impact of technology
INTRODUCTION
Over the last few years, there has been an increasing criticism about the impact of technology as an aid that can help people improve their performance be it at work and school. These sentiments are shared by Samuel Freedman and Maggie Jackson in their respective articles terming technology as an impediment rather an aid. However, this statement is less true as I believe that technology is probably the greatest aid, since the wheel, that man has created. This paper thus seeks to dispute Freedman and Jackson’s criticism of technology by showing how technology has been more of aid rather than an impediment.
Firstly, technology has brought an increased human connection through simplified and faster modes of communications, be it Emails, SMS, calls and social media inboxes. At a time when businesses and even careers are becoming more competitive, increased speed of communication with employees and customers can’t be understated. A manager can chat with his subordinate’s members, discuss ideas and even criticize their works through a simple hangout-chat or email. The same can be said of people constantly keeping up with each be it on WhatsApp, SMS and voice calls. Before the development of these technological innovations, information was usually conveyed via mail or fax across long distances. When the message was more urgent, it would usually be delivered by a messenger or envoy. Time has always been money, and this is where technology comes in handy. Sending a message to another continent can only take a few milliseconds through the use of internet services be it social media sites or emails hosting sites. Before this, such information would have reached the target continent, let’s say India, after 3 or so weeks. It’s impeccable to say that this time-saving benefit has from technology has aided human’s beings into becoming more efficient and productive. No longer do they have to wait three weeks for feedback about poor ship/house design and recommendations of improvements from their superiors as it was before the 19th century. Their bosses can give them instant feedback through a phone call, WhatsApp text or email on his suggestion. This minimizes any time wasted in the intermission as a person will be occupied throughout. Jackson (p.270) gives an analogy of how he was able to meet up with an old friend who they reconnected via mail. Before this, this communication process wouldn’t have been slower and less efficient, ultimately delaying their chances of meeting up.
Another argument can be made that technology devices such as computers have drastically improved the productivity of people across so many industries. Cascio et al., (p.351) claims that technology has brought about the digitization of data which has facilitated the intake of more information and knowledge by these people. No longer do they need to attend extra-classes to learn a simple skill or to run to the nearest library to learn about a technical hitch they just encountered at work. Technology has come in handy by reducing the aforementioned “skills acquisition” process. This can be attributed to the fact that the internet is available to billions of people with diverse backgrounds, skills, and interests. This mass popularity of the internet also leads to a wide number of professionals and amateur content creators leverage on these internet elements to gain a brand following, increase their visibility as well as increase revenues. Thus, most of the life problems are already covered on the internet either through a Vlogs, Blog, or an E-book someone wrote specifically for this problem. It’s thus a no brainer that since the advent of computers and the internet, there has been a sharp increase in the number of self-taught creative and content makers compared to earlier before.
Moreover, the technological revolution has also reduced the gap in the quality of content that people in different location receive. A student based in India can learn about coding as a US student from an online blog, periodical, and Vlogs since they are accessible to them simultaneously. It’s the bridging of this gap that can be able to ensure that even people from developing countries can act with the same mentality and approach as Western Powers which are among the most technologically advanced nations. The student can also consult these professionals, ask them their opinion of his content and receive feedback from a diverse group of people. In regards to skills acquisition, it can be argued that technology is an aid rather than an impediment as Jackson and Freedman claimed.
Technology has in subtle yet important ways has helped people become better at proposing ideas or making a presentation in front of people. For instance, with the use of PowerPoint slides and projectors, a person can be able to guide and elaborate more about his concept or work through visuals. This would include the use of Diagrams, comparison charts, images, concept ideas and even additional information to help support what he might be talking about. This would help the audience understand the information better rather than if it was just talking with no visual elements. It’s interesting to note that such visuals can also help lock in audience attention, preventing them from being “bored.’ At a time when there are so many distractions of life, it would be a losing scenario if a crucial member of the audience, e.g., a potential employer loses interest in the presentation as well awarding lower marks instead. However, the presentation would have made up for the ‘boring” proposal with the use of fun, simple and catchy images which could be. Not to forget that such presentations can have a large number of people as it is in music concerts and such where videos are shown in LED display panels or projected into large walls. The combinations of such high-quality live-feed video and high-quality sound system make all those attendees of the event feel closer to the artist as they don’t have to strain to him/her or see him/her. I would argue that this has aided people in saving time and energy since they no longer have to rush to be on the first bench of any event to grasp the performance or presentation closely. Thus, people can take their time to get to this presentation, buying them more time to be productive at their workplaces.
The same can be said of the presenter as the presentations can help them have their projects approved or funded due to good visual aids which blended well with the user presentation and voice. Moreover, with these visual aids and high sound quality, the artiste can instead focus more on his voice and unique skills. Before this, an artist or presenter had to find ways of holding people’s attention, which at times entailed overcompensating it with words or animatic. However, with technology, these presenters can pitch their ideas with peace of mind. It’s also interesting to note that such presentations could also be transmitted live to other audiences across the world through the use of Facebook Live, Youtube Live or even WhatsApp live recording. These infinite opportunities of reaching a wide array of people from the comfort of their place or seat cannot be understated as it can help lock their attention. Apart from having the project/funds approved by the audience, it can also be used as a self-critical and analytical tool whereby the presenter can learn on ways to improve his presentation to be much better.
