Has Technology Overpowered Our Humanity?

The ambiguity of the word “humanity” permits the reader to interpret the phrase in various ways. On one hand, this concept might bear on the concept of technology as ridding the planet of man’s benevolence. On the other hand, independent man has become dependent upon technological innovations. In this article, the latter will be the focus of discussion.

In our search these days, we see just how much technology influences our lives. This reminds us of a Einstein’s quote: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” This quote connotes a rather hopeless viewpoint of the general impact of technology on the world. It may be looking for proof that technology has allowed humans to succeed in new heights and expand their horizons physically and intellectually. However, in so doing, has also altered our humanity in negative ways.

Technological Advancement Comes with a Price

With the increase of advanced technologies, the world has been able to achieve things that it would not have achieved otherwise. For example, transportation. Thanks to hi-tech and fast transportation,it has become so much easier for people to go places. The invention of cars, trains, planes, and boats have essentially changed our lifestyles from slow and inconvenient to fast-paced and easy breezy.

Many  people currently have customized, immediate access to automobiles that travel so much quicker than any human might run. With a pair of high calibre and researched-backed wings, planes will take passengers halfway around the world each and every day.

The Other Side of Technology

While technology can bring us comfort and convenience, it is by no means perfect. The darkest side of technology? Weapons that give individuals the power to manipulate and kill. From animals to their own kind, humanity use these technological advancements to physically hurt or manipulate.

Intellectually, technology has very much taken over the world. Websites such as Google Scholar and Jstor hold large amounts of data on their databases and are free for the general public to use. Additionally, humans have invented calculators that can predict numbers so much faster than the common man. Another invention – computers – can be at a number of the best chess players all around the world.

Is Technology Our Worst Enemy?

Despite our accomplishments, we find ourselves at odds with technology. Although the world wide web was designed to create social relationships and strengthen human connection, it has ironically,isolated mankind more than ever. The invention of smartphones have lessened the force of face-to-face relations and some people no longer make an effort to live in the real world.

Walking into congested areas full of people, it is not shocking to identify people who are constantly on their mobile devices, utterly ignoring their surroundings or what’s happening around them. And when we walk down the road, we become the victim and also the wrongdoer of bumping into people or objects because were were so engrossed with our smartphones. Thanks to smartphones and the Internet, relationships can remain in cyberspace and are easier to start and end.

Conclusion

While the web and smartphones give straightforward accessible connections, nothing really beats face-to-face communication and interactions. The virtual world is different from and cannot completely replace reality.

Technology gives us a lot of advantages. It paves the way to greater things,taking humanity to a new era of convenience and less troubles. However, losing face-to-face interactions in exchange for cyber connections is a recipe for disaster. You might ask: Why should people go through the trouble of meeting face to face when you can easily send a text message without having to move from where you are?

It appears that technological innovations like smartphones have ultimately over-complicated the terrible factor that they were supposed to change for the better. Ergo, communication.

This is not to say that face-to-face communication is far superior than online transactions. The former simply makes everything more understandable and hassle-free than communication efforts relayed through phone or the Internet. It is easier to clear things out when the other party can discern from your facial expressions the message you want to get across.

The ideal situation is symbiosis between technological advancements and real-world interactions. None should overpower the other. Instead, they must come together and create a balance that keeps humanity afloat.