Definition:Technology

Technology
Always changing and always moving forward, we are on our way to a future where new technologies await, where every generation will change the word, technology, bringing with them new meaning. There are some that believe that technology is improving society and others that believe it is harming society, either way technology is changing the world, “Technology does not drive change. . . it enables change” (thinkexist.com). I define the word, technology, by change; change is essential to technology and is why it’s dominant in the world today.
There are those who believe that change in technology is a necessity to humanity, that without it we would be next to nothing. When technology is looked at overtime it is seen that every invention discovered was then overlooked by a new invention. “Meet the Robinsons” says it the best; “keep moving forward.” when you are moving forward you can never fall behind. Advances have been taking place since humans first existed, since the first invention of clothing, and to the invention of the Internet. Most of those people who enjoy technology are in contact with it everyday and love the things it has helped to change, the Internet is a prime example of how technological change has changed people. When looking for information instead of going to the newspaper or talking to someone, it may be more prominent to get on the computer and search the web for a certain topic, this has allowed people to have more knowledge about a certain subject and become more informed.
Sure, there are people for change in technology, but let’s look at the other side of the argument when people want less technology. There are some like the Amish who do not believe in using technology, that it is not a necessity, and they go through life happy and satisfied. As well, there are others who think that technology should be taken away for other reasons. “All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness” ~Mark Kennedy (quotegarden.com). Those who believe this, think that the only reason that technology exists is so that humans don’t have to do as much work and that technology may one day rule the world. For example, cars can be interpreted in that they get us places faster, but what one can argue is that they cause global warming or even obesity. The computer is another example, with it we get information about numerous topics, but we loose the conversation, it used to be that people would talk to one another about events, but now there is no need for conversing. “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road” (thinkextist.com). What happens when humanity is no longer part of this “steamroller”, we become part of the road, we will be feeble in caparison to the machines we have created, and no longer be in control, we will be another factor in the equation, instead of the solution.
Technology can both be a friend and an enemy, but it’s all in how one interprets the meaning of technology, what one person thinks is a fantastic idea may be totally different in the mind of someone else. Technology like most modern day items can be helpful to us in ways never thought of. Nowadays, traveling is as easy as hopping on a plane and flying to any destination you choose whether another state or another country. This is so important since the world is connected in business and production industries, products can be transported in a matter of days and will help keep companies moving forward. The process for acquiring information has also changed, it’s as easy as getting on the computer and typing in one simple key word. For many this is a helpful asset to living and how they go about their day, but there are those who believe that technology is dangerous and should be lessened greatly.
An enemy is someone or something that strikes fear in one’s feelings, for some this is technology. With the growing advances in technology we the people may not be able to handle the responsibility that goes with it. One example happens to be Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States obliterated these two cities with no more than a push of a button, and with the advances in technology today we can do much more damage. “We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces ~Carl Sagan” (quotegarden.com). For one, in the bombings on Japan we never had any idea what was going to happen when we sent those missiles into the air, there was no telling what the consequences were going to be, but we still did it anyways. This is the kind of mindset that makes disaster inevitable.
I interpret technology in that it is something that is dangerous when in the wrong hands, it can make life easier, or even destroy it. By means of change, we should first learn how to control technology, allow us to get our feet wet, instead of jumping in. technology surrounds me, and this frightens me, although it makes life easier, it can also destroy me in a matter of seconds. “Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other ~C.P. Snow, New York Times, 15 March 1971” (quotegarden.com). I would like to see change, but change in the reasons why we discover it, “Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons ~R. Buckminster Fuller” (quotegarden.com). Change is a good thing, but if we change the way we kill people, such as, missiles or nukes, we are being counter-productive in our efforts to move forward.
Technology is both helping and hurting humanity, there are people who see it as a friend and an as enemy, and until we learn how to control and use technology to help us, there will always be that fear to change and progress. The definition of technology is self-interpreted, each person refers to technology in different words, but think about it like this, technological change, yah sure, it will make life easier, but is it worth the consequences it may hold?
Works Cited
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"Technology Quotes & Quotations." Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. . "Technology Quotes and Sayings." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .