefits: Even more than just as recent as 50 years ago, farming was a laborious and time consuming field of work. However, leveraging technology has transformed the farming sector into a more time efficient and structured industry that today, adopts even AI-technology to make informed farming decisions.
Drawbacks: Though technology has aided the agricultural sector immensely, the environmental impact is too vast to be ignored. The use of hazardous chemicals in farming has also altered the quality of produce, in turn affecting our health.
Information
Benefits: Real time access to information across the globe has been turned into a reality through robust communication networks. Data being made available online has intrigued humanity and made fact-check a blink-of-the-eye reality. A mere check on social media channels like Twitter and Reddit seems more relevant to the modern audience to verify a piece of news than rely on news channels. The understated boon of making information accessible is a huge advantage driven by technology.
Drawbacks: Easy data accessibility is a very complex facet of technology. It has also given rise to online harassment, scams, hackers and cyberattacks. Data breach is a sad reality of technology and data privacy have proved to be just mere terms to market confidence to gullible users. Online portals like DeepFake misuse technology causing social trauma.
Healthcare
Benefits: Better and faster treatments are a result of improved healthcare technology. Whether it is the ease of accessing our blood reports online, or advanced healthcare instruments for diagnosis, technology promises better outcomes for patients.
Drawbacks: Cutting-edge technology in healthcare also stands for significant costs for patients, making healthcare less affordable for the common man. Dehumanisation of medicines is a direct outcome of overreliance on technological advancements. Also, use of robots in surgical procedures has met with definitive criticism and scepticism from both the medical fraternity and patients alike.
Politics
Benefits: Gone are the days when citizens would have to rely solely on the promising speeches of political candidates. Social media brings in better transparency in judging the daily activities of candidates versus what they preach in their speeches.
Drawbacks: Political parties have been using social media platforms for their smear campaigns against their opponents, causing widespread misinterpretation and hate agenda online. The volume of these activities slowly blur the lines between truth and fake stories, making it difficult for the common man to discern the reality uninfluenced.
Technology impact on youth
Youth is a subset of society, however the technology impact on youth is way severe and peculiar that any other subset within the society.
Social Media
- Illusion is the new reality for youth today.
- Social media validation has not only triggered the reel-culture prevalent today, but also exerted immense pressure on the psyche of youth to constantly ‘look good’ and ‘fit-in’.
- Who benefits from this vulnerability? Capital giants and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to name a few.
- A critical question to ask is how do social media platforms like Facebook generate revenue if they are not charging you a single penny?
- A glance at their business model lends greater clarity to how it latches onto us effortlessly: the user is not the client in such a business model, instead he is the commodity.
- This shocking reality is further cemented when you realise that platforms like Facebook generate their core revenue from advertisements. Therefore, advertisers are their actual clients who are being given a huge database of users who readily provide insights about their lifestyle through constantly bombarding the platforms with their personal photos. Marketing products to such users is a piece of cake for social media platforms.
Activity tracking and status
- It is no secret that our activities are constantly monitored by technology, whether they are apps, cameras, GPS location history, to name a few.
- Businesses leverage this readily-available data to market products through profile-matching.
- The ‘customised ads’ popping up on your screen are a result of constant status updates, our likes on social media and our web search history.
- Humans are no longer the drivers of technology, instead, technology is the driver of humans today.
Who decides what impact should technology deliver?
This 24/7 appeasement of an audience unknown to us has trapped us in the eye of a technological storm. While data security is a real threat, difficult to even confine to these two words, data breach seems to be becoming an unavoidable norm.
How can humans take control of the situation and dictate how technology should ideally impact us and not harm?
We’ve been sold the illusion of ‘hyperconnectivity’ as the ultimate social currency – a masterstroke of marketing that has robbed us of common intelligence. It’s no surprise that Artificial Intelligence now dominates us, shaping the world we live in with unsettling ease.
Corporate behemoths in communication technology have engineered a lifestyle for us, their unwitting consumers, where the majority of our time is spent in forwarding meaningless messages and deriving entertainment from trending social media reels. This endless cycle of digital validation has trapped us at the centre of a fast-moving technological storm.
Meanwhile, data security, an issue far too complex to summarise in mere words, looms as a constant threat. The normalisation of data breaches signals a disturbing future where privacy is the price we pay for convenience.
How do we reclaim control? How do we ensure technology serves us rather than enslaves us?
What should be the ideal benefit of technology?
The greatest boon offered by technological advancements is unprecedented access to information. However, the lack of a True Guide has driven humanity to alarming depths of ethical decay. Our blind pursuit of scientific progress has eroded the very principles that define human existence and righteousness.
Consider the creation of Deep Fake content – a chilling example of technology misused. The perpetrators of this deceit forget the potential victims could be their own mother, sister or spouse. Is this cycle of revenge, this tit-for-tat mentality, truly the path to peace or lasting happiness? Are these rapidly depreciating gadgets worth the moral compromises they demand?
The solution lies not in more technology but in the timeless spiritual wisdom imparted by an Enlightened Saint – a True Guide to steer humanity back to righteousness. This isn’t yet another marketing ploy but a wake-up call to reclaim your life before it is beyond redemption.
The accessibility of knowledge today should inspire us to explore the profound truths encapsulated in our sacred scriptures. The need of the hour is to align our lives with the eternal wisdom they offer under the refuge of a Tatvdarshi Sant, rather than seeking validation on fleeting social media platforms. Authentic spiritual guidance is the rock solid anchor that can prevent the ship of humanity from straying into perilous waters.
The Role of Technology in Delivering Supreme Spiritual Knowledge to Every Home
Jagatguru Tatvdarshi Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj highlights a crucial observation: Why has technological advancement accelerated so dramatically in just the last five decades? This unprecedented shift holds a significance much deeper than it appears.
‘Kalyug’, often understood as the age of darkness, encompasses an additional meaning, where ‘kal’ stands for instrument and ‘yuga’ stands for age. This is the era where tools and technology will play a pivotal role in spreading the authentic spiritual knowledge of Supreme God Kabir, the True Creator and Father of all souls.
Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj points out this foretold turn of events by Supreme God Kabir, where God Kabir predicted that in Kalyug, every household will deliberate on His supreme spiritual knowledge. This spiritual awakening will serve as the antidote to the moral decline plaguing humanity, fostering peace, harmony and a return to righteousness:
Ghar Ghar bodh vichar ho, Durmati dur Bahaye |
Kalyuga mein sab ek hoyi, Bartein sahej subhaye ||
The golden period of worship has arrived as God Kabir has Himself descended on Earth in the form of Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj to spread His divine knowledge and end evil in this world.
Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj’s thought-provoking discourses are readily available across all social media platforms, making them easily accessible. Furthermore, Sant Rampal Ji also provides hard-hitting references and evidence from our ancient scriptures, all of which can be found on www.jagatgururampalji.org and in the ‘Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj’ app on Playstore at your fingertips.
Additionally, those who prefer a real world to a virtual one, can also choose to visit a one-of-a-kind spiritual exhibition held at Satlok Ashrams six times a year, allowing visitors to witness the truths of holy scriptures firsthand and engage with the divine wisdom in person.
The singular real benefit of technology is to leverage it to gain complete spiritual benefits and pave your way towards ultimate salvation.
Impact of Technology FAQs
Question: What are the impacts of technology on society?
Answer: Technology has both positive and negative impacts. For example, it allows easy access to information, but also poses a risk of data breach.
Question: How does technology play a role in society?
Answer: Technology has evolved to become a part of our culture as it alters the way we interact with each other.
Question: How does technology affect us?
Answer: Technology affects us in several ways, like making us hyper-connected, straining our eyes, and shifting our focus to superficial living, to name a few.
