My Hopes and Fears for Technology in the Future
As it is currently, technology is taking control of every aspect of our lives. What do we not use technology for? I cannot think of many things. Our televisions are digitized, the education system is digital, social interactions are digital, and even our experiences are mostly dependent on technology. In today’s world, a person who is not astute with technology is perceived as being wayward and primitive. Nowadays, people do not ask for phone numbers or street addresses. No, they ask for your technological address. How many times have you heard someone tell the other to give them their Twitter ID so that they can DM them? Companies now hold job interviews via social apps such as Skype and Google Messenger. Technology right now is ruling the world, but how impactful will technology be in the future. I have both hopes and fears about the use of technology in the future.
Currently, technology has made everything easier. For students, they can now access a world of academic information by just clicking a button. Businesses can now sign deals virtually through the internet. However, there are problems that technology has not been able to solve yet. For example, diseases such as cancer, HIV, and diabetes continue to plague the world. Millions of people are dying from these conditions that have no cure. I hope that technology will advance enough to help scientists find treatments for them. People Developing countries are faced with hunger and poverty. Children are suffering because their parents cannot afford to take them to school. I hope is that technology will help solve problems such as world hunger, poverty, and rampant wars. Natural disasters continue to surprise people. Landslides, earthquakes, and volcanoes afflict masses without warning. I hope effective technology will be adopted in the future to help better predict these disasters before they cause so much harm.
However, I have multiple fears about technology in the future. With rapid advancements in technology, businesses are leaning more towards machine utilization. Although currently there are tasks that machines cannot perform, I fear that in future robots will be designed for every job. In such a case, what happens to the workforce? How many people will become unemployed because of technology? How many mail carriers, clerks, janitors, and secretaries will be rendered jobless? I guess that they will be many. Just what does this mean for families? Unemployment rates will inflate and plunge masses into poverty.
Currently, technology is causing massive decadence of morals in the youth as well as children. Children younger than ten years can access pornographic sites or violent content that s broadcasted through social media sites. I fear that this decadence will be even higher in the future as a result of technology. Children and the youth might have free online access to black markets where they can purchase illegal guns and drugs. I fear that through technology, violence and crime will escalate and render the world a war tone zone.
Today, through technology, people are exploring the moon and other planets. Technology has brought about industrialization that is depleting world resources. Trees are being felled, and deforestation is increasing because people want to build factories in these lands. Through technology, people are increasingly discovering how to use natural resources for their personal gain. My fear for the future is that technology will deplete our world’s natural resources and even get into other planets and start interfering with the universal system. If these trends continue, we will have no plant life; no wildlife; no flora or fauna. All we will have is one big world surrounded by mechanical machines and gadgets. With the extinction of plants and wildlife, the next threat will be to the entire race. I am fearful that technology will render the world void of any life.
I have numerous fears about the future of technology. Already, technology is doing more harm than good, in my opinion. I am just fearful that this harm will escalate to a level that we cannot control. The sooner we start realizing the impacts and use technology sparingly, the sooner we will be able to escape the negative consequences in the future.