The two articles argue that technology has been the cause of short attention span nowadays as its acting as more of a distraction to peoples normal tendency. While this is a negative trait to some extent, I believe that it has helped in the reduction of idleness, unemployment and crime activities. No longer do people need to go search for the white collar jobs since there are myriads of freelance jobs that people can get from the internet. They include becoming freelance graphic designers, content creators, video editors and animation jobs which are available online and are done online. The research shows that the number of freelancing creative is increasing daily at an unprecedented rate. Before the rise of technology, people who couldn’t get their dream or well-paying careers would usually result in working as laborers and servicemen in various industries. However, technology has come in aid of such people as they no longer have to search for physical jobs desperately if they can be able to find and connect from online customers. Jackson (p.270) adds the concept of multitasking, an activity that technology has helped improve in people.
Regarding this, a person can be able to do two jobs simultaneously through multitasking all; all of which can lead to increased productivity. However, for technology to be efficient in these jobs, people should try as much as possible to be shaped by a distraction that is still brought by it. This includes gossip news channels, irrelevant Youtube searches and basic time wasting on social media, which could deprive a person so many hours which he could have otherwise learned a new skill.
Researches have been done to find the correlation between Technology and how it is related to people’s/students efficiency at work or at school respectively. The two authors argue that technology is a force of distraction to peoples performance at the workplace. However, in as much as it is true, I would argue that it all depends on the mentality and the discipline of the worker. Any technological device is created with the purpose of helping a human perform a certain action much faster and easily (Cascio et al., p.365). Henceforth, a person who leverages on technology is more likely to produce amazing results within a short time compared to the industrialization era. This includes learning new skill-sets, finding ways to earn more income, or even general academic performance. However, it should be noted that technology is a double-edged sword. Its speed and effortlessness may at the time lead to people completing their jobs earlier than before. This free time can be used for self-development or establishing a side-hustle or a part-time job, all of which could lead to the growth of a person financially and psychologically. However, it should be noted that technology is also considered to be one of the most wasteful human creations. Firstly, computer and internet prices are on a consistent decrease which in turn has led to many people having at least one computing devices, be it a smartphone, computer or tablets. These devices have so many apps that could otherwise distract its user from performing the chore that he was expected to perform. Instead of reading for an exam, a student may find himself drooling over social media posts for hours, an activity he had promised himself that it would be only 2 minutes of checking Instagram. Henceforth, this shows that technology can waste a person valuable time if the latter is not disciplined enough. This analysis is in agreement with Jackson (p.269) technological will always come with a form of distraction which can prevent a person’s self-optimization.
Technology also makes people effective by allowing them to collaborate on team projects regardless of their locations. When a company boss is on a vacation or a field trip, he can still keep in touch with the company through teleconference calls with the subordinates. In earlier times, such a boss would have spent more hours on the telephone which was not only more expensive (Cascio et al., p.359). Secondly, it also lacked visual capabilities which are essential in learning the congruency of words and proposals from both parties. It’s interesting to note that such a communication process requires only an internet connection and a camera-enabled laptop or smartphone. These are gadgets which in any other scenario could be used for “hobby” or ‘time-wasting” activities such as playing games, drooling over the internet and watching movies. However, all these two activities are very crucial since as they say” work without play makes Jack a dull boy” However, to ensure that these gadgets are used optimally for efficiency, people should learn to separate work machines from home machines.
In conclusion, it’s evident that technology is pointed out in a negative light by both Jackson and Freedman in their respective articles. However, this paper sought to argue against these assumptions as I felt hat Jackson and Freedman claims were misguided since technology is not a ‘distraction” and an “impediment” as per their claim. Instead, technology if well utilized can help increase efficiency in human activities. Messages can be disseminated very fast through IT infrastructure be it internet and broadcast media or telecommunication networks. This facilitates efficiency as the messages can be acted upon and feedback is given, regardless of the distance separating the communicating parties. Technology has also enabled people to become more efficient in their presentation and pitch strategies. For instance, people can project their PowerPoint slides to a wall or using an LED panel, enabling his audiences to understand the pitch easily as the visuals will add depth to the user’s verbal presentation. Humans should, however, note that technology can also be their biggest detractor to achieving their goals due to the myriad of apps that these devices. However, all in all, I believe that technology has made people more effective than in earlier times.
Works Cited
Freedman, G.Samuel. “New Classroom War: Teacher vs. Technology”
Jackson, Maggie. ” Distracted: The Erosion of attention and the coming of dark age.”
Cascio, Wayne F., and Ramiro Montealegre. “How technology is changing work and organizations.” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 3 (2016): 349-375.
Abri, Amir Gholam, and Mahmoud Mahmoudzadeh. “Impact of information technology on productivity and efficiency in Iranian manufacturing industries.” Journal of industrial engineering international 11.1 (2015): 143-157.
Wentworth, Diane Keyser, and June H. Middleton. “Technology use and academic performance.” Computers & Education 78 (2014): 306-311.
Flanagan, Jennifer Lyn, “Technology: e Positive And Negative E acts On Student Achievement” (2008). Education and Human Development Master’s eyes. 254.